7/18/13 - hmb mothership trip

[alantani]

7/18/13 - hmb mothership trip

4:20 am - overslept. i was supposed to be on the road 20 minutes ago.



finally in the water at 5:30 am. this trip is going to be a little different than the others. we are launching out of half moon bay and again headed to san gregorio.



these are the kayak brackets made by john mairy 4-5 years ago. they have not gotten near enough use, but they will get used today!



we will be taking 4 kayakers down to san gregorio, to fish waters that they would otherwise not have access to .







4 sleds, neatly tied down.



and we're ready. from left to right, meet mike in front, roger in back, jim and dennis. staying with me on the boat will be ben.



flat water, 4100 rpm, 20 knots, 14 gph on the way down.



time to launch.



and they are away!



i don't know how it happened but i took no photos until we got back to the dock. we just hammered the rock fish. i was using shrimp flies and squid at first, then switched over to a one ounce megabait and was getting hit on every drop. getting the kayaks back on board proved to be a bit more of a challenge.





the ride was a little bumpier on the way back and we had to slow down to 18 knots.





we found a few bugs to work out. the next trip is to point sur. then offshore for albacore. remember that no one yet has ever hooked and landed an albacore from a kayak in northern california.



having two kayaks on the "Y" brackets was looking like too much of a load. i am thinking of only one kayak on each side and then dragging two kayaks in the water, i think that a stabilizer bar between the sterns of both kayaks will insure that they will not roll at high speed. the kayaks in the water can be cleated off close to the boat to decrease the chance that they would roll. also, i think that a "stabilizer bar" between the two kayaks attached to the stern might help. it would almost turn them into a catamaran. i am looking another trial run, either half moon bay to san gregorio, or possibly even launching out of monterey and going back to point sur.

[mull dog]

Always enjoy your posts Alan. Great to see something a little different. Look forward to reading about the albacore adventure.

[Chimo]

Hi Alan

Love the extras on your roof like FLIR as well as the radar. I guess with the loud speaker you can say ? as you pass them?

I suspect a short "joining bar" might work better at the front of a pair of towed pair of kayaks.

I have found towing a tinny that a short line off the bow eye ending in a pulley block allows a short or longer adjustable, bridle line running from stbd bollard thru the pulley and then back to the port bollard allows the distance back from the boat to be adjusted so the towed craft sit in the "sweet spot" in the wake. If your towing two you might need a short fixed "bridle" off the two kayak bow eyes that you attach the short line
with pulley onto.

Always enjoyable to work out "better" ways. I figured looking at the pics that two kayaks per side was pushing it in anything other than a millpond? Got to be hard on the rod holders!

Cheers
Chimo

[Boat Hog]

Interesting reading Alan. Some adventurous ideas there!

Was there a need to have the kayak brackets so high? If the upright was shorter and the 'V' lower down that might provide greater stability.

Cheers,

[FisHard]

Sweet Grady!

[alantani]

the "Y" brackets were high to accomodate the scotty downriggers. one kayak on each side is probably better.