Archival Revival #3

[gyork]

2008. She remembers hearing a voice exclaim "Oh dear!", and it was her own. What happened?

For those that remember the story, please refrain from posting your (hidden) answers until May 1, to give the sporting audience a chance to chime in with their guesses. Bonus points for where (what state) this happened.

      

 

Edited April 28, 2020 by gyork

[terese pawletko]

was it tied to the dock and bumped by the powerboat/tossed up/pinched by it coming in?

Terese

[David M]

Ouch!

So, because there is no exposed drying waterline on the piling I assume the tide was flooding. One possibility -  the kayak was tied to pilings bow and stern and as the tide rose and the dock likewise the strain was too much.

[Dan Foster]

Decoy guess to fool the "Unread Content" feed: Location was Groton, CT, as evidenced by the boat registration. Paddler had packed the bow and stern full of neodynium magnets in at attempt to correct a deviant/variant magnetic deck compass. A shallow-running nuclear submarine passed underneath the dock, and the magnetic attraction crumpled the kayak, and nearly captured the sub.

 

My real guess: the dock floats up with the rising tide. The metal walkway/gangway is fixed to shore, and has rollers on the dock end. The paddler landed at a lower tide, and tied bow and stern off to cleats on the left and right sides of the dock, and then went to lunch. As the tide rose, the floating dock rose, and the gangway, which had been several feet away from the cockpit earlier, rolled toward the boat as the angle changed, eventually crushing the boat sideways. [Edit: after looking at the photos again, and seeing no bow or stern tie-off lines, the boat could have been crushed against a second set of pilings further up the dock.]

Edited April 28, 2020 by Dan Foster

[Daniel Carr]

Two words Ouch. Tears!

[glad]

I love the nuclear submarine idea.  Didn't think to explain that to the insurance company.  If I had, perhaps they would have paid.

[Pintail]

Insurance?  Whatever for, Karen?  Surely you could have fixed the boat with some duct tape?  (Maybe <two> rolls of it, instead of just one...)

I do remember reading this sad tale of woe, back...whenever.

[gyork]

Detective David has correctly interpreted all the clues. The left pic demonstrates well how the strain from BELOW crumpled the kayak. 

I would dare say this could happen to anyone, though there are a few who routinely forget to tether their kayak, in which case they might still be searching for it!

BTW-double check your Coast Guard-issued ID sticker affixed behind your kayak seat. Your "permanent" marker lettering will likely need refreshing after a few seasons.

Edited May 11, 2020 by gyork

[rfolster]

7 hours ago, gyork said:

BTW-double check your Coast Guard-issued ID sticker affixed behind your kayak seat. Your "permanent" marker lettering will likely need refreshing after a few seasons.

Covering the stickers with good quality clear packing tape after filling out the proper info will keep the ink from fading.