Bad time to be an inexperienced guy from Indiana on the big lake. I give him a zero to once percent chance of turning up alive.
A cheerful start for the weekâŚ
Looks like the water temperatures were in the low 50s. 
Thereâs a pan pan pan out for something in the water near Bayfield WI (couldnât hear what, but it sounded like possibly a person) and another unfolding incident with a capsized vessel with 3 people (2 accounted for and one in the water) near Superior Entrance.
Nothing on the kayaker yet.
I can only hear the coast guard side of the transmissions, but I think someone got the 3rd person out of the water near Duluth. They were wearing pfd so should be OK
When we were up there last year they found a guy that drowned two years earlier. Seems bacteria donât bloat and float bodies up there like down in the south. So âsoon to turn up deadâ might be a while until they locate him on sonar.
That sounds really weird. The news item reports that he planned to âgo fishingâ before a doctors appointment and picking up his granddaughter. He lived half an hour from Lake Michigan. Why would he drive 9 hours through Wisconsin to the farthest western reach of Lake Superior? Did he plug the wrong lake into his vehicle GPS?
Always wear your PFD, always dress for water, not air temperature and always paddle in conditions as well as a route that your boat and your ability to control it can handle. Never venture further than you scan swim if you cannot self rescue and it doesnât hurt to bring snacks, water, a whistle, some flares, a cell phone, signaling or illumination light of some kind rated for immersion or the water, a waterproof bag or sack and an immersion rated marine radio either. If you have chronic ailments make sure you bring medications or means of keeping them under control like insulin, glucose monitor with enough strips and sugar/juice for diabetes, inhalers for asthma and that your paddle is designed around their potential problems like stops to check your sugar or re-medicate and not going out if youâre having a bad day with these.
Also you should be able to handle and turn your boat with the rudder, the latter being only for convenience and efficiency as itâs a mechanical device prone to failure. Preferrably always paddle with a buddy not alone, and always let someone on land know your route, where youâre going and your ETAâs so if you go missing the authorities can know where to start and do it sooner.
Did I miss anything?
@willowleaf said:
That sounds really weird. The news item reports that he planned to âgo fishingâ before a doctors appointment and picking up his granddaughter. He lived half an hour from Lake Michigan. Why would he drive 9 hours through Wisconsin to the farthest western reach of Lake Superior? Did he plug the wrong lake into his vehicle GPS?
Weird, yes. Heâs from No. Judson, IN. Was later seen on a gas station video in Savanna, IL. Thatâs four hours away. His truck was found in Two Harbors (MN). Thatâs a 640 mile drive for a little kayak fishing. Maybe foul play? Maybe heâs running away from home?
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Trying to escape to Canada?
@CA139 said:
Always wear your PFD, always dress for water, not air temperature and always paddle in conditions as well as a route that your boat and your ability to control it can handle. Never venture further than you scan swim if you cannot self rescue and it doesnât hurt to bring snacks, water, a whistle, some flares, a cell phone, signaling or illumination light of some kind rated for immersion or the water, a waterproof bag or sack and an immersion rated marine radio either. If you have chronic ailments make sure you bring medications or means of keeping them under control like insulin, glucose monitor with enough strips and sugar/juice for diabetes, inhalers for asthma and that your paddle is designed around their potential problems like stops to check your sugar or re-medicate and not going out if youâre having a bad day with these.Also you should be able to handle and turn your boat with the rudder, the latter being only for convenience and efficiency as itâs a mechanical device prone to failure. Preferrably always paddle with a buddy not alone, and always let someone on land know your route, where youâre going and your ETAâs so if you go missing the authorities can know where to start and do it sooner.
Did I miss anything?
Be a pessimist not an optimist!
There was a kayaker who came up here from Milwaukee apparently just to kill himself a few years ago, in the same general area.
https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/1451909-Autopsy-Missing-kayaker-shot-himself
As for the other things I was hearing, the last transmission I got before I had to leave was that the person in Bayfield was rescued but the person near Duluth was still in the water missing. I also heard wrong-they were wearing a yellow jacket but no mention of whether they had a life jacket.
Looking at Willowleafâs and Rookieâs comments on the distances⌠could be possible the guy has just disappeared himself. I worked with someone who did that years ago, 20 years later some member of his family tripped over him a lot of states away. He had just decided to chuck his family, his wife etc. I suppose doing it so people think you are drowned on the bottom of a cold lake might be even better.
Itâs not a happy story and I donât think logic or safety guidelines apply. He said he was going fishing and missed a doctor appointment the day he disappeared.
Anything is possible. But most likely he went paddling into the bad conditions we had yesterday.
The man who was missing near Duluth died. The other two survived when their 21 foot boat capsized. The three men were wearing PFDs but they were not zipped when their boat capsized.
@Celia said:
Looking at Willowleafâs and Rookieâs comments on the distances⌠could be possible the guy has just disappeared himself. I worked with someone who did that years ago, 20 years later some member of his family tripped over him a lot of states away. He had just decided to chuck his family, his wife etc. I suppose doing it so people think you are drowned on the bottom of a cold lake might be even better.
Disappearing these days is very hard with all the technology, facial recognition and interconnected data. You could do it but youâd basically have to 100% rough it and live completely off the grid in the wilderness, like turning into bigfoot and living accordingly. People have done it but especially how Whitey Bulger came to light already 8 years ago when the technology was not as good, I would see a tiny percentage of people being able to get away with this. Very tiny.
Just because a carefully reasoned and informed consideration would indicate that a person was unlikely to get away with something is rarely a constraint on a personâs actions, especially somebody feeling stressed out or desperate.
Close to 10 years ago, I was paddling in the Everglades. As I was heading out from the park for a day trip, I was buzzed by a helicopter, then again and again. All day long, one or more helicopters were criss-crossing the area, maybe 50-100 ft off the ground. Turned out a guy (Roger Sawyer) who was RV-ing with his wife at the park had gone missing. Years later I did some internet research and learned that he had never been found. A number of theories had been considered (e.g., drowned, went for a walk and got lost in the âswampâ, eaten by alligators, etc.) but all had significant problems and as I recall, largely dismissed. The most likely remaining scenario was that his disappearance was intentional. The family maintained a website for years seeking information on his whereabouts and disappearance, but eventually took it down.
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@CA139 said:
Disappearing these days is very hard with all the technology, facial recognition and interconnected data. You could do it but youâd basically have to 100% rough it and live completely off the grid in the wilderness, like turning into bigfoot and living accordingly. People have done it but especially how Whitey Bulger came to light already 8 years ago when the technology was not as good, I would see a tiny percentage of people being able to get away with this. Very tiny.
I used to have to travel internationally for work and I can say that it was strange and disturbing to have my face and passport displayed when going through customs BEFORE I handed my passport to the customs agent. I think weâre well down the road where everyone will be tracked all the time. I plan to cover myself in mud and hide under a tree like Arnold did in Predator.