April 22, 201015 yr Sorry to hear of the man drowning. A whale was probably the furthest thing from their mind when the set out. I imagine more info will be forth coming, but sad either way.
April 22, 201015 yr The article mentioned shorts and nothing appropriate for the journey. This story is sounding all too familiar, I'm afraid. I deeply regret what may have been an avoidable loss.
April 22, 201015 yr The news report I heard mentioned that there were not even any PFDs in the boat, let alone on the paddlers. It figures. While you obviously can't plan for a chance whale encounter, you can at least take the legally-required safety precautions.
April 22, 201015 yr Author http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachus...m+--+Local+news No info as to PFD's yet but they did add the following information: "Vannoy told authorities the two men had purchased liquor earlier in the day, O’Keefe said, adding that it was unclear if alcohol played a role in the accident. He said the state medical examiner will perform an autopsy on the victim, possibly today."
April 22, 201015 yr http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachus...m+--+Local+news No info as to PFD's yet but they did add the following information: "Vannoy told authorities the two men had purchased liquor earlier in the day, O’Keefe said, adding that it was unclear if alcohol played a role in the accident. He said the state medical examiner will perform an autopsy on the victim, possibly today." While it seems appropriate to understand the state of the men when this fatal incident occurred and check for BAC would be part of that, when they may or may not have purchased/acquired the alcohol seems irrelevant. They may have purchased earlier in preparation for camp site festivities in the evening, or they may have purchased 3 months ago and drank just before/during their paddle. What is the point of publishing that they purchased that day? Is there a better explanation than to suggest that purchasing alcohol before paddling it inappropriate?
April 23, 201015 yr And another ... (with a happier ending) It's amazing the difference when people wear PFDs, isn't it?
April 23, 201015 yr How big of a wave would such whale create? Have any of you experienced this while in a kayak? It's amazing the difference when people wear PFDs, isn't it?
April 23, 201015 yr Author How big of a wave would such whale create? Have any of you experienced this while in a kayak? Would have to be a range as this hasn't been identified as a for sure being a whale yet no matter the type, a few of the reports are think that it was a dolphin. -Jason
April 23, 201015 yr "How big of a wave would such whale create? Have any of you experienced this while in a kayak?" When operating less than 100 feet from feeding whales we did not experience any significant disturbances. This distance was not one we eagerly chose, but rather found the whales (apparently) comfortably approached, we in the shallows and they (more or less) nearby in a deep channel. Having seen the whales many times come to the surface during the feeding process and also having seen many flukes appear and disappear I can only assume they would need to be nearly beside each other to capsize most boaters.
April 23, 201015 yr Having seen the whales many times come to the surface during the feeding process and also having seen many flukes appear and disappear I can only assume they would need to be nearly beside each other to capsize most boaters. For all we know, these guys may have had a dolphin surface near them, freaked out and fell overboard. It seems like very little detail is getting out about what actually happened.
April 23, 201015 yr For all we know, these guys may have had a dolphin surface near them, freaked out and fell overboard. It seems like very little detail is getting out about what actually happened. A 12.5 ft canoe with two grown men in it would be a bit tippy, wouldn't it?
April 24, 201015 yr A 12.5 ft canoe with two grown men in it would be a bit tippy, wouldn't it? One would think so and it wouldn't take much of reaction from a startled person to capsize the boat.
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