kayak down in the channel

There was an active search today for a kayaker that over turned on the Multnomah Channel.  From the report I heard, two kayakers overturned.  One made it out and is being treated for hypothermia, the other has not been found.  Neither were wearing life jacket and alcohol may have been a factor according to the news report.  I hope for the safe recovery of the second kayaker.  Hopefully more info will be released soon. 

http://www.kptv.com/story/24790957/rescuers-search-for-overturned-kayaker

The body of the second kayaker was found.

For Gods sake ppl wear your freaking life jackets.

I'm sorry to see this ended with a fatality.  Last week, I paddled the channel and the water temp was 37F.  Getting wet would have been tough no matter how one had prepared for it.  I was sweltering in my drysuit in some rare 50F/sunny weather, but putting my hands in the water was a quick reminder why we dress that way.  Anytime we see paddlers who are obviously misreading or unprepared for the conditions, taking the time to initiate some gentle coaching may go a long way toward keeping them safe.

...Anytime we see paddlers who are obviously misreading or unprepared for the conditions, taking the time to initiate some gentle coaching may go a long way toward keeping them safe.

Yes we should try to talk some sense into these folks, but after a dozen attempts, met with blank stares and some open hostility, I keep my mouth shut and just hope my example fires some neurons in their heads.

Umm ... Drunk ... Not prepared for conditions .... No PFD
I don't think anyone would have been able to talk sense into them and would have been potentially very dangerous for another kayaker to attempt a rescue

Umm ... Drunk ... Not prepared for conditions .... No PFD
I don't think anyone would have been able to talk sense into them and would have been potentially very dangerous for another kayaker to attempt a rescue

yes if these are the facts, this is a prime example of a selfish ignorant disregard for bystanders and loved ones.

Well, that sucks. AFAIK drinking and boating is not illegal, tho drunk boating is. (For obvious reasons). The fact that the story says "alcohol appears to be a factor" points to drunk boating. Which is dumb, but it's still sad they are dead.

I have this irrational fear that i'm going to die doing something outrageously stupid like, trying to eat a bucket of chicken while driving and my hands get so greasy i can't grip the wheel and i drive off a cliff. Or sticking my head out the train window just before a tunnel. And then that's how people will remember me.

And i'm dead so i can't plead my case that i am not normally an idiot. I just made one uncharacteristically dumb mistake and it just so happened to be the end of me. People will just assume that because my demise was so monumentally stupid that it was consistent with how i lived my life. Darwin award and all that.

All to say that, i'm sure the deceased was just a normal person who made a dumb mistake that just happened to kill them. The only upside is that the survivor learned a big lesson about water safety.

Well said Rory.

That kayak would not be easy to self rescue, look how much water was in there!!

Once its flipped and filled with water, its gonna roll like a log...not very easy to get back in.

Another news report:

http://koin.com/2014/02/21/boater-missing-near-sauvie-island/

Apparently they were fishing and they capsized after one of the men stood up to cast.