Not too much information on the death of a kayaker, resident of the town where I live.
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God bless. 
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Unfortunately he’s a pretty rare example of someone drowning while wearing a PFD.
I can’t find any information about flow rates or current in the Nonesuch River online. It does look like cold water could be a year round risk.
Seems like all the stories end with “body taken away for autopsy” and “investigation underway” and then we never hear another word.
Thanks for posting.
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Did he go to Alvirne? I used to live in Hudson. He is a little older than me so I didn’t know him in school.
Drowning with a PFD is rare, but it can happen if a person is incapacitated or in really rough water. Incapacitation can often be due to hypothermia or a medical emergency. Only a Type I PFD (off-shore life jacket) is specifically designed to keep a person’s face out of the water with little effort from the person wearing it.
A type I is very bulky and not commonly used for paddlecraft.
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Considering the location and conditions that day, I think a medical emergency is the most likely explanation e.g. heart attack or stroke.
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