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Austin Canoe & Kayak
June Newsletter

June Newsletter
June 2009 Issue 6 Vol 3

In This Issue

:: Big News Part Deux

:: Team ACK Blog

:: Server Stops Serving

:: A Kayaking Story...

:: New Products From ACK

:: Save on Accessories

ACK Big News Part Deux
Another Hitching Occurs

For another major event in the world of ACK, on May 16th Steve tied the knot. Lisa, the lucky bride, is a native Texan and that was the theme of the weekend. We rocked Texas right with friends and family from all over the country. The weather was a little gloomy but they forged on to have a great celebration and then the happy couple hit Mexico for their honeymoon in style. We welcome Lisa into the land of free labor with open arms.

Team ACK
Fishing and Racing Team Blogs

Team TKF/ACK is rocking and the 3rd Coast Kayak Fishing Series-Port O'Conner tournament will go a long way to separating the contenders from the pretenders. A good showing next week will set them up for a good placing in the team and individual categories.

Team Redtide has some great stories to tell about their recent happenings, their blog is highly entertaining. I encourage all to read it.

Mike Bayer, the Yak Fisherman, is going into the final event in 1st place for Angler of the Year. Trailing him is Steve Garcia who considers Town Lake his domain. Should be an exciting finish.

Team Peddlin Safari, the Texas Water Safari team is finding it may not be so easy to get to the coast in their pedal driven sleigh.

Server Crash
What Happens When The Server Stops Serving?

Well, first Peter screams, then he attempts to pull out his hair, but remembers at the last second that those repercussions are life long with what little is left. After the initial agony sets in he then heads to 'What the @#$% is wrong mode'. These looked very similar to me but he swears they were different.

After the dust settled it ended being a major hardware failure that took AustinKayak.com down. Fear not, we were already in the process of moving to entirely new infrastructure with redundant backups that would have prevented this from happening again. Unfortunately the new servers came online two days prior to the crash and the conversion will take a month at a minimum.

We sincerely apologize for the issue and inconvenience. We are moving as fast as possible to our new setup so that we can continue to provide you with uninterrupted service.

Keep up With ACK!

Don't forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook!

A Kayaking Story
ACK Staffers Make Mistakes Too

I need to share a story with our readers that recently happened to me and I would like it to be a warning that no situation should be taken lightly. Peter and I had met up at a local Austin lake to get in a little fishing. All we had time for was a few hours of angling so I grabbed minimal gear. The day was beautiful and sunny in the morning and the bite was average but it was better than being behind a desk.

We were on the water for about an hour the wind picked up significantly. It didn't matter where we were on the lake, we were fighting a brutal wind. Peter was set up in the Hobie Outback and with the Mirage Drive system he had no problem with the wind. I had chosen more of a canoe style boat and was too lazy to move the seat to the center location so I was sitting in the stern seat.

I stopped to change lures because the worm I was throwing just wasn't getting it done. After about 5 minutes of getting myself situated I looked up and discovered I had floated into the middle of the lake. No big deal I will just paddle back to where Peter was, but first I decide to have a snack as I needed the energy. While enjoying my snack I hear a boat pass behind me and then find it odd that I'm getting hit in the hip with water. I turn to see 15 more waves much higher than the boat headed my way. I'm not an overly skinny guy so the boat was sagging and had very little free board so the waves came right into the boat pushing it under the water.

In a matter of 15 seconds I was in the cold water and stunned by the turn of events. I couldn't touch bottom and the kayak was full of water. My PFD had floated away (I was not wearing it) and I was holding my rods and paddles above my head with my right hand so they wouldn't float away or sink. To make this situation even more difficult my iPod on was in my left arm pocket which I was now holding out of the water with my left hand to keep it from short circuiting. Peter could not see me from his position. I was in trouble.

I started thinking like Survivorman and figured out my best way out of this situation is what seems like a 900 yard swim to shore so I tuck my paddle and rods in the kayak and keep my left arm out of the water to protect my beloved iPod. I grab the bow of my kayak and start side-kicking my way to shore. Peter finally notices I'm missing and begins a search for me. He sees a flash of orange and knows something is wrong.

After a few minutes I get to a spot I can stand up on my tip-toes but that doesn't last long and I trip and twist the boat in the process, dumping both my rods to the bottom of the lake and I hear my iPod die a nasty death as I go under. I have to right the kayak and I get back to swimming because I'm starting to get cold. As I reach shore I start stripping clothes off in an effort to get them dry. Peter finally arrives.

I'm embarrassed and a little concerned by this event. By not taking the time to gather all my gear to properly prepare for a short trip I might not have made it back to see my baby boy and wife. I will never again get into a kayak without my PFD on. Not wearing it was plain dumb and it floated out of my reach within moments. Leaving my iPod case at home cost me another $180 bucks. Not bringing my rod floaters or accessory leashes cost me $200 in rods and reels. Bringing my paddle leash would have made it so I didn't have to waste energy making sure the paddle was staying with the kayak.

The fact of the matter is when I tell this story it can sound pretty funny. An awkward goofy situation that got bad quickly. Open water is a fun play zone but it can get nasty quickly if you are not prepared and can cost you more than money if your not taking the correct precautions. That swim would have been much easier with my PFD securely on.

--Chris

New Products From ACK

Advent Tramp

Adventure Island Trampolines
Adventure Island owners rejoice you wanted it and now its available! These trampolines attach to the outriggers of your kayak and work great for storing gear, dogs or small children. In a strong wind you can adjust your gear set up so you can really rip. Every Island owner needs these.

Knot Guides
Tying knots is a part of every kayak or fishing trip. With all the stuff you have to remember how do you expect to remember the Double Uni Knot. ACK has 3 waterproof pocket guides to help. The Pro Knot Card is great for the space conscious. The Fisherman's Ultimate Knot Guide has all the knots you need and when it's unfolded it becomes a fish ruler. The Pro Knot Fishing Knot card is perfect for the tackle box.

Wilderness Systems Padded Foot Pads
Wilderness Systems kayaks come with a very nice set of foot rests but these bad boys are even nicer. The padding depresses when you put pressure on the peg for maximum comfort. The foot peg is wider and taller that the standard which lets you put added pressure on the pad with no problems.

ACK offers our sincere thanks for taking the time to read our monthly newsletter. We hope you find it valuable and informative. If you have any suggestions or requests to make the newsletters better and more informative, please let us know.

Sincerely,

Austin Canoe & Kayak
www.austinkayak.com