With the help of a few boat swells, and by pushing so hard that I started panting and wheezing, I managed to squeeze 6km/hr out of it... but that's only for a very short distance (Wong Shek Pier to Ko Lau wan, 4km, in just under 40 minutes.) Not sure if I could ever make it to Long Ke with it.
Another annoying thing about it is that the knee-brace side bar keep snapping out when I try to tilt or lean my kayak to one side. It would suck if I were trying to roll when that happens!
I got very nervous when I got to Ko Lau Wan yesterday, but then I wasn't wearing a PFD, AND I didn't have a paddle float, AND the spraydeck wouldn't come off =_=;; So I turned around and stayed in the "safe zone."
I have a 60L dry bag with a valve -- way too big as a p-float, but if you don't get killed by hyperventilation, it works as good as a pontoon! I like to think you can't fail to reenter or roll with that big pillow by your side. But then again, I only tried to roll without my spraydeck on. I can't help thinking that it would be suicidal to capsize while being so, um, inseparable from the boat.
Oh, and it sucks to come back at low tide, and I mean it literally. I took up Fred's advice and put on a pair of runners when I paddled yesterday. I came back at about 1830, and the water at Tai Tan had receded, so I had to walk through the muddy sand with a kayak and day-gears on my shoulder. The mud/sand sucked on my runners, and the sole fell out!
Currently rereading Sea Kayak Rescue by Roger Schumann and Jan Shriner. I remember how I thought it's all dry and boring stuff the last time I read it (in 2007), now, I keep nodding appreciatively. They even have a short section on recovering a half-sunk kayak. Let's just hope I have a chance to use it this Sunday.
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