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. (For PaddleWise: members have the writer's permission to crosspost this message in its entirety --- less this parenthetical note --- to local nets or newsletters if desired --- I'm assuming Jackie has no problem with this ---) Jack Martin *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
> From: JCMARTIN43_at_aol.com > (For PaddleWise: members have the writer's permission to crosspost this > message in its entirety --- less this parenthetical note --- to local > nets or newsletters if desired --- I'm assuming Jackie has no problem > this ---) None at all. The list policy and copyright notice in the PaddleWise trailer is for the benefit of the author (that would be you, in this case :-) As the author, your permission is what is needed, not mine. Cheers, Jackie *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Jack Martin wrote: <SNIP>>>>>>>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.<<<<<< I have a slightly different take on this. I think it wouldn't have made much difference what he was wearing. The paddlefloat being still folded and with the kayak points to the conclusion that he lost his kayak as soon as he bailed out but before he got started with that rescue. Once that kayak is gone if he didn't have a way to summon outside help (or other boaters or paddling partners in the area) and if he was far from shore (and that could be a few yards if the wind or current was taking him the other way) no amount of thermal protective clothing up to a full survival suit would have been likely to save him (other than by extending his life for a few more hours when someone just might happen to come upon him accidentally). I don't know his skill level but even if he could roll, had he done it yet in his new kayak? Same for any other rescue he may have tried while leaving the paddle float in place, had he practiced them with the new kayak? I would say that the critical gear that may have been missing was a tether or some other method that would keep the kayak from blowing away faster than he could swim. I think the wind and the lack of hanging on to the kayak rather than cold water were most likely the critical factors here (beyond the lack of being able to quickly summon help). Cold water can certainly make a rescue much harder but we have no evidence that a rescue was even attempted. If you can't exit the kayak without letting go of it at some point the wind can easily take it from you. I don't know the deckline situation with a Kodiak but more than a few paddlers have tried to grasp a slippery round kayak and found nothing to hold on to and then watched it blow away faster than they could swim. It happened to Verlen Kruger off the Oregon Coast during his 28,000 mile exploration of North America but lucky for him he had a partner and an EPIRB. It was still a close call. Matt Broze http://www.marinerkayaks.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
----- Original Message ----- From: "Matt Broze" <mkayaks_at_oz.net> > > I have a slightly different take on this. I think it wouldn't have made much > difference what he was wearing. The paddlefloat being still folded and with > the kayak points to the conclusion that he lost his kayak as soon as he > bailed out but before he got started with that rescue. Once that kayak is > gone if he didn't have a way to summon outside help (or other boaters or > paddling partners in the area) and if he was far from shore (and that could > be a few yards if the wind or current was taking him the other way) no > amount of thermal protective clothing up to a full survival suit would have > been likely to save him (other than by extending his life for a few more > hours when someone just might happen to come upon him accidentally). I was in DC over the weekend and the consensus is that even if the fellow had been wearing a drysuit (with good insulation) beneath, given where he was paddling, he would have perished. This is still very much the off-season in terms of boating. I was an event at a marina there and all the pleasure craft were still on their stilts in dry dock with their owners sanding and painting. When he went over, there would have been scant traffic to see him or come to his aid. Even if had had a marine radio, it would have been sheer luck if he could have hailed someone. In the water, his range would have been just a mile or so, although some rebounding off hills etc. may have increased that. The real lesson is frankly that in cold water paddling while alone, you are at great risk. You need to really consciously work at reducing those risks. A dry suit, a tether, a radio, a float plan, all would have reduced the risks but they would not have eliminated them. I recall seeing discussion of a self-evaluation point system somewhere. Basically, you take various variables of paddling conditions against your own preparedness in terms of skill, gear, etc. You score yourself on these and come up with a figure. If the figure of risk is too high, you then either lower the risk elements of the paddling conditions or you add to gear and skill to compensate for it. Some of these charts seem pretty arbitrary, and frankly, people who prepare them tend to lay the system out in a way that supports their kind of skills and type of boat. But those systems do help because they make you think of paddling conditions in terms of their variables. So much wind, such and such water temperature, so much exposed waters, so much distance of travel. Working against these variables are your experience level in dealing with components of these variables (paddling skill in beam winds, as an example), type of boat, skill level in keeping yourself upright, skill level in recovering from being knocked over, clothing level that will sustain you for two or three times the in-water exposure that you know it takes you to get back in and pump out, etc. When you start thinking in these terms, you stop kidding yourself. Or if you ignore them; then you knowingly run the greater risk. Doesn't mean you should not go ahead but it may suggest that you alter you plans a bit and, say, not paddle in unfamiliar waters but stay closer to where you know conditions, quick exit points, places to find calmer waters, etc. ralph diaz *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
In a message dated 3/30/2001 9:04:39 PM Eastern Standard Time, Matt Broze, mkayaks_at_oz.net, writes: > I would say that the critical gear that may have been missing was a tether > or some other method that would keep the kayak from blowing away faster than > he could swim. I think the wind and the lack of hanging on to the kayak > rather than cold water were most likely the critical factors here (beyond > That lines up with the Department of Natural Resources Police preliminary conclusions, Matt. Despite all the pros and cons whenever tethers are discussed, something connecting the paddler to the boat might well have made the difference. To Matt's point that a drysuit might not have made a major difference, I checked my charts again. Graeber put in on Friday at Colonial Beach, roughly 11 statute miles west of St. Clement's Island, where his body was recovered. Winds were strong out of the west southwest, backing to northwest on Saturday. Had he left and lost his boat anywhere near the put in, he would have had a long ten-plus mile float along a very choppy Potomac before making landfall at St. Clements --- and, had he floated south of the island, he would have gone another seven miles or so before being blown onto landfall. The fact that the kayak wound up on the Virginia (western, lee shore) would obviate his separation somewhere along the Virginia shoreline. It would have been a long, long time in the water. Without good neoprene gloves and some sort of thermal head and neck protection, it's hard to imagine that he would have remained functional very long, in any event. Hard lessons. Jack Martin *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
I have a question about this incident. Has anyone actually determined the cause of death? Has an autopsy been performed? I think it's rather curious that a fellow which is described as being an "experienced and avid kayaker, " could not, or did not roll, and apparently lost his boat upon exiting without a chance to retrieve his paddlefloat. Have we ruled out that something happened to him 'before' hitting the water? Scott So.Cal. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
In a message dated 4/2/2001 7:02:16 PM Eastern Daylight Time, KiAyker_at_aol.com writes: > Have we ruled out that something > happened to him 'before' hitting the water? > Medical report is still locked up. From my experience, that process can take a while. Standard procedure is that the DNR routinely treats any death of this sort as a potential homicide --- gives them the most control of the situation. (We do something like that with aircraft accidents --- essentially treating them as a crime scene.) Sorta precautionary overkill. Still trying to get a better handle on experience level and expectations. What is "experienced" and "avid" in one person's opinion might be very different for others. May know a little more tomorrow. Jack Martin *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
ralph said: <snip> I recall seeing discussion of a self-evaluation point system somewhere. Basically, you take various variables of paddling conditions against your own preparedness in terms of skill, gear, etc. You score yourself on these and come up with a figure. If the figure of risk is too high, you then either lower the risk elements of the paddling conditions or you add to gear and skill to compensate for it. Some of these charts seem pretty arbitrary, and frankly, people who prepare them tend to lay the system out in a way that supports their kind of skills and type of boat. <snip> Some of these rating systems are better than others. The most effective use of these rating systems is to the new paddler, who upon reading over one, may indeed realise just how many variables there are to contend with at times. One thought where other paddlers are present is a cognitive model, and derives from 4 variables: 1. Environment 2. Experience Level 3. Group Dynamics 4. Rescue Equipment If you draw a cross hair, and place each item above at the end of each line, you have the model. Draw a small circle in the middle. If each piece of the pie is equal, you are in the safe zone. You can expand the circle, but must keep all factors equal. However, as the circle expands, the situation isn't as tight. A sudden storm, a weak paddler, a dead battery in a VHF radio, can all cause the circle to burst. I should go to bed now. Doug Lloyd *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
As I was driving back from Washington DC on Sunday night, I started thinking some more about the incident since it was the subject of conversation down there over the weekend and on the minds of many. One thing that came to me were some unwritten, unspoken and even not fully articulated maxims that I have personally for myself. If that fellow had had them too he would probably be okay today. My maxims are (and these are for me, not necessarily for other paddlers): ---Never paddle alone in cold water conditions in a new or unfamiliar kayak. ---Never paddle alone in cold water conditions in waters that you have not paddled before and are not familiar with. I follow this even if weather conditions seem benign and regardless of whether I am clothed to the teeth in fleece and dry suit, etc. The only time I violated this set of rules was, as I mentioned a month or so ago, when I was in Bavaria in 1993 and given a chance to paddle a new model of Klepper ( the first new one in some 35 years) in the same waters where the first Klepper ever was paddled back in 1907. I let my emotions get the better of me (and a big bratwurst and beer lunch by lakeside) and went off, without any safety gear not even a PFD, on the Chemsee which had just weeks earlier been full of ice. If you need to go out in a new boat or into an area you don't know, do it in the company of some other paddlers. Living in the Northeast, I have the luxury of having a fairly extensive season in which the water warms up and so I can paddle alone in boats I am reviewing or explore new waters alone. If I lived in the Northwest or California, I would not have that luxury. ralph diaz -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024 Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com "Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Scott asked: >>>>>>Have we ruled out that something happened to him 'before' hitting the water?<<<<<<<< I don't think so, but if that theoretical cause was sudden and final like a massive heart attack, stroke or sudden drowning syndrome he might never have gotten the spraydeck off and might have been found still be in the kayak. Of course, if he capsized during a heart attack he might have been able to pop the spraydeck and bail as oxygen might still have been his first priority. Ralph, where would you store those flippers you suggested in case the kayak blows away. Seems to me that if the kayak blows away, the flippers would be gone as well, at least if they weren't somehow secured to the paddler rather than the boat. Most flippers seem pretty bulky and hard to carry on ones person just in case the kayak blows away. Matt Broze http://www.marinerkayaks.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
> Scott asked: > >>>>>>Have we ruled out that something > happened to him 'before' hitting the water?<<<<<<<< > > I don't think so, but if that theoretical cause was sudden and final like a > massive heart attack, stroke or sudden drowning syndrome he might never have > gotten the spraydeck off and might have been found still be in the kayak. Of > course, if he capsized during a heart attack he might have been able to pop > the spraydeck and bail as oxygen might still have been his first priority. > I gotta believe that a person who suffers a "sudden and final" attack could still end up out of the boat. But I don't presume that this is what happened. There are any number of reasons that a person can become disoriented and perhaps pass out, if only temporarily. You know, enough time to lose their boat. Did anybody see the episode of Survivor where the guy was leaning over the fire to stoke it and took in a lung full of smoke and passed out INTO the fire! Stuff happens. Did Mr. Gaeber have any history of medical problems? Was he on any medication? I had a fellow at work pass out in the middle of the day from a new blood pressure medication he was on. From the information presented to this group, which is all I have to go by, I think that the fellow actually seemed to be pretty well prepared and knew what he was doing. He was "described as an experienced and avid kayaker." Of course this can be a matter of interpretation, and I would like to know more about what his skill level actually involved. "He was wearing a neoprene farmer john, a PFD and a skirt." I've been swimming in water that was in the high forties with a lot less. I say it's doable. Of course, not for long swims. But then this comes back to just how skilled a paddler he actually was. I would not hesitate to do a similar trip with similar equipment. I can't see myself capsizing in the first place. If I did, I certainly would not come out of the boat. If I did, then I would never lose contact with my boat or paddle. Unless something unforeseen, like a medical condition, prevented me from doing what I do. You know, the kind of thing you could never really prepare for. I think this group is, as usual, a bit presumptuous in it's criticism of this paddler. Unless you know something I don't about this incident, I don't feel that there is enough information currently available to make such conclusions about the victims equipment. Like I said before, it sounds a bit strange to me that a reportedly "experienced" paddler fell out of his boat and then lost it before he could even recover the paddle float. I need more information. Scott So.Cal. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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