Local kayaker rescued at local inlet. It is a shipping inlet, with rough water and strong currents. Nice to see someone being rescued vs the typical body recovery. PFDs make a difference.
Apparently he had no spray skirt .
Yup. He admitted that at 2:39 in the video.
Out of curiosity what is the water temp?
~60-63 degrees. I surf a near by Bogue Inlet, regularly. Beaufort Inlet has some fairly strong currents. It is a shipping inlet, for the Morehead City Port. Lot of humongous fishing boats as well. I have paddled it a couple times. Felt like I was playing kayak frogger, dodging big boats.
This paddler was lucky.
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Anyone know what type kayak he had? The paddler apparently did not have skills for dynamic water. He was lucky.
No spray skirt and âmy buddyâs bilge pump was cloggedâ. Good argument for making sure there are at least two pumps.
Images show an older touring boat, probably long out of manufacture, no or limited static line, unclear if any bulkhead up front. Not a boat I would want to be in under those conditions. But with a spray skirt and the right paddler might have been able to get out of there safely. Doesnât appear either were present.
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There but for the grace of GodâŚ
I got my wake up call in the Beaufort Inlet years ago. I stayed upright and didnât require rescue but LORD I didnât know water could go from friendly to mean so quickly. It definitely inspired me to learn to brace and roll.
Blackbeard lost the Queen Annâs Revenge there.
I had another âinspiringâ event happen within a couple of miles of there on another occasion. A sudden change in the weather took me for a swim.
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We were cruising on our boat from Charleston and had entered Beaufort Inlet about a half hour earlier that day when we heard the Pan-Pan from the CG. Current was at max ebb with opposing 1-2 foot swell and 1-2 foot waves so it likely wasnât pleasant in the shallower water outside the channel. Of course it never looks pleasant outside the channel to us. We heard Sea Tow respond then nothing further. The CG will repeat the Pan-Pan every ten minutes or so, or announce that it is canceled but not this time. Thought, this canât be good. Glad to see otherwise.
This footage is from the Big Rock Fishing Tournament, from last year. The back boat sustained massive damage, coming back through Beaufort Inlet. These conditions are not every day, but the inlet is rarely calm.
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OK. That is messy. Seems to me that the inlet could be fun for play if prepared or a really bad place to be.
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I think a better place for kayak play is Bear Inlet just down the coast. It doesnât have near the traffic that Beaufort Inlet has. Itâs pretty shallow so a helmet is a good idea.
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I have paddled both. Bear Inlet has a nice little tide race, on the Brown Island side of Bear Inlet. Plus with Bear Inlet; un-like Bogue Inlet, you do not have to paddle a mile off shore, to get to the breakers.
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