RE: [Paddlewise] Teen accident

Hi Chuck
I discounted the word "experienced" heavily as well. It sounds like he had
been a renter or borrower of kayaks before getting his own kayak which would
indicate a fairly new paddler maybe unfamiliar with rough water.

I was thinking shaken from his recent experience in a kayak he might have
tried making it back to help overland. If he made it to shore he certainly
wouldn't have tried to swim to another island in rough water when he could
have emptied out the kayak and paddled along shore. Possibly he was quite
hypothermic and went into the woods looking for shelter out of the wind.

I don't know the area so know how populated it would be anywhere nearby or how
difficult it would be to get to help. The kayak full of water indicates he
probably had capsized. If he was wearing a life jacket when he left he was
probably still wearing it when he capsized. Given the items found in the kayak
it doesn't sound like they had floated out of an abandoned kayak unless
someone else arrived on the scene first, gathered up the gear floating around
and put it all back in the kayak. My bet is he made it to shore with the kayak
and took of the life jacket. Got himself dressed as warmly as possible (maybe
wringing most of the water out of his clothes and headed for shelter from the
wind. Possibly in a pretty hypothermic state from his swim with the kayak.





From: skimmer_at_enter.net
To: marinerkayaks_at_msn.com
Subject: Teen accident
Date: Thu, 7 Jul 2011 21:41:31 -0400
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