Today, I went kayaking at the Thompson Boat Center in Georgetown. I ended up flipping my Oakleys over my head, and they landed directly behind me. While I was trying to recover them, I ended up capsizing my kayak. It turned out terribly. It was an open kayak, and it took on a lot of water very quickly. I ended up not being able to right the kayak. A kind (and panicky) man on the shore took the initiative and called 911. I was ok, while not in great shape, at no risk of drowning.
Ended up, I had a civilian boat come to my rescue, their son took a picture of me for his scrapbook. There were 4 police cars, 2 fire trucks, the police boat, the DC Fire and Rescue boat, an Air Force helicopter, and a few units from the Special Operations Search and Rescue squad from Anacostia come to my rescue as well. Most of them granted came after I was safely on the civilian boat, and the captain of that boat said, "You must be a very important person if all of these people are coming to rescue you."
When I was safely ashore (sans a Blackberry 7210), the firemen asked me, "Are you okay?"
I replied, "Yes."
He then asked, "Do you have any problems?"
To which I replied, "Well, besides being really embarrassed? No."
And he asked if I needed an ambulance, to which I declined.
It was quite embarrassing, since I'd gone a few hours of uneventful kayaking. Kayaking by the way is a lot of fun, and I'll definitely do it again. Needless to say, next time I go, I'll make sure that I've got everything properly secured, but kudos go out to all of the people that came to my rescue, and especially the random family that came.
I ended up knowing a person that worked at the boat center so I was comped the cost of the kayaks. Not too bad considering that the police boat asked if I was given a whistle with my life vest, and I said that I wasn't. I think they might get in a little bit of trouble. Anyway, it was a great time, and I recommend anyone that has some free time to go kayaking. It's flat water, great exercise, and a great great time.
Pictures to follow. Stay tuned.
Posted by yakuza at July 11, 2006 12:51 AM | TrackBackeeewwwww, you got dumped in the potomac?! i hope you've had all your shots... ;-)
Posted by: jen at July 12, 2006 12:20 AMChuq - Rob and I have kayaks and they are so great! We live by the Cuyahoga River and take them there - not as often as we want to. Life jackets are key - we even have one for Mattie our dog, who sits in the compartment behind Rob.
I tried the Potomac kayaking for the first time just last week! It was not nearly as exciting an experience as yours, but just as enjoyable. I did get a whistle with my lifejacket. Sounds like DC doesn't want anyone drowning in that water.
Posted by: Wendy at July 12, 2006 10:20 AM