Apr, 26, 2008
PUBLIC SAFETY
Groups emphasize safety after 6 drownings
Whatcom Association of Kayak Enthusiasts will host a demo day featuring a handful of regional boating retailers from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 3 at Bloedel-Donovan Park. Attendees can browse for free and take boats for a test run for $5.
WAKE will offer a free safety course for beginners interested in kayaking at 6 p.m. May 19 at the Bellingham REI. For more information, contact Pat Kennedy at 647-8955 or by e-mail at pakenne@rei.com.
2007 LOCAL BOATING DEATHS:
Nov. 15, 2007: Lanny “Bip” Sokol, a 48-year-old emergency room doctor at St. Joseph Hospital, died after his surf ski tipped in Bellingham Bay. Sokol spent more than three hours in the water before U.S. Coast Guard personnel found him. He died at the hospital two days later.
Sept. 19, 2007: Randy Sitter, 46, of British Columbia disappeared while kayaking in Chuckanut Bay. Sitter’s inflatable kayak, with his life vest attached to it, was found the next day on the eastern shore of Lummi Island. Coast Guard officials believe the award-winning Simon Fraser University statistics professor drowned, though his body has never been recovered.
April 29, 2007: Lummi Reservation residents Christopher Gust, 30, Bonnie Robinson, 31, and Guy Nutter, 44, drowned after leaving in a canoe bound for Portage Island. The bodies of all three were recovered during low tide weeks afterward.
April 12, 2007: Scott Scarberry, 45, of Kenmore was found dead, still attached to his kayak, near Point Migley on the north end of Lummi Island. An autopsy revealed that Scarberry, who was kayaking alone, died of accidental drowning.
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CALEB HEERINGA
THE BELLINGHAM HERALD
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Law enforcement and local paddlers are making water safety a priority after Whatcom County waters claimed the lives of six kayakers and canoeists last year.
U.S. Coast Guard officials and Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office marine patrol deputy Stu Smith discussed opportunities for boater education at a meeting Thursday.
“We don’t want our guys picking up any more dead bodies,” said Jim Herzog, officer in charge at the Bellingham Coast Guard station.
Some suggested asking local boating retailers to include safety pamphlets with every sale of a kayak or canoe. Others discussed safety classes for beginners or demonstrations at boating shows.
Smith said the six boating deaths in Whatcom County last year was a higher-than-normal number. Coast Guard officials said they do not have statistics on local boating deaths in years before 2007, but the entire state averages 36 boating deaths a year.
Mac Carter, a member of Whatcom Association of Kayak Enthusiasts, said paddle sports can be an extremely rewarding hobby, but dangerous if people don’t take proper safety precautions.
“Kayaking is an adventurous sport — it attracts the rugged individualist,” Carter said. “(Without safety training), you longer just gradually accumulate that knowledge from those that are above you on the learning curve.”
Here are some basic safety tips from the American Canoe Association:
