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Skip · 04-23-2008, 04:43 PM

Took some digging but Evenstar is correct, it can be very dangerous to kayak on Lake Winnipesaukee.

Way back in 1983, an excerpt from "The Sea Canoeist":

"...Last fall was another story. There have been two deaths and three or four close calls reported. On October 29, 1983, Brian Insley died on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. The cause of death listed was drowning (water was found in the lungs). Most certainly the real cause was hypothermia due to the 38 to 40 degree water in the lake. Most hypothermia victims "drown" if they lose consciousness while in the water. Brian was an intermediate level paddler who could Eskimo roll but had never practiced it with the paddle he designed and was using. We will never know exactly what happened as he was paddling alone. One long-time resident on the lake described the weather as the second biggest windstorm in 30 years. Brian's life jackets were at home (he found them uncomfortable and had just ordered a new one). He had little or no flotation in the kayak, which was found with only a foot or so of one end exposed above the surface. He apparently had no flares or other emergency locating devices. Brian was an excellent swimmer and from the locations of the body and the kayak it appears that he swam about one half mile, which is remarkable in 400 water. Although Brian was capable of a deep water self-rescue. the lack of flotation in his boat probably precluded that. A few weeks previously he had paddled in far milder winds and waves and told a companion that they were the roughest conditions he had ever kayaked in. It appears Brian used extremely poor judgment to go out apparently far from shore, in a big storm, on a cold lake without even the most basic preparations necessary for a short paddle on a warm summer day in a group. Since the autopsy showed a blood alcohol level of 0.12 (0.05 is considered impaired, and 0.10 is legally intoxicated in Washington State), it appears that the alcohol contributed to his poor judgment. Brian was using an Escape, a fairly stable fibreglass kayak..."

04-23-2008, 04:43 PM	#76
Skip Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Dover, NH Posts: 1,615 Thanks: 256 Thanked 514 Times in 182 Posts	Sea kayak fatality....25 years ago! Took some digging but Evenstar is correct, it can be very dangerous to kayak on Lake Winnipesaukee. Way back in 1983, an excerpt from "The Sea Canoeist": "...Last fall was another story. There have been two deaths and three or four close calls reported. On October 29, 1983, Brian Insley died on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. The cause of death listed was drowning (water was found in the lungs). Most certainly the real cause was hypothermia due to the 38 to 40 degree water in the lake. Most hypothermia victims "drown" if they lose consciousness while in the water. Brian was an intermediate level paddler who could Eskimo roll but had never practiced it with the paddle he designed and was using. We will never know exactly what happened as he was paddling alone. One long-time resident on the lake described the weather as the second biggest windstorm in 30 years. Brian's life jackets were at home (he found them uncomfortable and had just ordered a new one). He had little or no flotation in the kayak, which was found with only a foot or so of one end exposed above the surface. He apparently had no flares or other emergency locating devices. Brian was an excellent swimmer and from the locations of the body and the kayak it appears that he swam about one half mile, which is remarkable in 400 water. Although Brian was capable of a deep water self-rescue. the lack of flotation in his boat probably precluded that. A few weeks previously he had paddled in far milder winds and waves and told a companion that they were the roughest conditions he had ever kayaked in. It appears Brian used extremely poor judgment to go out apparently far from shore, in a big storm, on a cold lake without even the most basic preparations necessary for a short paddle on a warm summer day in a group. Since the autopsy showed a blood alcohol level of 0.12 (0.05 is considered impaired, and 0.10 is legally intoxicated in Washington State), it appears that the alcohol contributed to his poor judgment. Brian was using an Escape, a fairly stable fibreglass kayak..."