BWCA Sounds like a tragedy on Perent Lake Boundary Waters Listening Point - General Discussion
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      Sounds like a tragedy on Perent Lake     
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06/12/2018 10:55AM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
I have a friend in Two Harbors that is a volunteer S&R guy. He just posted this:

"Challenging Rescue day, a 2 hour paddle into Perent Lake for a recovery, we had Lake Co and St.Louis Co involved. Great work by everyone. Big sad part is if they were wearing their Life jacket, none of us would of been out there. Now their family is very sad and missing their loved one. 100% preventable."

Don't have any more info on it as yet. I remember a time when I didn't wear a PFD. Now it's automatic.
 
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ozarkpaddler
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06/12/2018 11:05AM  
Sad. I rarely debate the PFD issue anymore, but as I told a young man we rescued a few years ago on the Current River, "Even good swimmers can panic and drown."
 
Twins87
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06/12/2018 11:37AM  
More info below... we too have become PFD converts in our older age. In our 20s we didn't wear them. I purchased one that is comfortable enough that I often forget I am wearing it. And I fill the pockets with items I like having near me in the boat.

Link from Trip Planning Forum
 
inspector13
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06/12/2018 11:50AM  

Well, this tragedy has now been posted on the Lake County Sheriff’s web page.

 
06/12/2018 12:33PM  
How very sad :(
 
Savage Voyageur
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06/12/2018 01:12PM  
That is so sad. Lives changed forever because of a life jacket. I too used to think my PFD was a seat cushion. I now always wear mine.
 
06/12/2018 05:19PM  
How sad! Life is fragile and goes quick.
 
06/12/2018 08:04PM  
It's sad, the same thing happened 17 years ago to my buddy, we were young and never wore PFD's. I still feel terrible that it happened, I now always wear mine and won't go on the water with anyone who doesn't have one on. I've told other paddlers I have seen without theirs on to please wear their PFD's, I think they think I'm nuts but I don't care. They rarely listen to me any ways.
 
Savage Voyageur
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06/12/2018 09:15PM  
mcsweem: "It's sad, the same thing happened 17 years ago to my buddy, we were young and never wore PFD's. I still feel terrible that it happened, I now always wear mine and won't go on the water with anyone who doesn't have one on. I've told other paddlers I have seen without theirs on to please wear their PFD's, I think they think I'm nuts but I don't care. They rarely listen to me any ways. "


You changed my brother Kent and I. It was after reading your story in BWJ that convinced us. I always thought a PFD was for sitting on the cold aluminum seats of a canoe. Keep preaching my friend.
 
cyclones30
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06/12/2018 10:34PM  
My wife and I rarely wear ours, but I've been thinking of finding a nicer one that's comfortable.
 
06/13/2018 04:07AM  
cyclones30: "My wife and I rarely wear ours, but I've been thinking of finding a nicer one that's comfortable. "


Please DO. I really never even notice I have mine on anymore it's just second nature
 
06/13/2018 07:46AM  
I used to be fanatical about wearing them and wearied of telling others to put theirs on. I always thought to myself..."I am wearing mine so that I can save your sorry carcass if things go bad!" Over the last few years my wife and I have become pretty lax. Good, good reminder. I have spent a fair bit of time on Perent Lake...
 
06/13/2018 07:51AM  
McSweem...mind sharing what you are using now?
 
06/13/2018 08:12AM  
 
06/13/2018 08:37AM  
cyclones30: "My wife and I rarely wear ours, but I've been thinking of finding a nicer one that's comfortable. "


I hope this tragedy is a wake up call for you and your wife. There are many, many great pfds out there that are comfortable. NRS, MTI are two makers that come to mind right away. The cost is insignificant compared to the alternative that happens all too frequently.
 
06/13/2018 10:08AM  
How sad.

:(
 
06/13/2018 10:12AM  
In addition to wearing your PDF, please FASTEN IT and wear it snug.

Sometimes I'm annoyed that it's kind of hot wearing it, but without that I wouldn't have that nice feeling when I finally take it off. Ha.
 
06/13/2018 10:16AM  
weather, Ely, MN, for June 9, 2018=

Looks like a normal day was had the day of the tragedy. It can happen ANY DAY, ANY TIME. The high was 64, winds were ESE at 6mph
 
06/13/2018 10:31AM  
Gotta wear your PFD.
I don't want to sound mean, but can't help but think that paddling at 11 pm is not such a good plan either.
 
06/13/2018 11:37AM  
Such a tragedy.

Thank goodness I lived through my 20s to be able to change based on feedback from this forum.

This fellow has no second chance.
 
apugarcia
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06/13/2018 11:43AM  
http://kstp.com/news/coon-rapids-man-joseph-bennett-fedick-identified-as-individual-who-apparently-drowned-in-bwca/4946703/

Photo look familiar to anyone else?
 
Duckman
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06/13/2018 12:14PM  
I go solo and always wear mine now. Didn't all the time in the past, but I started bringing my dog.

I'm pretty adamant about my dog having hers on in the canoe.

I laughed and put mine on forever after the "a ha" moment I had when I realized I wasn't wearing mine but wanted my dog to be safe and wear hers.
 
Northbranchdavidian
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06/13/2018 12:37PM  
I'm glad you said it. Too many people don't take the BW seriously enough.
 
TechnoScout
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06/13/2018 01:38PM  
Get a PFD that also serves as a fishing vest with pockets to hold stuff. That is what I have done. Along with the other voices here: Always wear a PFD!
 
SinglePortage
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06/13/2018 02:59PM  
I am guilty of using my PFD as a seat softener as well, only putting it on when the weather or water temperature pushed me to do so. But as I have gotten older I have found myself wearing my PFD more and more. I ALWAYS wear it when the water is cold, I am wearing a lot of clothing, in windy conditions, an large lakes and when paddling in the dark.
 
PowerLizard
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06/13/2018 03:08PM  
Over the years, I have made two clear observations related to wearing a PFD:

1) When (not if) you flip your canoe/kayak while wearing a PFD, you struggle to gather your fishing rods and tackle box before they sink. When you flip a canoe/kayak without a PFD, you struggle to get back to the surface and breathe. Then you realize your fishing rods and tackle have sunk. I wear my PFD so I can save my rods.

2) If you buy an expensive comfortable PFD, you are more likely to wear it. I like the whitewater kayaking PFDs. Mine has a front center pocket for my driver's license, fishing license, emergency whistle and a spare truck key.
 
Podunk
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06/13/2018 04:08PM  
I've been using a inflatable version from Basspro shops in the heat of the summer. Very light weight, comfortable mesh type vest with a co2 cartridge to inflate. Mine has a t handle you pull to inflate but they also make a version that is automatic when immersed. I have to admit I didn't wear one in the summer unless on big water or Corp of Engineer properties (have to have on at all times on COE properties). Find one that your comfortable in and wear it.
 
analyzer
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06/13/2018 06:13PM  
apugarcia: "http://kstp.com/news/coon-rapids-man-joseph-bennett-fedick-identified-as-individual-who-apparently-drowned-in-bwca/4946703/


Photo look familiar to anyone else?"


If I'm not mistaken, I used that pic for my screen saver last year.
 
06/13/2018 06:43PM  
 
PikeEatPike
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06/13/2018 09:03PM  
We always wears ours when ever on the water. DNR officers always say thank you when we get checked. Just came out of Gabbro last Friday, there was a of 3, two adult males and a child about 8 or 9. Every time we seen them on the water, NONE of them had PFD's on. The only thing me and the wife could say is, "we hope we don't rescue someone today."
 
06/13/2018 09:43PM  
PikeEatPike: "We always wears ours when ever on the water. DNR officers always say thank you when we get checked. Just came out of Gabbro last Friday, there was a of 3, two adult males and a child about 8 or 9. Every time we seen them on the water, NONE of them had PFD's on. The only thing me and the wife could say is, "we hope we don't rescue someone today.""


I am almost 100% positive by Law that child had to have that life jacket on.
 
06/13/2018 09:46PM  
Here is the wording: LIFE JACKETS. The following are life jacket requirements in Minnesota:

• State law requires children under 10 years
old to wear a properly fitted life jacket
while a boat is underway. Underway means
not securely fastened to a permanent
mooring or tied to a dock.
• A readily accessible and wearable life jacket
is required for each person onboard a
boat, this includes canoes, kayaks, stand-up
paddleboards, paddleboats and waterfowl
boats.
 
06/14/2018 10:09AM  
I will be honest and say I only wear mine on portages. The rest of the time it's in the boat, usually behind my seat. My partner capsized my Prism on last week's trip and got real cold, but he was close enough to shore with the wind blowing in to a beach campsite. He wasn't wearing his for the rest of the trip after that either. May sound weird, but after beating cancer I really am not afraid of drowning, or being eaten by a bear. Never was before that, actually. That said, it could happen, I'm not as strong as I used to be. I can still kick a bear's ass though.
Why couldn't he have just grabbed on to the canoe? That's the first thing I would do. I'm sure there are extenuating circumstances. Could have been windy, a bunch of things gone wrong. If I was out at 11 pm, ok, I might think about wearing one. It's really not a hassle, and that kinda makes sense.
Sincerely sorry to hear about the loss to the family. That's the thing about dying, you never come back. Too much of that lately in my little world. That's a hard hit to take.
Best of luck to the family, BK
 
06/14/2018 11:04AM  
Quite often the canoe goes in the other direction and especially if the wind is blowing. Ever see a canoe with nothing in it blow across a lake. Goes pretty fast when windy.
 
06/14/2018 01:05PM  
I also rarely wear a pfd. Last week we were on a five day river trip in n Wisconsin. (No people seen for two days!) the river was really high, powerful currents made the class one rapids pushing to class two. I put on my pfd without thinking about it. We smashed a rock hard and me and my bowman flew out of my wood/canvas 18’ prospector. I’m certain that without the pfd I might not be writing this.
 
06/14/2018 01:49PM  
Sad deal for sure.

My life jacket is on every single time I paddle a canoe. I also refuse to push away from shore unless my paddling partner has their life jacket on as well. Maybe I'm a jerk for not letting other adults make the decision for themselves but I'd rather be jerk than have to drag a friends body out of a lake. Fortunately at this point most people I paddle with know this about me so they don't fight me any more.

I don't normally advocate for more laws and regulations but I wonder if its time to make wearing a life jacket in the BWCA a part of the standard regulations governing use of the BWCA. It seems to me that the activity of canoeing in the BWCA has enough extenuating circumstances that it makes sense to have a different regulation than the rest of the state.
 
andym
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06/14/2018 05:02PM  
scat: May sound weird, but after beating cancer I really am not afraid of drowning, or being eaten by a bear."


As my oncologist once said, about a different issue, "We've worked too hard to keep you alive to let you die from something else."

Grabbing the canoe is a great idea regardless of whether or not you are wearing a PFD. As someone else pointed out, if the canoe stays upright it can blow away from you really fast.

However, one possible reason for a fall while paddling at night (which can be a lot of fun) is that you hit a rock and that tips the canoe. Where there's one rock there are usually more and so it would be easy to hit your head. Even if you stay conscious, that could stun you and prevent you from being successful at grabbing the canoe.

This really sad case is a lesson. Whether or not we learn from it is a choice we have to make.
 
chessie
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06/15/2018 09:04AM  
This is profoundly sad. My sympathies to friends & family. I too, am a convert to full time life jacket wearing. I spent many years working with a wonderful man who was/is on our county's Sheriff's Rescue Dive Team -- ("rescue" here is most often a euphemism for "recovery"). It didn't take too many stories for me to be convinced that ALWAYS wearing a life jacket while boating is the prudent thing to do. Jon told of all manner of people, with all levels of ability, and any kind of conditions -- drowning. The common denominator is: not wearing a PFD. Many of his stories have stayed with me, including people drowning in 8' of water on a calm sunny mid-summer day. They key is this: buy a high quality, good fitting, COMFORTABLE PFD. There are many good PFDs available on the market now, thankfully. I've had mine for years. It's comfortable, non-binding, and has a pocket big enough for compass/whistle/etc. Now it's habit to wear it, and it's no big deal. I am a canoer from a family of sailors, and NONE of my family wear PFDs while sailing, whether large live-a-boards, or small sunfish type day sailers. It pains me. I appreciate that BWCA.com sent this news, albeit tragic, to all subscribers. I promptly posted it as I keep hoping that others may benefit, or learn from it.
 
MikeinMpls
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06/15/2018 09:58AM  
I was on Kawishiwi Lake on Saturday night when this happened.... very close to Perent Lake. It was extremely windy on Saturday and Sunday, even overnight. I saw tandem canoes struggling in the wind on Saturday, in the daylight, when it is much easier to read the sea state. Fast forward: To paddle in those conditions, in the dark, without a PFD, is to invite death. I simply cannot understand how people can be so stupid.

I mean no disrespect to the dead, and I feel terribly for both his family and his tripping partner. I wear my pfd 100% of the time. I've swamped canoes before, and my experience has been that I'm in the water so quickly I have no time to grab the side of the boat, or engage in any similar techniques to save myself.

Tragedy, yes. And completely preventable in every way.

Mike
 
06/25/2018 01:02PM  
I am a lifeguard and help with our organization with getting other lifeguards trained for our summer camp program. Many people say they can swim but cannot in reality swim the required six laps of a pool. Even many lifeguards are worn out after six laps (About 200M). Swimming is very tiring and especially if trying to do anything else besides swimming while in the water. It is difficult to help others or mess with your gear if in the water and not in a life jacket. A PFD is a no-brainer to me.
 
06/25/2018 08:33PM  
Never assume that someone is telling the whole truth when they tell you that they are not wearing a pfd because they can swim well. Our scout camp had a pool and asked all scouts if they could swim. Many said yes. Then all were lined up on the deep end and told to jump in one at a time and swim to the shallow end. Quite a few decided they were not real swimmers after all. Most of them were taught to swim. For this thread, insist everybody wear the pfd.
 
mjmkjun
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06/26/2018 10:39AM  
Sad to read of yet another death by drowning. Perent Lake gets moody real quick when the wind kicks up. And it doesn't take much of a wind either.

to scat: I gasp that you are bold and fearless after that fight for your life. I get that. Buddy, those bears don't necessarily wait until the prey is dead to start eating.
 
BlackSwanAdventures
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06/26/2018 02:33PM  
nojobro: "In addition to wearing your PDF, please FASTEN IT and wear it snug.


Sometimes I'm annoyed that it's kind of hot wearing it, but without that I wouldn't have that nice feeling when I finally take it off. Ha."


+1
 
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