Any thoughts on if this seems worthwhile or plausible?

Thanks!!

Jeremy Faust

jeremy@aheadofmytime.com

Then again, there were no surfers out either for 5 out of 7 days, either.

I like your idea that life is about those memorable experiences, and that an expedition is more memorable than a trip. It is my mid-western humility that doesn\’t allow me to say expedition without irony. But I may try calling our Pukaskwa \”journey\” an expedition and see how it feels.

Best,

Keith

Thanks for your comments. Seeing as you knew Peter, my deepest condolences to you and to his family. There is an inherent risk in paddling, no doubt.

I appreciate the need to clarify some of this information. If you knew Peter, can you clarify this?

Could he roll the Otter in six foot waves?

Did he have proper immersion gear, and just not wear it that day?

Did he normally have a marine radio or some sort of signalling device?

Did he normally file a float plan?

The media said he was a white water instructor, but the ACA did not have any record of him being a WW certified instructor. Could you validate what his training was?

I have been kayak surfing the great lakes for almost 12 years in a variety of craft. As point of reference this is my usual list of precautions and gear.

I always tell my wife, or someone on shore where I am leaving from, where I will be paddling, and when I will be back, and to call the coastguard/lifesaving service if I am overdue.
I always dress for the swim, I wear either a 4/3 suit, or a full drysuit depending on water temps. Wetsuit in water above 50, and drysuit with thermal layers when it is below 50. This includes pogies, gloves, and a neoprene hood.
I carry a marine radio, signal mirror, strobe, and flares on my lifejacket so I can signal for help if I get hurt, or separated from my kayak.

I try to paddle with someone whenever possible to ensure I at least have someone to call for help. But this is not always possible, and I do kayak surf in fall alone quite a bit. But I make sure to make friends, or at least my presence known with board surfers, kite boarders, and other people in the water so that if I am not visible for some time, someone out on the water knows about it. I also try to surf within sight of board surfers so that we can look out for one another.
I have learned how to eskimo roll all of my kayaks in surf of all sizes. I also know how to perform a variety of self-re-entry techniques including re-enter and roll.
I look at the weather patterns, wind speed, and wave conditions on a variety of lake cams, to see if the conditions are going to be safe enough for me to even drive to the beach and think about going out. There were many days this fall where it was just plain nuts to go out, one of which was the day Mitch Fajman was killed. I was going to be surfing in the exact spot where he lost his life, and I elected not to go out.
I make an assessment of the conditions based on my skills and equipment once I am on the beach and can see the conditions before actually getting on the water, looking for wind, wave, rip currents, and hazards in the water. Because I do a lot of planning while looking at the forecast, I have very rarely had to call it on the beach that I am not going out, but I can recall two-three times where I just said “screw it.”

While I am making some conjectural statements above that might seem like I am guessing at what could have happened. My assessment of the conditions is based on surfing the great lakes over a time period that is roughly half of the time Peter was alive. I totally understand the ache and the hole this kind of event puts in your life, but would you say it is fair that Peter made an egregious error in judgement when he paddled out into six foot waves without telling anyone where he was or how long he would be out, in a boat with no flotation, that he could not self-rescue, with no immersion protection or any way to signal for help.

In my 12 years of experience surfing the Great Lakes, those are risks I would not take.

And if you would rather not reply online, that’s fine too, I would be happy to chat on the phone.

Best wishes,

Keith

Got home later and my wife told me about the “experienced” kayaker off Port Washington.

Wind, waves, 46 degree water. I guess until I read through these posts, I assumed he was in a proper sea kayak. Now all I can do is shake my head and say to all, let’s get busy and educate people.

Howard

In the past 2 years at least 11 people have perished on the Great Lakes while canoeing or kayaking. There was another fatality in Lake St. Clair just last weekend: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/story/2012/03/12/wdr-canoe-drowning-st-clair.html

We MUST do a better job of educating the public about safe practices, I certainly don’t want to become a ‘safety Nazi’ but I fear there is the very real possibility of limiting access to watermen (and women). A man was arrested in Chicago recently for surfing.

We are interested in collaborating with any group with an interest in Great Lakes water safety. We have a facebook page at:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Great-Lakes-Surf-Rescue-Project/120501018657
and a website under construction at:
http://www.ripcurrentsafety.com
You may also reach me at Bob Pratt@GLSRP.org

As a final note I would encourage everyone to become a positive role model for safety: always wear a lifejacket, file a float plan, learn CPR and encourage your paddling partners to do the same. We’ve lost over 150 lives in the last 2 years, many of these are preventable with simple steps.

Thank you,
bob

Bob Pratt
Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project