For
those of you who are "kayak nap curious" or
wishing to try out new nap positions, it is strongly encouraged
that you practice in a pool or shallow bay with a registered
lifeguard or spotter before kayak napping solo. But if
you are looking for some extra tips, the following article
should be of help. . . .
"Catching
ZZZs on the High Seas"
By
Capt. Greg Bowdish
After
spending so much time on the water with kayak anglers
from all over the country and of all different skill
levels, I have come to see a definite pattern in the
way people respond to bobbing around in a tiny plastic
boat. Kayak fishing has an odd effect on people. Now,
before I go any further, I want to warn you - I am
not going to be talking about fishing for once. But
if you kayak fish you will want to read on as the
topic I am bringing up needs to be talked about. It
affects everyone who sits in a kayak and seems to
be a universal kayak fishing truth - that it is very
easy to fall asleep in a kayak.
Lott
Rogers, wife of Tampa Bay charter guide Capt. Chuck Rogers,
showing amazing
poise and grace aboard an Ocean Kayak Prowler 13.
I
remember some time ago fishing with a friend in a backcountry
lake for snook and redfish. The tide had slowed and so
had the fishing. We decided to wait out the tide change
and I put on a jerk bait on a weighted worm hook, which
I slowly crept along the bottom. It wasn't long before
I started yawning. It was so relaxing sitting there in
the kayak in the warm sun, the water gently rocking me.
I started to nod off. I would wake up just as my chin
hit my chest and then would nod off again. What kept me
from dozing off completely was not that I would miss any
fishing (the tide wasn't going to allow any action for
quite some time), nor was it the fear that I would drop
my rod in the water (I had it laying securely across my
lap.) My main fear was that my friend would spot me dozing
off in my kayak and take a picture. But a five-minute
nap would feel so good and recharge me for the change
of the tide. I decided to risk it. Before I nodded off,
I glanced over to make sure my friend was occupied enough
with fishing that he wouldn't notice me napping away.
He was occupied all right - dozing off with his head back
and mouth wide open.
Since
that day, I have seen a lot of kayak napping. I have seen
the most hardcore charter boat captains put down their
fishing rod, put the kayak seat back, and have the most
restful day they ever spent on the water. I have seen
women and children nod off to, so this kayak napping thing
seems to cross the boundaries of both age and sex. As
a professional waterman it was hard at first to come to
grips with idea of dozing off while out on the water.
There just seemed something inherently wrong with being
"asleep at the wheel". But then one day, I saw a few minutes
of an infomercial on television trying to sell some "get
rich quick" scheme. I saw the good life the scheme promised
- an exotic automobile, a huge mansion, a giant pool in
the backyard. What struck me was what was in the pool
- the newly made millionaire dozing away in one of those
pool lounge chairs. It seemed to me that, for that moment
in the millionaire's life at least, all those millions
of dollars could only buy what I could experience every
time I went out in the kayak. With your eyes closed, you
can't see the huge mansion or beautiful car. You might
as well be bobbing around in Pine Island Sound. The kayak
seemed to have even more to offer in that upon awakening
I could go right back to fishing. Now I am not saying
to pass up a cool million or two if it comes your way,
but for those moments that you doze away in the kayak,
you feel like the richest man (or woman) in the world.
What happens
when you take a top Alaskan charter boat captain and put
him in a kayak on a warm Novermber day in Florida? Well,
we can only assume Capt. Steve Zernia of ProFish-n-Sea
Charters in Seward, Alaska aquired his yak napping
skill watching seals and polar bears napping on glaciers.
So
I made peace with this whole idea of sleeping in the
kayak and it is nice to allow myself a little catnap
now and again when the fishing slows. But I have learned
some tips that may be helpful to you should you decide
to catch some ZZZs on the high seas:
Tip
#1 - Wear lots of sun block.
Tip
#2 - Paddle out of the channel and away from any boat
traffic.
Tip
#3 - Drop an anchor or stake off your kayak
Tip
#4 - Carry a GPS and VHF radio should you forget tip
#3.
You
should of course always have a PFD close at hand, but
if you are getting a bit sleepy, it probably would be
a good idea to put it on. I have a Mustang automatic
inflation PFD and I could only imagine what it would
be like if I fell out of the kayak while napping. Asleep
at the wheel and then the airbag goes off. Seriously,
it is nice to relax out on the water and a lot of us
forget sometimes that this is the whole purpose of being
out there in the first place. But be sensible and be
safe.
Capt. Jason,
at it again, this time with his heavy winter kayak napping
gear. Pros like Jason know how important good gear is
in extreme conditions - not only in terms of comfort,
but also survival!
Kayak
fishing does tend to slow people down and allow them to
actually relax. It is very easy to get really worked up
about fishing, but for a lot of anglers, that is the time
they are supposed to be recharging the batteries and get
away from all of life's problems. So why not take a nap
if you feel like it? And if you have trouble falling asleep
in your fishing kayak, you can always try counting sheepshead!
