Re: [Paddlewise] Unofficial account of Andrew's accident

Peter, thanks for the write-up. I was struck by the fact that Andrew
reported over the radio that his kayak was sinking when it was found
floating. One wouldn't think that an experienced paddler would believe his
kayak was sinking when, in fact, it wasn't.

Years ago while my wife and I were cruising down the west coast of Mexico we
worked a distress call on the ham radio bands from a sailboat headed out of
Puerto Vallarta called (ironically enough) "Faith". The middle-aged couple
on board sounded confused over the state of their vessel and mentioned to me
that they did not trust their drinking water supply. When I asked them if
they had any canned fruit on board they said that they did and I tried,
without luck, to get them to start drinking the nectar from those. Meanwhile
I contacted some tuna clippers up on 15 meters and found one who was close
and who headed immediately for Faith.

When the couple was safely on board the clipper and Faith had been scuttled
(at my request, rather than leave her as a hazard to navigation) I talked to
the captain of the tuna clipper who told me that they couple appeared
disoriented and seriously dehydrated. It appeared to him that, other than
their mental and physical state, the Faith was seaworthy and in good
condition.

Although Andrew had 10 liters of fresh water aboard I wonder if dehydration
might have been a factor in the incident; it can certainly create mental
confusion and might cause an experienced kayaker to believe that his boat
was sinking and that some action was required.

Even if not, it is important to understand how dependent the human body is
on fresh water. We don't last long without it and it's not pretty.


Craig Jungers
Royal City, WA
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