A 62 year old woman died on Bow Lake in NH. Google " kayak accident in nh" for details as I don’t know how to post links.
here’s a link
– Last Updated: Nov-15-16 12:07 PM EST –
http://www.wcvb.com/article/woman-killed-in-kayak-accident-in-new-hampshire-lake/8282095
hazards
Shows the hazards of selling those cheap plastic floating trash cans that thus cheapens our sport so any and all get out there and try to act like the pros.
Government might someday regulate who can or can’t paddle.
assumption, or data?
The 2 articles I looked at (both had basically the same wording, so I only posted one link) said nothing about boat she used. Are you assuming it was a cheap rec boat, or do you have data to support that?
How do you know what she paddled?
She could have been paddling $4,000 sea kayak for all we know.
The article mentions only that authorities found an empty kayak. The mention of a debris field makes me wonder if it was a SOT, but only the authorities and her family know for certain.
Typical…
…combination of ignorance and arrogance.
Water temperature in Bow Lake
Water temperature is 42 degrees if you believe this website
http://www.fishingnotes.com/water-temperature/nh/Bow-Lake
The Saco River is 45 degrees, so I guess that makes sense:
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=010642505
I took a swim in the Pemi in Bristol, NH two weekends ago, and I was surprised how cold the water was, even with my dry suit. The water is definitely colder than I would have expected.
Based
On those conditions I would have stayed on shore and had a glass of wine. Bad choice.
pros?
I’m supposed to be getting paid?
sad
she probably didn’t know any better. RIP
If a short chop a 2.5’ wave can be much rougher than a 10 swell. All crafts like this need a label about water temp dangers.
Compassion
– Last Updated: Nov-16-16 10:47 PM EST –
Plenty of kayaker paddle with expensive fiberglass and Kevlar kayaks and have died paddling. Some with a great deal of experience.....some interested paddlers can't afford the expensive kayaks,but want to paddle. This situation calls for compassion regarding an unfortunate death,not shallow comments...
Did you come across an article
which stated the type of kayak she used? If so, what was it?
The cited articles mention nothing other than it was a kayak. For some reason, that seems to be the case when any kayaking accident happens and I’m unsure why.
Wine sipping
You have no idea that it was a bad decision. It was her decision even though it ended tragically for her…continue sitting on the sidelines sipping wine…
It was clearly a bad decision
The victim was paddling alone in bad weather without proper coldwater gear. The article says “conditions included 20-25 mph winds, with gusts up to 50 mph, 2.5-foot swells and a water temperature of just 53 degrees”. Many people have been out in similar conditions and survived, but that doesn’t make it a good idea. At least she had on a PFD. That would have improved her chances if she had someone with her, but alone out in a big windy lake would make it pretty tough to swim to shore.
It was her decision to make, and she made it. We can feel compassion for the victim and still learn from the tragedy, and in this case shiraz627 is right – she shouldn’t have been out alone in those conditions.
Bow Lake is the same size as my
lake in front of the house.
I am just shaking my head why anyone wants to go out in 2.5 foot waves and that high a wind… Just looking out my window makes me say no thanks.
Its been very windy lately ( Bow Lake is about 70 miles from me)
No comment but just don’t understand.
so sad for the loved ones
any decisions/actions/conditions that result in a fatality should be reflected upon so that a similar result is not repeated (Monday morning quarterbacking isn’t necessarily a bad thing as long as it is tactful and not just based on speculation)
risk management is a part of paddling, we all get to make our own decisions and live or die by what we decide. Its not so much “live and learn” but “learn and live”
I want to have fun but also come home in one piece. This was a real tragedy for those involved with the victim- be it friends, family, or any of the responders on the scene.
Could have been one of those times
Where it seems okay by a protected put in, but when you turn a corner, get out in the real conditions the hammer drops.
Yah. We have some islands and protected
Coves. I live in the Narrows part of the lake. A true wind tunnel
Let me
Tell you I went out once in a 15-20 knot blow. I had to use full rudder right just to go straight. I think I paddled about a 1/2 mile then pulled a U turn. That was a mistake! Fortunately I had a very sea worthy vessel( QCC400X) at the time and I was wearing a drysuit.
With winds 20 to 25, I might go out even with 2.5 ft waves. But 50 mph gusts? I don’t take the power boats out in that stuff. It’s just too uncomfortable, too much work, etc any time of year. I would have stayed on shore likely.
“Debris field”…this just irks me. I started paddling canoes in the '60s. The number one rule then was to tie all of your stuff into/onto the boat. Yet I see a lot of people on trips these days just placing gear in the boat. We often have things to collect when some one capsizes. The question though would be what got her? Cold water likely. Yet witnesses reported she was having trouble controlling the boat. Yes, could be wind and wave. But what about a sea kayak with a lost hatch and flooded compartment. It will still float. Things will come out of the compartment. Deck gear may wash loose. It will be impossible to control without a lot of effort.
In any event you’ve got to dress for the weather and immersion. You should paddle with a buddy. When I was in Hawaii people got hypothermic. In Florida we lost a paddle boarder or a year or so ago to cold water. It happens faster in direct proportion to the water temp.