Dragon Boat West

I got this story from FCRCC care of Adrienne Scott. It relates to paddling solo boats in the story, but it could happen to anyone.  Everyone should were PFDs and the proper clothing for the winter.  All dragon boat teams should have a plan in case of an accident. I have seen a dragon boat tip over.  I have seen someone fall off a dragon boat at night. It could happen to you. The story:

As some of you heard through the grapevine, the paddling community in
Bellingham suffered a loss this last November. Out of respect for the
family and friends of our comrade, we circled our wagons and delayed
allowing new members to join our group. Now it's time to tell the
story so that others may benefit from this turn of events.
An unfortunate accident….
It is with much regret that I write this posting because seldom do
we hear of an incident that the paddler does not just walk away after
the event. On Thursday, Nov. 15th, Lanny `Bip' Sokol, a local paddler
here in Bellingham WA, headed out onto Bellingham Bay just before
dark by himself in order to exercise. Bip was a local emergency room
physician and a devoted father. He had been paddling a surfski for
almost 4 years but was unable to join us on most of our scheduled
events because of his work and his family. Instead, he often paddled
alone and periodically; one or more of us would bump into him on the
water and paddle with him. Bip was 48 years old but he looked more
like he was 35. He was very lean and very fit. I was fortunate enough
to work with Bip at our local hospital so I probably knew him as well
or better than most of the local paddlers.
When Bip headed out, the wind was about 10 knots or less from the
south. The sky was heavily overcast. Just before sunset, Bip
encountered another surfski paddler and the two of them headed south
towards Post Point Buoy. Before they made it all the way to the
Point, the wind went from a steady 10 mph to 30-35 mph with no
warning. The water turned choppy and steep, with high winds against
an ebbing tide, and it started to rain. Bip let the other paddler
know that he was out of his comfort range and that he was turning
around. Bip turned and headed north. The other paddler also turned
and was following him by about 100 feet. Bip either fell from his
boat or was blown off by a strong gust of wind. The other paddler saw
him in the water with one hand on his paddle and the other on his
boat; but only a second or two later, Bip's boat was tumbling across
the water. The other paddler dashed for Bip's boat and caught it, but
the high winds rolled Bip's boat over his and knocked him into the
water also. It took him 5 or 6 attempts to remount because of the
wind and steep waves. After being in the water for 5 – 10 minutes, he
had been blown far enough away from Bip and it was now dark, so he
couldn't see where Bip was. The second paddler couldn't take his
hands off his paddle to use his VHF and still stay upright. He chose
to paddle the ½ mile to shore and get the Coast Guard to initiate a
rescue mission for Bip. The last time that Bip was seen was about 5
pm and was recovered by the Coast Guard approximately 8 pm.
Bip was wearing a headlamp, a dry suit and a PFD when he headed
out that evening. His headlamp was knocked off when he fell in (the
police said it was detached from his battery pack which was inside
the drysuit). He had lightweight polypro clothing under his dry suit
so he wouldn't overheat while exercising, but the protection it gave
him was only good as long as he was above water. When the Coast Guard
found him, he was face down in the water with no pulse. They began
CPR and rushed him to the local hospital. Never have I seen such
heroic efforts to revive someone. The cardio-thoracic team was
alerted before Bip was off the water and was standing by to put him
on cardiac bypass to warm his core. He was cold without a pulse so
there was a chance that he could be revived. Despite the best efforts
put forth by the numerous persons involved in the rescue and
resuscitation, Bip was not able to survive this incident.
As they say, hindsight is 20/20, but in this instance, there are
more than a couple of factors that led to Bip's death. First, the
lack of a leash (there was no evidence of one on the body, boat, or
paddle which were recovered); here in the northwest, most all of us
use them. With these colder water temperatures, it's important to
keep your boat leashed to your body. Another factor was the time of
day; a search after dark is much harder to do than during daylight.
Bip was wearing a headlamp so he obviously was expecting to be out
after dark. The wind was blowing north against an ebbing tide: this
would inhibit even the strongest swimmer from making it to shore.
These facts, plus the lack of insulation under the dry suit, probably
amounted to Bip succumbing to the cold water and becoming
hypothermic. It was hard for me to fathom that someone wearing a dry
suit and a PFD could die in our local waters in only a few hours.
Bip was a swimmer, a cross country skier, and a triathete. His lean
body offered little or no protection against the elements.
Bip will be missed by many people besides those in the heath care
and paddling communities. His death is an opportunity for all of us
to focus on our safety and determine if we are truly safe or if we
just have the perception of safety. If you call for help, can the
Coast Guard or private vessel get to you within an hour? Can they see
you if it's dark or stormy? How good is your leash? How good are your
skills if the winds kick up above your comfort zone? Are you dressed
well enough to spend up to an hour in the water? Can you actually be
rescued by another surfski in rough weather if you are separated from
your boat?
Paddle on and be safe.
Larry Goolsby