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Paddler Death in Lake Michigan
allipp@…10/09/22 #32502
I just saw this on Facebook, and was appalled that the race organizers apparently just sat on shore watching the guy with binoculars until he couldn't remount any more, then called the Coast Guard. Ever heard of having a safety boat when running a race? WTF????
From Michigan Canoe Racing Association:
“Our friend Nick Walton died today doing what he was known for - not quitting. We were competing in a downwind race from Point Betsie to Peterson Beach on Lake Michigan. The air temps were in the low 50s and the water was probably even colder. The waves were big and the wind was strong. Nick and many others fell off of there boats multiple times just trying to get out through the surf. Nick wouldn’t quit remounting and managed to make it a couple miles down the shore, but he was in the water as much or more than he was paddling. The race organizers could see him with binoculars and he just kept getting back on on trying again. The coast guard was called when they saw him no longer mounting his boat. They picked him up by helicopter and he was taken to the hospital immediately. We learned he had no pulse when he arrived, but they were still trying to warm him. Nick died fighting today, and I believe he wouldn’t have had it any other way. Many feel blessed to have called him a canoe partner and a friend. He will be missed deeply in our paddling community.”
Reivers Dustin 10/10/22 #32503
It's a bad deal for everyone. I lean towards paddler responsibility and away from holding others to blame. The safety boats are somewhat of a newer thing - maybe last ten years? I've posted my thoughts about rescues here, basically rescues are risky for the rescuer. The Coasties train for it and it's no walk in the park for them.
Maybe I'm saying this because I survived my early stupid in the sport. Still, it seems like we want to blame someone too much. After the Bip Sokol thing we were told that if there were any more incidents the State would have to do something about it. (Make laws, rules, regulations, inspections, and restrictions.) Thankfully the trend was avoided. But we've had some paddlers hurt and boats lost.
For me, I like the “edginess” of the sport. …And I really hate that the report said “there boats” instead of “their boats”. …rd
allipp@…10/10/22 #32504
I almost put a (sic) in there after their incorrect there.
I'm sure there's a lot of second guessing on their decision not to call in for support earlier.
Gabriel Wicke 10/10/22 #32505
I'm sure there's a lot of second guessing on their decision not to call in for support earlier.
Making the determination whether someone is still doing fine must be really hard from a distance. At race events like this, do participants usually carry a waterproof VHF radio, so that they can call other boats & the coast guard themselves?
allipp@…10/10/22 #32506
Around here, a lot of people do carry handheld VHF radios when paddling and racing. I know that when Peter Marcus ran the Bellingham Bay Roughwater race, he would give people an entry fee discount if they had a radio with them..
As for Michigan, I really don't have any information on the said event or their habits, though it would be prudent to carry a VHF in the cold water and rough conditions encountered there.
Paul Reavley 10/11/22 #32509
I would like to have access to more details about the circumstances involved - exact circumstance can surely give us a better basis for any opinions or conclusions we might want to draw, or lessons that the locals in Michigan might learn that might help them in the future. But the accounts I have found so far have been very thin.
Every story I have seen so far has called this a “kayak” or “canoe” race, although a few accounts calling it a downwind race inclined me to think it might have been primarily for surfskis. I found one picture reportedly of the Coast Guard recovering Nick Walton's boat and the photo definitely shows a Think surfski and it looks like it has “Six” written on the side.
The facebook note Alan came across guesses that the water temp was sub 50 - what I have found indicates that the water temp at Point Betsie might have been in the mid-40's or slightly colder. One account said that Nick was wearing a wetsuit.
A local canoeing organization is calling it an “unsanctioned race”. Although having safety boats may be a relatively recent practice, it seems to be universally recognized as a good and logical one - though it shouldn't be just for show, the experience and capabilities of safety boats should be appropriate, no more so than for when rough conditions are expected.
Speaking of safety boats - I didn't get all of the details about the safety/rescue setup in Tarifa, but it sounds pretty interesting. I believe that they have a local public Coast Guard, but my understanding is that they also have one or maybe two commercial safety boat companies. Boyan apparently pays some sort of annual fee with one, but it is not their max fee because Boyan has a very good safety record with them. He notifies them when and where he is going out and requests accompaniment occasionally when he does not know his paddlers well enough yet or the conditions are stronger, etc. The companies have a fairly low additional per instance fee for pickups - kiters, etc. who are floating out to sea. I assume their businesses are sustained by the great numbers of wind sport participants around Tarifa and the number of local companies that see the advantage of having such a safety backup. All of Boyan's students always wear GPS trackers (being tracked at Boyan's office) and each student wears a radio/walkie talkie ($30-$40 radios with approx. 500 meter range) in waterproof cases on their shoulder or back that he uses to coach and direct them. These walkie talkies are always in receive mode but require a button press to send.
Reivers Dustin 10/11/22 #32510
i got a quick note from Nick Murray (www.TCsurfski.com)
Nick was at the event and plans to pull together some information to share. It's so tempting to get ideas out there before knowing all the details.
rd
zach 10/11/22 #32513
I was not there but know several guys that were. I have heard a lot of details but I I agree its best not to speak out til the full picture can be painted. I will say this - I probably should have died my first year in a ski because I did dumb stuff in cold water. I did not know any better. I had luck on my side.
I did eventually come to the realization that I have ethical objections to holding a rough water race on cold water. There is just too much incentive to dress for winning rather than for immersion. I don’t judge the race organizers for holding a cold water race. After all it took me many years of paddling and some hard experiences to come to that understanding. And this race did actually have a wetsuit requirement and paddlers had to prove in some way that they were big water capable. I don’t know of any other races with a wetsuit rule
Nick Murray's Video Discussing Incident:
