Sad spring paddling story

[glad]

It was one of the first warm, beautiful, but breezy days of the spring.  Wind 15-20 kts with 3-5 ft seas from the SW, conditions suited to well-prepared and skilled paddlers. 

This paddler’s body was found In Ptown, 50 miles away in less than 24 hrs after their put in from Chatham.   Very sad, but it will be interesting to find out the details   

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/05/23/metro/body-kayaker-found-authorities-searching-companion/?outputType=amp

Edited May 24, 2020 by glad
Grammar error

[midtempo]

Maybe in Chatham Harbor the water is warmer, but even around the Cape isn't the water still below 60 degrees?  The last thing any paddler would need when battling 3-5 foot waves would be to also have to deal with hypothermia if capsized. And I would hate to think what a wet exit would be like in waves like that.  It's probably impossible to get back in.

In my opinion, May is not a good month in this part of the country to be paddling in the ocean.

[josko]

38 minutes ago, midtempo said:

 

In my opinion, May is not a good month in this part of the country to be paddling in the ocean.

 

Why?

[midtempo]

Because the ocean is below 60 degrees and being immersed in water of that temperature could lead to hypothermia, or worse, shock from cold immersion.

I suppose if you have complete confidence in your skills that you will never have to capsize or do a wet exit in the ocean, you are well trained in ocean rescue, and you can always execute a kayak roll while wearing a cockpit cover, then you are okay.  I am definitely not there yet.  Knowing my limitations is good.

[Pintail]

If a guest wishes to make statements about kayak safety, then I daresay that that is their prerogative; but one might guess that <as a guest> that person is, likely as not,  unfamiliar with the culture of this little club.  Is this not so, midtempo?

The <entire> culture of this club just happens to be one of safety, awareness of hypothermia and all the rest.  It has been thus, ever since the inception just about twenty-two years ago!  I think you need have no fears about our communal awareness or concern in this area.  Enough said?

If you are local, then why do you not join up as a member?  You will find us a friendly crowd with an attitude of "pass it along" (skills, etc)  We also have a good safety record.

Edited May 27, 2020 by Pintail

[Jim Snyder]

Midtempo, welcome to the site and I encourage you to join the club. It's a great place to grow your skills and knowledge. A few years ago I too would have been a little shocked that people would venture out on the ocean in sub 50 water. Now I paddle with people who paddle all winter. The things we do to make this safer include:

1. Assessing conditions and avoiding conditions that push the envelope too far. A nice quiet day in January can be a lot less challenging than a bouncy one in August.
2. Matching group size and skill sets to conditions.
3. Dressing for immersion. Drysuits and layers make it possible to tolerate 40 degree water for quite a while.
4. Practicing self and assisted rescues.

Others may add to this list, and even given the best planning things can go wrong. It's a rare paddle though that I didn't feel less at risk on the water than on the drive there and back.

[midtempo]

I was checking out the site because I was interested in possibly practicing my skills on a lake with the club and getting to know other kayakers in the process.  I noticed last year that you used to have weekly days on Lake Chebacco where people could show up and practice.  I'm hoping to learn and practice the kayak roll mainly at this point and other rescue techniques.  I was peeking last year but I never made it because I worked in Chelsea till 5:30 and getting to Hamilton at 6 on a Wednesday just wasn't going to happen.  But now I work from home in Lynn, end at 5, and could make it there for 6.  But there don't seem to be any lake events scheduled yet this year, probably due to the pandemic and physical distancing.  If lake events happen again, I assume they will be posted to the calendar.

As soon as there are more lake events available where I can get to know paddlers who are more skilled then me, I can decide whether to join NSPN and whether it's something I would want to do.

[Joseph Berkovitz]

@midtempoWe are having Skills Practice sessions on many weekends this year, starting June 14 and continuing throughout July/Aug/Sept. These are on saltwater not a lake, and will be a good venue for anyone to pick up and practice foundational paddling skills with some degree of contact with a true marine environment. Note that much of the work will be in relatively sheltered water, not open ocean.  It is not as free-form as Chebacco because each session has a specific focus, so it’s not intended to replace the lake sessions.

[josko]

FWIW, this might be worth attending if you're just starting out: https://activities.outdoors.org/search/index.cfm/action/details/id/118702&act=15

It's designed as an introduction to sea kayaking. 

 

[Ken]

1 hour ago, josko said:

FWIW, this might be worth attending if you're just starting out: https://activities.outdoors.org/search/index.cfm/action/details/id/118702&act=15

It's designed as an introduction to sea kayaking. 

 

I've paddled with Al a few times.  Really nice guy and a competent coach and leader.  Lake C. is a nice safe environment for learning.  It's where I took my first class three seasons ago.  For someone just starting out, that would be a great event. 

-K

 

 

[Jim Snyder]

I feel like I contributed to hijacking this thread. Maybe we need a new thread for opportunities for new to sea kayakers.

[mhabich]

Jim, that’s the ideal evolution of this thread. 

[JohnHuth]

On the Carole Madru story.  I was out paddling the same day, on Nantucket Sound - so not precisely the same location, but pretty darn close (about 6 miles away).  I don't know what happened to her, but the air temps were warm, and the day was mostly calm, but the wind really picked up late in the afternoon.   Water temps were about 55 deg F.  The 50 mile drift onto the point where her body was found was odd.   The newspaper reports gave a street address, which made it look like the body rounded the north tip of the outer Cape, and then into P-Town Harbor.   State Police, apparently, were/are investigating.   

 

There was also a fatality off York, ME, last weekend:

 

https://www.pressherald.com/?p=5454914

 

 

Edited May 28, 2020 by JohnHuth
Gave my location for that day.

[glad]

I found an update to this story in the Provincetown Independent paper. 

According to the story, the victim, Carole Madru was attending to a wound care patient in Provincetown and put in near the patient's home on Commercial St Provincetown.  The body was found across Cape Cod Bay on a beach on 6a in North Truro.  This makes sense given the wind direction.   The boat was an older fiberglass boat, unknown if it was a single or a double.  The victim was not wearing a PFD but the a PFD was found on the beach near the body and another was found in the boat.  

The body of a second victim, a friend visiting from France, was not found and a search was suspended after many hours of effort by the Coast Guard.  

The Chatham mystery piece was that the victim was suppose to return in her car to the Chatham area by 6 pm.  But it does not appear that that was her put-in point. Her ultimate location was tracked by her cell phone which was left in her car in Ptown.  

The story does not say what the victim was wearing but my guess is, if she wasn't wearing a PFD then it is quite likely she wasn't wearing clothing for immersion.  I think it would be very helpful if the media were to stress the dangers of cold water at this time of year and the importance of watching weather and sea state so this information could be better disseminated to the general public.  I know our club has made efforts in the past to educate the public, but what do you think about writing a letter to the Cape Cod Times and Provincetown papers about safety?

Edited May 29, 2020 by glad
clarification

[JohnHuth]

Oh, this makes more sense.   So, the perhaps she was expected in Chatham, presumably getting there by car?

[Paul Sylvester]

I like the idea of a letter and nominate you. My editor is on a sabbatical....

Very sad each spring..