I heard the sirens at my office yesterday afternoon, so turned on my scanner app and listened. Winds were gusting to 35 mph; north section of that lake is still iced.
PFD and other equipment were found on the kayak, as can be seen in the photo in the first link.
Today it’s a recovery operation as they search for the body of the paddler who neglected to wear a PFD.
At the local (Florida) power squadron dinner last night the presenter a fire dept Lt said the drowning victims float here in three days. I’ll bet it takes longer in cold water.
@Overstreet said:
At the local (Florida) power squadron dinner last night the presenter a fire dept Lt said the drowning victims float here in three days. I’ll bet it takes longer in cold water.
We have a deep lake here in town in which lots of people have drowned over the years and never reappeared at all. I bet the same is true at Rookie’s location.
@Overstreet said:
At the local (Florida) power squadron dinner last night the presenter a fire dept Lt said the drowning victims float here in three days. I’ll bet it takes longer in cold water.
Yes, it does. As noted in another thread, Tyler Spink still hasn’t been found; he capsized in Lake Michigan last Labor Day weekend.
The paddler being searched for is a 28-year old Army veteran described as an avid fisherman. It’s not a large lake; only five miles long and heavily populated with homes.
I paddled it once. Lots of people own kayaks there. I was the only one wearing a PFD. Maybe that will change after they watch the search and recovery unfold. Hope so.
No, it won’t. If it hasn’t happened to you, it never will. Right ?
Interesting that the people in the dingy appear to be wearing fire fighter gear, not cold water immersion gear. They are wearing PFDs though,.
(In the photo from the first link)
It does begin–It’s almost a funeral rite of Spring some years…Very unfortunate, I see the young man was a vet. If he has any family, I hope they find peace.
@Sparky961 said:
Interesting that the people in the dingy appear to be wearing fire fighter gear, not cold water immersion gear. They are wearing PFDs though,.(In the photo from the first link)
That’s because they are firefighters. Each township has their own volunteer fire department who assist on all emergency calls. No money for wet or dry suits. We don’t even have fire hydrants. Tanker trucks carry water; when empty they go to the nearest lake for a refill. I think the county sheriff and DNR may be better equipped; most certainly the Michigan State Police dive team. At that time there were three boats and the USCG copter looking for someone close to the surface. Wind and waves forced them off.
@spiritboat Yes, he was a vet and as he hasn’t been found yet, I can’t imagine the anguish his family is experiencing.
I know nothing about fishing. That lake is known to have very good fishing, but are fishing conditions good when the winds have been blowing at 20 all day, gusting to 35, and the lake is rolling with whitecaps? The lake I live on has pretty good fishing - the fishermen here are out either early in the morning or late in the afternoon when it’s reasonably calm. Never when it’s blowing hard.
@Rookie said:
That’s because they are firefighters. Each township has their own volunteer fire department who assist on all emergency calls. No money for wet or dry suits. We don’t even have fire hydrants. Tanker trucks carry water; when empty they go to the nearest lake for a refill. I think the county sheriff and DNR may be better equipped; most certainly the Michigan State Police dive team. At that time there were three boats and the USCG copter looking for someone close to the surface. Wind and waves forced them off.
Yes, they do appear to be firefighters. But they don’t appear to have any fires to fight nearby. I hate to be the one to play devil’s advocate, but I’m just so darned good at it so why not? 
In photos like this it’s always the things that aren’t obvious to most people that stand out for me.
Consider this: I’m the person who has been treading water without a PFD for so long I can just barely keep my mouth above water. The water is only a few degrees above freezing, and my muscles are just about to give up. I see a bright red boat in the distance! My saviours! They get to me just in time and reach out to grab my all-but-limp arm to pull me into the safety of the boat. But wait! I’m back in the water! NO! The one that was reaching out to me slipped and is in the water beside me gasping for air in the frigid water. My heart races as I will my arms to keep treading, but alas they just won’t move anymore. My head sinks below the surface and I hope that drowning is as peaceful as they say.
Ok, so that might be a little dramatic, but it serves to illustrate the point. If they can afford a boat and the fuel to go with it, they should have the proper gear to be out in the boat in the conditions where they use it. If my tax dollars were funding first responders and rescue personnel then I’d want them to be the best prepared to rescue me without botching the job. And even though they may be “volounteers”, the cost for stuff like this is still phenomenal. What about the cost of the lawsuit from the one that fell in the water, claiming unsafe working conditions because they did not have the proper equipment to remain reasonably safe while performing the duties expected of them?
I’m willing to bet that if the lake were iced over and they were sending guys out on the ice that they’d have “floater suits” on. I don’t buy the cost argument in this instance. I think it’s the same mentality of other boaters and paddlers - that they won’t end up in the water because they’re on/in the stable platform that is the boat.
I do feel bad for first responders. They have to respond to all emergencies regardless of their equipment or training. For most, water rescues are not at the top of the list of things that they need to worry about. I have to give my local fire department credit, I saw them out on the river a couple of years ago doing swiftwater training - one guy had a drysuit, everyone had on PFDs and helmets. They were practicing with throw ropes. At least they were getting some basic training.
yea sadly people walking around today will be gone this year. Guessing no jacket or they would have found him, in what condition I don’t know. RIP
80 degrees Sunday 44* water temps in NY people will think ME Nuts with a drysuit on.
@Gs96c599@aol.com said:
80 degrees Sunday 44* water temps in NY people will think ME Nuts with a drysuit on.
In southern New England the water is now in the high 40’s to low 50’s. We had a couple of swimmers in wetsuits on Sunday, and they were pretty chilled by the time they got out of the water. Air temp’s were in the high 70’s. I had my drysuit with fleece liner and felt fine. It’s still only April. Around here we will be wearing drysuits for at least other month - sea kayakers longer than that.
Well I’ve done my part to stop it in my little corner of the world. Two weeks back my buddy asks me to come up to the mountains and paddle the river. I told him I’d rather not die of hypothermia… let’s wait for warmer weather. He asked me what I DO want to die of. I told him I always figured I’d get run over by a car but ideally; shot by a jealous husband on my hundredth birthday.
Few days ago no water around here over 45* even canal in backyard or bout reading s
Y’all inspired me. Just went for a dip wearing just swim trunks. The air around 82 and the water 62. It was… ummmm… brisk. Wouldn’t want to do that unintentionally far from civilization.
I was surprised when out paddling in a wetland last weekend that the water registered about 10°C (50°F) on my thermometer. I figured it would be colder considering we’re still getting nighttime temperatures hovering around freezing.
A couple that was paddling with us tipped their canoe in about 3-4’ of water while avoiding a small overhanging branch. We were traveling down a narrow swift creek that drains into the wetland. They were experienced canoeists, wearing PFDs but not dry gear. They had a change of clothes along but opted not to change because the temperature was rising quickly and became comfortable even a bit wet.
@Rookie said:
Current water temp in the bay where I paddle: 32F.
I’ll bet the water in Georgian Bay (Lake Huron) isn’t much more than a few degrees above freezing still. There could even still be some ice in cliff-shadowed bays along the Bruce Peninsula and along the north eastern shore.