Re: [Paddlewise] Andrew's paddle from Oz to NZ

Photos taken by a colleague arrived at work (newspaper) last night showing
Andrew's kayak in Doubtful Sound, after being recovered by a cruise ship.

The boat was intact, except for missing the cockpit cover and rear hatch,
and was in perfect condition, including a photograph of his son taped to the
front of the cockpit. the kayak designer was quoted as saying the loss of
the cockpit cover, which was integral to the safety of the craft, may have
contributed to the tragedy.

I have been speaking with Dave Winkworth, a friend of Andrew's in Australia,
who is as mystified as everyone about the circumstances, saying that Andrew
was extremely safety conscious, and would normally have had a 406 EPIRB,
found in the kayak, in a harness around his neck. Dave is arriving to stay
on Monday, so I will have a good chat then.

There is a real feeling of gloom among paddlers here. Nigel Foster and
Kirsten Nelson are here running some training, and the feelings are subdued.

The search for Andrew should be resuming this morning.

Also on kayaking, police today have criticised a kayak-fisherman who
"forgot" to load his inflatable onto his vehicle, sparking a search when it
was found floating in a bay off Kaikoura, east coast, South Island. The
kayak was packed with fishing gear water, and some food.

The police said that the paddler may be "embarrassed" by the efforts taken
to find him, clearly hoping that he is.

JKA


-- 
John Kirk-Anderson
Banks Peninsula
NEW ZEALAND
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