RE: [Paddlewise] Sad day

Rob Cookson said:

<<<Hi All,
It is of course sad, but if ever I'm found dead of a heart attack in my
kayak <snip> Please, don't have an ongoing debate about my choice of
clothing, boats
primary stability, or whether or not an epirb and life raft would have
made
the difference.>>>

Well, it does get a bit morbid doing safety posts on these dead
paddlers, but we only just found out the cause of death was natural.
Does this mean that if you die from something stupid like a solo
challenge of a tidal bore on some huge river in China, that we can
discuss your death?

My dad died at 46, and I have the same genetic problem, and may die
within the next few years too, so I live to the fullest in the mean
time. My fear is that it will be something like a heart attack, but the
storm I was in will be so wild, the coroner will not bother doing an
investigation, and it will go down as a foolhardy exploit.

This may have been the case a few years back off Flores Island, north of
Tofino. The man had walked into Pacific Canoe Base, and bought himself a
nice Derek Hutchison designed kayak - if I remember correctly. He had
been divorced for a few years, and somewhat apart from his children
Basically, his life sucked, according to the owner. He took to sea
kayaking with a passion. He told the store keeper 6 months later, that
he had finally found something in life that was "his", that gave him the
fullest enjoyment possible. The next summer, he was out, headed for hot
Springs Cove solo, via the outside route. The early season seas came up
very fast at some point, and it is believed he tried to land on the east
side of Flores, attempting to get off the sea. He must have run into
problems somewhere in the huge surf. A partially inflated Sea Seat was
found attached to the kayak, and his body nearby, washed ashore in the
large break. Given the conditions, it was assumed there was no foul
play, and he was simply transported and buried by his family, a victim
of off-season weather and drowning. Hypothermia wasn't even mentioned,
which was more plausible than drowning (this is usually what the
coroners say).

It was a very sad experience for the owner of the store, who kept
repeating how this man had been the happiest in all his life since
taking up the sport. At least, he died doing what he enjoyed most - that
was the conclusion  for the retailer. He found out later, the man had
had a heart condition. I remember spending hours, back and forth with
proponents and naysayers of the Sea Seat, arguing over the death
scenario. We picked apart what might have gone wrong, what he should of
done, how stupid he was for not having a VHF, etc. He probably had a
mild heart attack after a capsize, and was unable to complete his
landing. The undertow is not significant in that area.

BC'in Ya
Doug Lloyd (official crab bait of the North Pacific)


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