Kayakers Missing off Monomoy

[stnoonan]

Probably old news for most, but if not...

Search resumes for missing kayakers

By Associated Press, 10/14/2003 12:50

CHATHAM, Mass. (AP) Searchers resumed looking in the waters off Cape Cod and on an island bird refuge on Tuesday for two missing kayakers.

Mary Jagoda of Huntington, N.Y., and Sarah Aranoff of Bethesda, Md., were reported missing Sunday after they failed to return from a kayaking day trip that began at a boat launch in Harwichport.

The Coast Guard on Monday found two capsized kayaks one mile south of Monomoy Island that matched the description of kayaks belonging to Jagoda, 20, and Aranoff, 19.

Chatham police said the search Tuesday would concentrate on Monomoy Island by land and water.

Jagoda's father, Louis Jagoda, of Huntington, N.Y., said Monday he would offer a $5,000 reward to anyone coming forward with information on the pair's whereabouts.

''We're trying to ask the general public to look harder. We're trying to encourage them to look harder by offering money,'' he said in a telephone interview. ''I need my daughter back.''

''They were visiting friends in Harwich and they were taking turns going out in single person kayaks,'' Jagoda said. ''They got the fog behind them and they got lost in the fog. The girls could be on that island or they could be somewhere on shore. God knows what happened.''

Coast Guard Petty Officer Amy Thomas said conditions were foggy when the two friends set out on their kayaking expedition Sunday afternoon

''The visibility was pretty bad,'' she said.

Park rangers searched an abandoned lighthouse on Monomoy on Monday afternoon but there was no sign of the two women, said Chatham Harbormaster Stuart Smith, who said the island, located south of Chatham, is about eight miles long and up to several miles wide.

''It's a large island to search by foot,'' he said.

The kayaks were located in an area known as Pollock Rip Channel, Smith said.

Jagoda and Aranoff set out from a boat launch in Harwichport around 3 p.m. Sunday in a pair of 8-foot plastic kayaks, the Coast Guard said. A friend reported them overdue at 4 p.m. It wasn't clear if they had life jackets with them.

Mary Jagoda is a junior at Brandeis University. Her father said she is in good physical condition and took a sea-kayaking course several years ago.

The youngest of three children, Mary Jagoda is the family's only surviving child. Her brother Jake, 24, was killed in Sept. 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center. Another child died as an infant 20 years ago, Mary Jagoda's mother, Anna Jagoda, told The Boston Globe.

Aranoff's mother,Victoria Aronoff, said she is a junior at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa., and met Jagoda through their boyfriends.

''She's a very resilient kid, very determined,'' Victoria Aronoff said of her daughter.

[Guest guest]

This is really sad.

There seems to be some conflicting reports as to whether they were wearing pfds or not. One report said the boats were tied together (good sign) - another said they were found cap sized and seperate (not so good). There was fog and waives (large open cockpits on short rec boats).

Many of us have paddled in that area when the fog has moved in. It is amazing how disoriented you can become in only a matter of minutes.

Let's hope for the best for them.

[Guest guest]

Unfortunately the news is not good...

http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/update/index.htm

Dan

Aquanaut

Traffic Yellow over White

[christopherG]

As the Prez says: this is sad, indeed; but (at the risk of incurring some indignation) it is not something on which we should be expending our energy because (at this early stage) it sounds very much as though these paddlers were ill-prepared for any sort of sea trip -- proving, in my mind, the validity of this club's worth as a training ground and everything for which it stands.

NSPN is about safety, conscientious kayaking and self-reliant skills and is as far removed from tragic reports of two young paddlers venturing out in marginal weather, in poor excuses for boats and probably without any survival equipment, as I am now removed from the Great Depression of the Libyan Sahara.

To some, I may sound callous, smug, elitist, even snobbish; but our founder once said something to me that has stayed in the recesses of my mind ever since: "we purport to be -kayakers". The ocean is where we choose to play and we play there with full realization of all its moods and implications. Let no one confuse what we aim for and what sadly befalls some paddlers (such as these two poor women lost? from Harwichport) -- these are worlds apart and all of us here should be in the habit of equipping ourselves thoroughly and thoughtfully every single time we venture out on the water.

In her spiel on our club ("Who We Are", I think), Madam President refers to sea-kayaking: this may upset some folk who include recreational kayaking in our repertoire; but I believe us to be the former. Those who know me also know that I am not callous; but accidents do happen, they will continue to happen and they happen because of mistakes (mistakes that go uncorrected).

Please let us keep things (newspaper reports) in perspective.

[Guest guest]

Sad. Makes you want to cry, and then get up and get the word out.

[Guest guest]

This is a shame. Although they were ill prepared, no one deserves this fate.

Their kayaks were found tied together, which makes me wonder what really happened. Were they towing? Were they just playing around? We'll probably never know the details for sure.

[djlewis]

Here's the most intelligent article I've seen yet, not only on what actually and, given the uncertainty, probably happened, but also what it means for kayakers and sea-farers in general.

The lesson I draw -- other than general fog cautions and tactics -- is never to go out without a compass and a knowledge of which direction shore or other form of safety lies. In fact, one might do well to put a small compass in ones pfd, just in case.

--David.

http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/fishermensay15.htm

[Guest guest]

This is terribly sad and tragic and I feel for the families and friends of these two women. Yet their deaths were totally preventable and this incident certainly does nothing for the image of kayaking in this area. I've had several conversations today with non-paddlers where I've had to explain why what these two did was not (I hope) the actions of experienced sea kayakers.

The public doesn't know the difference between a recreational and a sea kayak. I cannot tell you how many people I know come up to me and say "guess what, I got a kayak" and what they have is a recreational boat that they are planning to take out on the ocean. They don't know proper safety procedures nor the limitations of their craft. (And I was one of them a number of years ago) If the news reports are correct, these women were in kayaks that were not appropriate for ocean conditions. They weren't wearing PFDs, and they didn't have proper navigational or rescue equipment (pumps paddle floats) or training.

If this wakes people up not to take the ocean lightly, that would be a good thing. Too bad there are those out there who either ignorantly or carelessly don't use good judgment in the marine environment.

Jill

[Guest guest]

Yesterday a co-worker came to me and asked if I had heard about the two kayakers missing. I replied that they weren't kayakers, they were people in kayaks. BIG difference.

They certainly weren't "-kayakers", to quote from Christopher.

It's incidents like this that lead to attempts to regulate kayaks and kayakers. Witness the attempt in Connecticut this spring.

Now we've got the newspapers printing drivel such as this:

"While Simonitsch said he feels deeply for the families and friends of the two women, he believes that Nantucket Sound and the Atlantic Ocean with their currents and unpredictable weather are no place for kayaks."

No doubt we'll soon see local politicians taking up kayak regulations to protect us from ourselves.

Ciro.

[RickW]

In fact, one might do well to put a small compass in

>ones pfd, just in case.

>

>--David.

I agree on this point. I have always carried a hand held compass in my PFD as a backup in case something should happen to my deck mount, and it is also helpful during discussions on land about the next leg of the trip with other members of the trip. Also helpful when exploring by foot on some of the great islands and trails during a trip. I always thought it a good idea to back up the boat mounted compass in case the unthinkable happens.

Rick W

[Guest guest]

as folks familiar with sea kayaking and the changing nature of the ocean, we know that what killed these 2 ladies was a lack of judgement and experience. makes it no less tragic but lets not mince words on the cause of death.

we can race our cars down the highway. doesn't make them race cars or us race car drivers. what it makes us is irresponsible.

the cct and mr simonitsch are both exhibiting a lack of undestanding concerning sea kayaking. sea kayakers generally don't pretend to know anything in particular about commercial fishing or clamming on the cape and so why he feels his opinion on sea kayaking and the ability of sea kayakers has any bearing is beyond logic. the paper should have realized this and it is silly and irrelevant to have put in print. tell you what - we won't tell you where to fish cause we don't know so you keep your nose outta sea kayaks cause you don't know. fair, sport?

what we need is a single voice as a group and industry for that matter. a collection of guides, shops, clubs, etc. all with the same message - that sea kayaking is safe - you just need to know what you are doing. the idea of legislating this is just nuts - you can't outlaw "dumb" on the water anymore than you can on land and there is plenty of that going around.

now, how to get that message and voice? club level - seems too small. any ideas? how are the aca and bcu adressing such legislation?

[Guest guest]

To disagree with Rick's comments - I don't believe just because someone voiced their opinion - and subsequently published via newspaper article (as tragic as it is) - will instigate legislators to bring forth laws to inhibit kayakers. Make it a little impractical, possible...but far fetched. (with the risk of offending someone) - I think they have more important things to deal with rather than 'kayak' legislation.

However, I do agree that 'we' as a kayaking contingency should have a uniform voice to respond to certain situations. As a club, we've had the opportunity (and fortunately taken advantage of) to spread our ideals and concerns amongst non-kayakers. Though if the need should rise, we should be prepared to make 'public' statements.

We do have president(s) and officers to answer questions, but I don't think it is fair to them to 'automatically' respond if the need should rise. Acknowledging that some people may not want to respond to any 'public' call, especially the media.

Still thinking...

Sean

[Guest guest]

If I'm not mistaken, kayaks were the first boats of any kind to travel the North Atlantic, long before the "white man" came to fish and provide news interviews.

On Monday I heard two CG calls to look for 2 lobstermen who "fell out" of their boats and were missing and now gone.

I saw the boats these girls (under 21) were in, they were not kayaks, they were "pond boats" and I'm sure these girls had no intention of loosing sight of the beach. It was simply an accident, they got lost. As stated below, they weren't kayakers, they were kids in kayaks.

I see a 10 year old boy is missing in the NH mountains near Loon, no one is calling him a "mountaineer" or even a hiker.

I see a 50 year old Cambridge man had to be pulled off Cannon Cliff on Monday cause he couldn't pull himself up the final pitch of Lake View, a 5.6. Not a smart place to climb now anyway, this is right below the still crumbling "Old Man". People have been killing themselves in the NH and all other US mountains for over 100 years and they still have the freedom to do that... "Live Free or Die". Every May to June, Denali is a circus of rescues and body recoveries, paid in part by a climbing permit.

There is no legislation to CLOSE DOWN THE OCEAN to recreational use, never will be. If kayaks are outlawed, only outlaws would kayak. ( or put in off a NH beach ,..."Live Free or Die". )

[Guest guest]

What do people think about legislation that forces kayaker retailers to put warning labels on kayaks that state what conditions the boat was designed to handle?

Dee Hall

Impex Currituck, Blue over Ivory

[Guest guest]

I don't think that warning labels would do any good. It isn't just the kayak, it is also the person paddling it. If they put a label on a nordkapp stating it is good for all types of weather and conditions, someone inexperienced might think that they could use it in heavy waves and winds, even though they haven't got the skills. That would create an interesting liability case in court.

I think the solution (as much as there is) would be simple common sense and some lessons. Beginners don't learn to ski on double blacks, you don't learn how to dive in heavy current, and you don't start kayaking on heavy swells and in the fog.

Dan

Aquanaut

Traffic Yellow over White

[Guest guest]

The handheld compass also makes it easier to take a cross bearing to locate yourself on the chart. It can be done with the compass on the kayak, but it is more difficult, and less precise.

Dan

Aquanaut

Traffic Yellow over White

[Guest guest]

A little earlier I made a comparison between beginner skiers and neophyte kayakers. The lack of judgement in sports is often painful if not fatal, but it is impossible to legislate intelligence or experience.

Several years ago I was skiing on Whiteface. It is fairly high and the day was very cold and windy, and I was wearing a good gore-tex ski suit and polar fleece inner layer. When I got off the lift at the top I was already cold. I saw an individual dressed in a k-way windbreaker, sweater, and jeans standing at the top of the descent. I thought to myself that he would be lucky to arrive at the bottom before he froze to death.

Fortunately he succeeded in arriving at the bottom, but I am sure he had no feeling in his hands or feet.

He survived his folly, but unfortunately the two girls in their kayaks didn't survive theirs. Sometimes there are no second chances, and the first mistake is the last.

The best solution IMHO is for experienced people to spread the word that there are certain hazards to this sport, and that the ocean is unforgiving and careless of our errors. At the very least rental agencies should have the obligation to inform the clients of the potential risks, and to insure an adequate level of competence when the clients' intent is to embark on the briny deep.

Dan

Aquanaut

Traffic Yellow over White

[Brian Nystrom]

Part of the problem with our overly-litigious, "victim mentality" society is that every product we buy is plastered with warnings about improbable dangers. Some of them are so stupid as to be insulting (Don't use a hair dryer in the shower!). This has had the effect of desensitizing many people - if not most - to these labels and they are routinely ignored. When was the last time you read the all the warnings that came with a product you bought? Perhaps you are one of the conciensious few who do read it all and take heed, but I have to admit that I typically don't. While they MAY provide some liability coverage to manufacturers, warning labels - as they've been implemented in most cases - are not likely to have much of a positive effect on the public.

Perhaps if there was a uniform rating system for kayaks industry-wide, it might help. Not so much a warning label as a "selection guide", with boats rated as to their suitability for various purposes. Some manufacturers do this, but many don't.

Another possibility is a standardized booklet about "Getting the most enjoyment from your new kayak" or something to that effect. Explain basic paddles strokes and such, with safety information interspersed throughout. As with labels, there's no guarantee that people would read it, but an enticing title may be less off-putting than a WARNING! label.

The industry could certainly do a better job of promoting safety, starting with making safer boats. IMO, there is NO valid excuse for selling ANY kayak without adequate floatation, either built in (foam, bulkheads,etc.) or supplied separately (float bags). It seems to me that this is especially critical in rec boats, since the padders are more likely to be unskilled beginners. Some manufacturers do this, but most don't.

Manufacturers could also do more to support safety training programs offered through dealers and clubs.

Although it may be somewhat of an unfair burden, much of the responsibility for educating consumers has to fall on the dealers. Unfortunately, you can buy a kayak anywhere, so there is no control over who's selling them. You can't expect a stock clerk at a Sam's Club to know much about the limitations of "kayaks" they sell. Consequently, the buying public is left to their own devices.

Ironically, I think part of the problem is that kayaker deaths - particularly rec and sea kayaks - are relatively few. The risk of lawsuits is minimal, so there's no great pressure on the industry to do anything about it. I'm not saying that this is a conscious decision, but why should manufacturers spend money on improved boats and safety programs that may well reduce sales, if there is no pressing need to do so?

Fortunately, groups like the NSPN exist and do what they can to spread the safety message. We can only reach a small fraction of the paddling public, but it's still worth the effort. Perhaps we should look into soliciting industry sponsorship of our efforts. Specifically, it would be nice to find someone to underwrite the cost of printing a few thousand of the safety brochures, so we would have more to distribute to dealers and directly to the public. Perhaps this is something that the ACA or TAPS (Trade Association for Paddle Sports) would be interested in? Has anyone investigated this avenue?

[donperry]

I think graphic video reenactments of kayaking mishaps recorded on DVD and voluntarily distributed by the manufacturers would be more effective on a worldwide basis. The labels that Old Town put on those kayaks didn’t do anything for those girls. A really scary story might have helped.

[Guest guest]

Many of the newer boats already have warning labels. My 2000 Current Designs boat has a 4x4" yellow warning label listing the dangers of paddlesports.

[dlothrop]

It's a very sad thing. I have kids about their age, and cannot image loosing one to something like this.

Legistation cannot protect people from themselves. Warning labels don't help anyone. They just protect against law suits. Part of the price of freedom is to do stupid things, and going out in the fog in an area you don't know. One can only hope what happened to these unfortunate girls will keep someone else from doing a similar thing.

We can only continue to do what we are doing, educate people so there won't be legislation to regulate what we can do an when we can do it. It's not the people we can reach that are in danger, it's those we don't reach. There are thosands of recreational kayaks out there who will never take a lesson who are at risk because they don't know what we know. How do we get our information to them?

I pray for the parents and hope will find the strength to go on through this.

David Lothrop

[christopherG]

May we now stop this conversation, please???

[Guest guest]

The great debate- how exactly does a rental agency ensure an "adeqate(sp) level of competence"? Most rental agencies have a relatively short contact time with a given customer, and what we are talking about here is quantifying experience,judgement, and decision making under pressure rather than actual "skills". Not an easy thing to do in the best of circumstances.

Putting the burden on the rental shops essentially forces three options that I can see:

1) developing a nationally recognized system of licensing similar to a driver's license/learners permit system. The BCU's individual award system (star system) starts down this road, but it is still the British Canoe Union's system, and as such was not developed with the typical North American paddling conditions or paddlers in mind. I say this as a BCU award holder and aspiring BCU coach.

2)Leaving it to to the shops to use THEIR best judgment, or some sort of in house screening system. Many places do this now, and in many cases, it boils down to taking a rescue class with that outfit, or at least going on a tour. This ensures nothing in regards to judgement, and very little in regards to hard skills.

3) Renting to "expert paddlers" only, or to those the shop staff know very very well. This limits the population to very few paddlers. Shops that take this " high road" generally end up with competition that will rent to anyone, and so the paddlers are still out there in harms way. No one wins this way. I know of a case where shop #1 refused to rent to a pair of paddlers, so they went to shop #2 and got a boat. They ended up getting rescued by the CG later that day, and they were lucky enough to be in relatively warm water.

One of the other problems is that people LIE when going on tours or renting equipment. I have had potential clients show up for 5 day long trips with broken legs wrapped up in plastic bags, and one gentleman who had had serious heart surgery 2 months before a multi day trip in very challenging cold waters. He was found out when one of our guides accidentally saw his scars. Nothing on either of their medical forms.

Finally, regulating rental agencies/shops does nothing for the typical "borrow-boats-from-friends" scenario. We have so many folks come in here and tell us their "i can't believe I am still alive" stories in this vein that at this point I assume anyone who walks in the door is a danger to themselves and others on the water until I see some evidence to the contrary. Pretty cynical way to do business.

I am not trying to absolve kayak outfitters duty of care to their clients, but this issue is a lot more complicated than it looks- legislation is not a cure all; neither is expecting the rental agencies to supply the common sense and judgement their customers often lack.

Alex at New England Small Craft

[Guest guest]

I didn`t mean to dump all the responsibility on the rental agency, they don`t have enough control over the clients. However, when someone comes into the shop and doesn`t know a paddle from a PFD questions should be asked, and yes, I know, the answers won`t always be honest.

Dan

Aquanaut

Traffic Yellow over White

[Guest guest]

Dan- I didn't think you were trying to "dump" all the responsibility on the rental/outfitters. You are correct in that oufitters must ask questions as a bare minimum, and be prepared to turn away unfit clients by developing and using a consistent, reasonable and standardized rental policy. Of course, there will still be accidents, but at least they will be accidents and not stupid and totally avoidable Darwinian episodes like this one.

However, you did highlight an ongoing problem for rental agencies which is only getting worse. The media often unfairly "demonize" the vast majority of business owners/operators who are trying to provide a safe experience while still making some money at it. At the same time, those same business owners are often taken to task for being "elitist" in who they will rent boats to. This is a routine complaint I hear regarding our demo policies.

We are considering renting/leasing kayaks for next season, and so this issue has been a hot one for us of late. Some insurance companies and their legal counsel recommend NOT screening renters at all, because this may imply an "endorsement" of the capabilities of the renters in question. In the event of a problem, this endorsement may turn into legal liability and responsibility for that renter's actions. There's another skewed perspective for ya'!

Alex