I just lifted the below from Paddlewise (with permission). Let no-one assume that this could NOT happen in a folding kayak (commercially or amateur built)! Safe paddling, Ralph C. Hoehn [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.PouchBoats.com +++ Subj: [Paddlewise] St. Clement's Island; kayaker death Date: Fri, 30 Mar 2001 11:32:16 AM Eastern Standard Time From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Last Saturday, 24 March, the body of Michael Graeber was brought ashore at St. Clement's Island, off Colton's Point on the Maryland shore of the Potomac River. He was said to be an experienced kayaker, but was out for only the second time in his new, bright yellow Prijon 17' sea kayak --- thought to be a Kodiak model --- which was recovered on the Virginia side of the river. He had begun a trip of unplanned duration on Friday, possibly to include some camping, and put in at Colonial Beach in Virginia for a change of venue from his normal paddling further north. Because of the nature of his plans, it is not known if he died on Friday or on Saturday with any certainty; medical evidence is inconclusive. Weather had been significant on both Friday and on Saturday; winds went from SW to WNW at 15 to 20 knots, gusting to 30 knots, and the seas on this open stretch of the Potomac were confused and unpredictable. (The Potomac is not a paddle-friendly place when a good fetch builds seas against the flow, and standing waves and vertical eddies are not uncommon.) The water temperature was 47 degrees F.; don't have the data on air temps, but it was generally cool across the weekend. Because of run-off from rains, the river was running at greater volume than normal. Graeber is described as an experienced and avid kayaker, and would take unscheduled, open-ended trips, carrying overnight camping gear, with some regularity. When his body was found, he was wearing a neoprene farmer john (new info), a PFD and skirt. An uninflated paddlefloat was recovered on his kayak. He was not wearing any headgear for cold water. Did not get data on his hand protection. His paddle was not tethered to the kayak, and (an assumption on my part) it may not have been recovered. DNR officials indicate that they felt Graeber was properly dressed and equipped for winter paddling; there is significant concern on their part that he was alone, and some concern that his paddle was not tethered to the kayak, and that he, himself, was not tethered to the kayak; that seems to be the focus of what will be their report. The lead investigator is himself a canoeist, and was not concerned that Graeber was paddling in 47 degree water with neoprene as his only cold water insulation. (He freely acknowledged that there are significant differences of opinion on the advantages and disadvantages of tethers, and agreed that a drysuit might have provided significantly better thermal protection to the paddler. He assumed that most paddlers knew how to roll.) That's about it. Maybe not the granularity that some might want, but the basics of this death are probably clear. My take --- - he was in a new boat, his second time out, in adverse weather conditions. - his float plan was verbal and very open-ended. - his neoprene cold water protection is, in the opinion of many, insufficient for water temperatures encountered that day. - we have no benchmarks for what is considered his experience level. - he was alone. If this were to have been a typical incident report, I would have pressed for more details. But the object lessons are pretty clear, even without the details: the river thinks it's still winter. Michael Graeber's death pretty well establishes the fact that, at least in this instance, his gear and his experience did not protect him. So, all you Chesapeake area paddlers --- and any others with similar weather/water conditions --- take care out there this weekend. With unsettled weather patterns for the next three days, and with the rain we've had in the last two days, the creeks and backwaters will be cold --- maybe colder than the main rivers and the Bay. It's still drysuit weather out there, folks, and head and hand protection for immersion is still the most appropriate policy. Jack Martin ######################################################### Foldingboats Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside Foldingboats or Foldingboats archives without author's permission Submissions: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscriptions: [EMAIL PROTECTED] #########################################################
