Kayaking tragedy in the apostle Islands

[thinwater]

Ban them? Heck, kayaks were invented in ice country. But you have to know your gear and understand cold water. I always feel a little weird wearing a drysuit for early spring paddling. It can be a nice day.

About 2 years ago I was doing some testing testing for an up-coming book on anchoring (a few months). I had set some anchors in specific ways and needed to dive to record how they set. It was ~ 70F and I was wearing fleece pants, a turtleneck, and a tee shirt under that. The water, on the other hand, was high 40s. I put on a drysuit with gloves and hood but did not add fleece mid-layers. After all, I was only going to be a few minutes and that gear was hot enough. Well, the suit was dry, and nothing was shocking, but my arms were really starting to feel it within 10 minutes. I could touch bottom, so it wasn't dangerous. I was not shivering. But it made it clear that although I was wearing the MOST clothes I possibly could for the air temperature, it wasn't enough for the water unless I knew how to reboard a kayak (which you MUST before you leave supervised paddling).

It is hard to overstate the danger of cold water. This coming from a guy that hates PFDs and has ice climbing as his other hobby.

 

[sailnoproblem]

Didn't mean to say band, but maybe some sort of restriction to people who have no idea what they're doing. maybe some sort of course like they do with safety courses for boating. just a thought, I myself would not kayak on a body of cold water. That's just me I hate being in cold water.

 

[Will Gilmore]

I myself would not kayak on a body of cold water. That's just me I hate being in cold water.

In high school, we had a kayak team, we trained, entered citizen slalom and down river races and there was one other school that had kayaking as a sport, so we raced them twice. As soon as the ice was thin enough in the Spring we were climbing over 12 foot snow and ice covered banks to get to the river. The coach bought a set of patterns, rolls of 3/16th neoprene and glue, and we all made our own wetsuits. I only ever wore the top. Under the sprayskirt, just shorts. My boat, 14 lb. kevlar "Equipe" slalom racing kayak, was pretty tight. One of the neatest paddles was the lake when the ice was like little crystals all floating on end because their neighbors kept them from falling over. It sounded like paddling through a hundred-thousand glass chandeliers. I never got cold. However, I tagged along on a high school group river trip in my 40's, borrowed a student's jacket and had to get out because of near hypothermia and numb fingers. The student who loaned me his jacket, I didn't know he didn't have another one, flipped and bailed without his jacket on and became hypothermic in the few short minutes it took him to get a tow out of the water. There was snow on the ground, but it wasn't climb over the snowbanks, first run-off, cold. The day was cold and overcast, about 65F.

-Will (Dragonfly)

 

[JRT]

I just don't understand why there is call for banning or sueing. What happened to personal accountability. A terrible tragedy for sure and feel for the mother. I hope this serves as a lesson to others and not impact those that have enjoyed an area responcibilty for years.

 

[sailnoproblem]

Again I didn't call for a bann, and I sure did not mention sueing.
I love to kayak, again just for enjoyment, the same reason I sail.
In warmer waters, and I plan my outing around weather forecasts.
I just hate to hear of a senseless tragedy that could have been avoided by some common sense and proper planning.

 

[Ilanortho]

Calling to account does not necessarily mean sueing. If you rent out a kayak knowing a three year old is going out on it, a re-education may be in order.

 

[jssailem]

senseless tragedy that could have been avoided by some common sense

Aye there’s the rub.
What is identified as common sense?
It seems that it is something that was but is not currently common. And the lack leads to senseless tragedy.
What has changed? Then the question is should we require someone else to provide us this missing sense by controlling our actions so that tragedy can be avoided?

The events cause me to feel compassion and sadness. But those are good feelings. They identify me as human. The loss of such innocents. Hurts.

 

[MitchM]

our state PA favors regulating everything if they can charge money for it . so they proposed a mandatory boater education act requiring everyone, not just people in 'small craft' likfe kayaks, to get operator certificates. there was a huge uproar from people who had been safely boating for years. a law did eventually pass only for jet skiers or motor boat operators born after 1982. (so many jet skiers were getting killed.)were getting killed. huge numbers of avid fisher and boater people , with decades of boating experience, strongly objected to having to take a safe boating course and get a PA state operator's license for any and all boats. that being said , i'm curious why the parents would take kids out on such a paddle with predicted bad weather. the apostles in a kayak are no place to be when storms blow in. marlin bree's books paint a realistic picture of how rough it can get out there on any 'great' lake.

 

[sailnoproblem]

Aye there’s the rub.
What is identified as common sense?
It seems that it is something that was but is not currently common. And the lack leads to senseless tragedy.
What has changed? Then the question is should we require someone else to provide us this missing sense by controlling our actions so that tragedy can be avoided?

The events cause me to feel compassion and sadness. But those are good feelings. They identify me as human. The loss of such innocents. Hurts.[/QUO
Damn Jssailem, you sure could dissect a simple statement!