To numb for words
I haven’t been myself since I got word about a some paddlers I knew in San Fran on Monday. Two men were out in a canoe setting up for a race when they huli (overturned) for some reason. They weren’t able to correct the boat and were in the cold water for at least 30 minutes before someone on shore spotted them. One passed away at the scene and the other has made a full recovery. Thankfully both of them were wearing their pfds but weren’t really wearing the right clothing for if you did end up in the water.
I feel really lucky enough to have paddled with both men/their team at two festivals. Since their team was short some paddlers and I happen to know a few of the people on the team.
RIP Austin. 
Post on: Thursday, February 19th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
Category: Dragon Boat
Tags:
5 Comments »
Aidan | Kimm | Kecia | VancityAllie | Michelle |
Category: Dragon Boat
Tags:
5 Comments »
Aidan | Kimm | Kecia | VancityAllie | Michelle |
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Hi, the name is Kimm, I'm a 30 year old Canadian who has been online since 1999. For the last 16 years my main passion has been dragon boating where I've eaten, slept and breathed it and raced all over North America. 
That’s horrible. I cant even imagine going into the water in winter or early spring! Burr… I love my Mustang survival bomber jacket!
I still think being out on the water unseen for 30min is a long time.. I just wish they were spotted sooner, at least by a passing boat, a fellow dragonboater, etc…
@ Aidan .. Me to.. When I huli back in dec of 04 (2 days after I got my new pfd) thankfully I was in the water for 5-10 mins and one of those bums living in a boat came out and saved me. After that I became more of a summer outrigger paddler.. but I paddle dragon boat 9-10 months of the year.. So if and when a 22 man dragon boat hulis your hooped.
Oh wow…sorry to hear about that. I am sure it was hard since you knew the guys. 30 min doesn’t seem like that long, but in freezing waters, I’m sure it seems like hours…
Wow, that is truly scary. Thoughts are with them… as well as you.
Scary things happen to people all the time, especially those of us who love sports and extreme sports and out the outdoors. Fortunately, the stats for people who die in car accidents or walking down the street is far greater than getting out there and enjoying nature!
That’s a scary thought, but it’s a good thing that they had their pfds, even if the water temp was really low. I can’t imagine how scared they must have been.