Rolled the boat once, only once so far. Little tiny 6" wave below a fast moving rapid we were approaching since we were travelling upstream. Had to power through the bottom of the rapid and make a hard right around a very large boulder to get to the take out. Had we actually tried the turn we likely would have wrapped on it, given the amount of current, 18 foot boat, 20 feet of water to work with. Needless to say, we likely were both leaning upstream at the time we hit the little wave broadside and in a split second we were swimming. We bob up and hang onto the boat, which is floating perfectly upside down bouyed up by the Eureka canoe packs crammed inside.
We swam it to shore, righted it and bailed with coffee mugs. Only then did we realize the fishing rods were gone. 4 rods, 3 reels, one less expensive spinning reel, a more expensive Shimano spinning reel on a Bass Pro pack rod and one very expensive Quantum casting reel on a cheap casting rod. We were standing in the muck along a weedy shore and later on I found a half dozen leeches suckling away Through my socks. I actually only noticed AFTER I had ripped the socks off, 3 portages further upstream.
The following morning the Coleman 2 burner refused to fire up, it had been under a seat on the boat. No more fuel either, no water, we headed for the truck very dehydrated, so much worn out that as we paddled past an Eagle sitting on a dead tree, it was ogling us, perhaps thinking of a larger meal.
We've been back through there since and looked for 4 rods bundled together since the water is only a few feet deep, but it had been awhile and they were either found by someone else or the current/ice moved them or buried them in the mucky bottom.
First year out, Christine lost a pot by trying to throw it into the boat after a port, it bounced off the gunwale and sank quickly. Same river further upstream.
Karin
