[Paddlewise] Bay of Fundy Death

Thankyou Ulli, for passing on that information.

Obviously, great sadness at a needless fatality, and I am sure the Coroner
is going to have something to say about the tragedy.
Incidents like this are nightmarish for organizers of 'adventure races'.
And this has ramifications for the sport around the world. I listened to the
audio and Tv clips, and read the newspaper report carefully.
I noted a number of statements which will have a bearing on the public
perception of the tragedy,  and unfortunately, may be picked up and used by
rescue authorities and those who would argue for greater regulation of our
sport.
One of the reports stated that kayakers should not have been out on the day.
Why not?  If they were competent to handle the conditions;  and their gear
was up to scratch, why not?  Big seas and high winds do not necessarily mean
there has to be an emergency.   Boatmen, and I include fishermen in that,
who do not have a kayaking background, do not realize a kayak can be made as
seaworthy as any craft, big or small.
One report mentions an actual event of thirty knots of wind.  Was this the
forecast?  Was this the actual velocity reached consistently? Was this the
maximum reached?  What was the water temperature?  Air temperature?  Did the
race organizers properly brief the competitors. What standards were demanded
of competitors in the light of the conditions?
Lots of questions.   As you say, how on earth did a competitor come to be in
the water that long?  What skill level did he have?  What was the race
course?  Was it out of sight of the rescue authorities?  Where were the rest
of the competitors?
I note one report which mentioned a rescue boat gave the competitor
concerned the option of pulling out earlier in the race.  I presume all
competitors had signed a waiver before the race accepting responsibility for
decisions relating to their personal safety.
Cheers, Peter Rattenbury, Wollongong, NSW.

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