Been there.
Running whitewater rivers (I know you weren't in fast, skinny water) you could come around a bend and find yourself flying.
Several years back, I was driving down river doing some testing on some bottom work we had done. No GPS, but undoubtedly 85-90 mph ground speed with a pretty good upriver wind, the wind going across our helmets made it feel in excess of 100mph. It was dusk and the sun was right in my face. Hindsight, should have slowed up......
Anyway, came around a blind bend, water less than two feet deep and fast. Hit what I felt was a fairly innocent roller, boat hooked hard to the left toward the inside of the bend, lots of rocks, only action that seemed instinctive was hard right and mash the loud pedal.
Boat hooked the other way and hit the second roller, still carrying 80+...... We hit so hard, we popped out of the boat like water on a hot frying pan.
The boat went up the beach on the outside of the turn about 100', minimal damage and realistically, short of the full underwear and the long walk downriver in the dark in wet clothes, no harm no foul. Could have been catastrophic.
The roller you hit was either another boats stem wake, or an underwater defect causing a depression. Scary stuff.
All I can say is, polarized sunglasses and learn to read the river.
Glad you came out unscathed.
That just provides a little insight as to how much the river demands respect.
GT
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