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Happy Marine Mammal Rescue Day! 🐳🐬🦭🦦
Video, of a guy tipping a canoe over in the middle of a Minnesota Lake
- Thread starter Jim Dodd
- Start date
No life jacket on. Doesn't know how to use a bent shaft paddle; uses it backwards. No flotation in a sinkable canoe. Canoe way out of trim with him sitting in stern by an electric motor. Sitting instead of kneeling. Nothing tied in; he lost more than $3,000 of gear. Lucky he had a waterproof cell phone in his pocket.
The rescue:
The rescue:
Don’t mean to be picky but why would you have your day planner (that he seemed so worried about) in the canoe? And if I’m day paddling I usually leave my wallet in the car as I would like to have it for the drive home. As Glen pointed out, so many things wrong here that you have to assume an inexperienced boater (despite $3,000 in gear). Hope he learns from his mistakes and becomes more safety conscious.
Lol, his explanations in the second video are quite a hoot, particularly when he plays the clip from "The Perfect Storm". Wave action looked like "The Perfect Breeze" to me. Anyway, glad he didn't die.
Don't think I've ever seen a bigger floating yard sale.
I'm not sure if that is actually a bent shaft Glenn, the Go Pro will bend things like paddle shafts and blades. In any case, his masterful grip of the shaft below the the grip in his switch/hit style points to a developing skill level that should probably be practised close to shore.
Don't think I've ever seen a bigger floating yard sale.
I'm not sure if that is actually a bent shaft Glenn, the Go Pro will bend things like paddle shafts and blades. In any case, his masterful grip of the shaft below the the grip in his switch/hit style points to a developing skill level that should probably be practised close to shore.
From the looks of it, this person has done everything wrong that you can do wrong ... right?
It's good that nothing else bad happened to him and that it taught him a lesson.
It's good that nothing else bad happened to him and that it taught him a lesson.
The guy claims to be a fisherman and I'm sure that's true, but if you're going to be fishing from a canoe you'd better be somewhat of a canoeist too. 3000 dollars worth of stuff in his boat and I wonder if he ever spent 20 bucks on a basic canoeing book.
I'm glad it turned out OK and hopefully the guy learned something, but really, a 42 minute "short version" of the rescue? And the guy has the gall to criticize his rescuers for paying too much attention to his well-being rather than trying to fish his crap out of the lake. 
It sure looks like a bent shaft paddle, especially while it's floating on the surface. The bend is fairly abrupt like a typical bent shaft rather than curved due to lens distortion.
It looked like a bent shaft to me while he was using it wrong. Then it was confirmed when it was floating away from him. It was probably sold to him by the clerk in the boat shop that told him it was more efficient than a straight shaft. If he was told how to use it he probably forgot.
It appeared to me that he had the electric motor going while he was paddling (if that's possible). If so it would sink his stern deeper adding to the water coming in at the stern.
It appeared to me that he had the electric motor going while he was paddling (if that's possible). If so it would sink his stern deeper adding to the water coming in at the stern.
Yeah, I noticed right away when he was still paddlling that it was a bent being held backwards. People seem to think a bent is to be used like a scoop. Why on earth did he stow the paddle? that was the beginning of the end for him. Adjusting his postion then and it was all over. One rule never to be broken is when in rough unstable conditions, you never stop paddling. Keep your paddle in the water as much as possible with a short quick recovery out of water, no matter how tired you are. Your canoe will lose stability when it stops forward motion through the water, keep it moving. Keep paddling until you get to calm water and never move about or reach for anything else. Especially do not turn your body to look in another direction. After capsizing, why not grab the paddle to wave above your head as a more visible signal to helpers?
Back in the 1960's it was common to use a floating seat cushion as a rescue device instead of wearing one of those orange horse collar PFDs. The cushion is what I used in my dumber kid days then in a jon boat on a small slow currrent flat river near my home. He even made sure to carry the blue cushion with him off the rescue boat to the parking lot.
Back in the 1960's it was common to use a floating seat cushion as a rescue device instead of wearing one of those orange horse collar PFDs. The cushion is what I used in my dumber kid days then in a jon boat on a small slow currrent flat river near my home. He even made sure to carry the blue cushion with him off the rescue boat to the parking lot.
Wow. And then to advertise it to the world by posting videos 
. I’m no paddling genius, but this guy makes me look like one.
Definitely bent shaft paddles - 2 of them, in fact.
. I’m no paddling genius, but this guy makes me look like one.Definitely bent shaft paddles - 2 of them, in fact.
I was surprised he wasn't sitting on that blue cushion, making things even more unstable.
Here is an article I submitted to our canoe club in Vancouver. A fortuitous rescue of an inexperienced fisher guy in a poorly trimmed, overloaded canoe. Very similar to the video here.
You Never Know
September 10, 2004, Pender Island British Columbia
Kathleen and I stood on the beach enjoying the early morning quiet. The summer crowds were gone, and the Labour Day power boaters had vanished toward the east. Even the packs of powerful zodiacs stuffed with hopeful whale watchers seemed to be taking the day off. Browning and Bedwell Harbours were now ours alone to enjoy.
“Say, Michael. Why don’t we just hop into the canoe and paddle over to Carol’s for a cup of coffee and some poppy seed lemon cake?”
“Sounds good to me. I’ll climb up the stairs and get our paddles. You know, though, I wonder if we really need to take all our gear. It’s only 2 km (1 mile). The water’s completely calm. There’s no hint of wind – not even a gentle breeze. There’s no big boats that’ll run over us. It’s all flat water – no rapids between here and Carol’s coffee shop -- and we never capsize. Do we really need to lug our bucket of spare clothing, extra paddle, bailer and throw bag (65 vertical feet; 20 m) up and down these stairs? There’s not even anyone else out there to rescue. I think we’ve seen only one other canoeist all summer.”
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Momentary and Embarrassed Pause
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“We always take all our gear. It’s a Beaver Canoe Club Rule (not to mention the Canadian Coast Guard)! That’s the way it’s done. It’s always been done that way. It always will be done that way. It’s all about safe canoeing.”
Thirty minutes later, Kathleen, I, and all our gear approached Shark Cove, where we saw a man scrambling along the low cliffs on the north side of the cove -- a place that is not particularly a good place to scramble -- a place where we had never seen anyone scramble before. We naturally decided to paddle over to have a chat. When we neared to about one hundred metres (100 yards), he began to wave, somewhat frantically. It was then that we noticed a blue canoe, about 25 m off shore, half submerged, with its bow pointing straight up out of the water.
The man on shore, bleeding from multiple abrasions on his arms and legs, spoke quickly.
“I capsized about half-an-hour ago, and haven’t seen anyone since. I’ve been trying to get off this cliff, but don’t seem to be able to do it.”
The man, a tourist from Utah, had rented a very nice guest cottage just a few minutes around the corner in Shark Cove. He had been setting a crab trap from the guest canoe, equipped with an electric motor rigged up on the side of the boat, near the stern. When setting the trap, he leaned over, on the motor side, to help guide the trap downward. The combined weight of motor and man then dipped the gunwhale beneath the water, and over he went.
The canoe became entangled in the crab trap line, and the motor acted like an anchor, which explained why the canoe sat vertically in the water.
The man slumped down, still speaking quickly.
“God, I’m tired. I tried to pull the canoe free, but I couldn’t. I got exhausted so fast. The water is cold. I finally decided I had to get to shore. I barely made it. I think I would have drowned if I hadn’t been wearing a life jacket.”
Kathleen and I paddled over to his canoe and tried to work it free. It wouldn’t budge from its vertical position. We then tied one end of our ever present throw rope to a thwart and paddled back to shore. The line played out just as we reached the cliff. Although the man tried to help us tug his canoe free, he needed to rest every few seconds. He was apparently entering the initial stages of hypothermia, even though it was a sunny and somewhat warm day.
“Why don’t you just rest. Kathleen and I will pull your canoe back to shore.”
The canoe broke free sluggishly from where it had become ensnared beneath the water. Moments later we held his canoe up against the side of the cliff. Obviously, however, we couldn’t pull a canoe full of water straight up a 45-degree cliff. Also, we couldn’t empty the canoe by turning it over because we didn’t want to lose the electric motor’s battery, which fortunately hadn’t yet fallen out.
With our ever present bailer Kathleen easily emptied the canoe in mere minutes, and all three of us yanked boat, motor, battery, and crab trap (with 1 crab!) up onto the cliff. The man sat down to rest.
“Gosh I’m tired. Thanks a lot. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this. You have saved my day.”
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Momentary and Embarrassed Pause
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Aw shucks. It’s nothing any good rule-minding Beaver Canoe Club member wouldn’t have done.
With everything in order, and seemingly under control, we put the man back in his canoe --an Old Town Pathfinder -- 14 feet, 10 inches long. The bow rose majestically a full metre out of the water, with the man, electric motor, and very heavy battery all in the narrow stern, which rode precariously only a few cm above the water. A certain capsize just waiting for the right time and place. Kathleen climbed into the Pathfinder’s bow to create better trim, and we headed back to the guest cottage, en route to Carol's for that cup of coffee and some poppy seed lemon cake.
When we returned 90 minutes later we again saw the man on the beach below his guest cottage, cleaning out the canoe with his wife’s help. He said he was still cold and tired from his brief encounter.
“I’m surprised,” he said. “I’m in good shape. I work out and jog on a regular basis. I’ve eaten a huge plate of hot spaghetti. I’ve got this wool sweater on. But I’m still feeling completely worn out.”
“Well, you probably know that body heat is lost something like 15 times faster in water than in air. I think you ought to just take it easy and go back inside and stay warm. You made two very good decisions today, you know. The first was to wear your PFD, even though you were going only a few minutes away from your cottage. It’s surprising how often recreational paddlers don't do that. The second good decision was to abandon your boat and gear to save yourself. Otherwise, a beautiful holiday morning and a 5-minute canoe trip could have ended very differently.”
“Thanks again, guys. I really do appreciate your help. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t come along.”
You never know.
You Never Know
September 10, 2004, Pender Island British Columbia
Kathleen and I stood on the beach enjoying the early morning quiet. The summer crowds were gone, and the Labour Day power boaters had vanished toward the east. Even the packs of powerful zodiacs stuffed with hopeful whale watchers seemed to be taking the day off. Browning and Bedwell Harbours were now ours alone to enjoy.
“Say, Michael. Why don’t we just hop into the canoe and paddle over to Carol’s for a cup of coffee and some poppy seed lemon cake?”
“Sounds good to me. I’ll climb up the stairs and get our paddles. You know, though, I wonder if we really need to take all our gear. It’s only 2 km (1 mile). The water’s completely calm. There’s no hint of wind – not even a gentle breeze. There’s no big boats that’ll run over us. It’s all flat water – no rapids between here and Carol’s coffee shop -- and we never capsize. Do we really need to lug our bucket of spare clothing, extra paddle, bailer and throw bag (65 vertical feet; 20 m) up and down these stairs? There’s not even anyone else out there to rescue. I think we’ve seen only one other canoeist all summer.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Momentary and Embarrassed Pause
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“We always take all our gear. It’s a Beaver Canoe Club Rule (not to mention the Canadian Coast Guard)! That’s the way it’s done. It’s always been done that way. It always will be done that way. It’s all about safe canoeing.”
Thirty minutes later, Kathleen, I, and all our gear approached Shark Cove, where we saw a man scrambling along the low cliffs on the north side of the cove -- a place that is not particularly a good place to scramble -- a place where we had never seen anyone scramble before. We naturally decided to paddle over to have a chat. When we neared to about one hundred metres (100 yards), he began to wave, somewhat frantically. It was then that we noticed a blue canoe, about 25 m off shore, half submerged, with its bow pointing straight up out of the water.
The man on shore, bleeding from multiple abrasions on his arms and legs, spoke quickly.
“I capsized about half-an-hour ago, and haven’t seen anyone since. I’ve been trying to get off this cliff, but don’t seem to be able to do it.”
The man, a tourist from Utah, had rented a very nice guest cottage just a few minutes around the corner in Shark Cove. He had been setting a crab trap from the guest canoe, equipped with an electric motor rigged up on the side of the boat, near the stern. When setting the trap, he leaned over, on the motor side, to help guide the trap downward. The combined weight of motor and man then dipped the gunwhale beneath the water, and over he went.
The canoe became entangled in the crab trap line, and the motor acted like an anchor, which explained why the canoe sat vertically in the water.
The man slumped down, still speaking quickly.
“God, I’m tired. I tried to pull the canoe free, but I couldn’t. I got exhausted so fast. The water is cold. I finally decided I had to get to shore. I barely made it. I think I would have drowned if I hadn’t been wearing a life jacket.”
Kathleen and I paddled over to his canoe and tried to work it free. It wouldn’t budge from its vertical position. We then tied one end of our ever present throw rope to a thwart and paddled back to shore. The line played out just as we reached the cliff. Although the man tried to help us tug his canoe free, he needed to rest every few seconds. He was apparently entering the initial stages of hypothermia, even though it was a sunny and somewhat warm day.
“Why don’t you just rest. Kathleen and I will pull your canoe back to shore.”
The canoe broke free sluggishly from where it had become ensnared beneath the water. Moments later we held his canoe up against the side of the cliff. Obviously, however, we couldn’t pull a canoe full of water straight up a 45-degree cliff. Also, we couldn’t empty the canoe by turning it over because we didn’t want to lose the electric motor’s battery, which fortunately hadn’t yet fallen out.
With our ever present bailer Kathleen easily emptied the canoe in mere minutes, and all three of us yanked boat, motor, battery, and crab trap (with 1 crab!) up onto the cliff. The man sat down to rest.
“Gosh I’m tired. Thanks a lot. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this. You have saved my day.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Momentary and Embarrassed Pause
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aw shucks. It’s nothing any good rule-minding Beaver Canoe Club member wouldn’t have done.
With everything in order, and seemingly under control, we put the man back in his canoe --an Old Town Pathfinder -- 14 feet, 10 inches long. The bow rose majestically a full metre out of the water, with the man, electric motor, and very heavy battery all in the narrow stern, which rode precariously only a few cm above the water. A certain capsize just waiting for the right time and place. Kathleen climbed into the Pathfinder’s bow to create better trim, and we headed back to the guest cottage, en route to Carol's for that cup of coffee and some poppy seed lemon cake.
When we returned 90 minutes later we again saw the man on the beach below his guest cottage, cleaning out the canoe with his wife’s help. He said he was still cold and tired from his brief encounter.
“I’m surprised,” he said. “I’m in good shape. I work out and jog on a regular basis. I’ve eaten a huge plate of hot spaghetti. I’ve got this wool sweater on. But I’m still feeling completely worn out.”
“Well, you probably know that body heat is lost something like 15 times faster in water than in air. I think you ought to just take it easy and go back inside and stay warm. You made two very good decisions today, you know. The first was to wear your PFD, even though you were going only a few minutes away from your cottage. It’s surprising how often recreational paddlers don't do that. The second good decision was to abandon your boat and gear to save yourself. Otherwise, a beautiful holiday morning and a 5-minute canoe trip could have ended very differently.”
“Thanks again, guys. I really do appreciate your help. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t come along.”
You never know.
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Watch and learn. Very lucky, No skill involved.
It was not rough. His boat was overloaded.
A little reminder that the only thing between us and disaster is about 5-8 inches of freeboard.
It was not rough. His boat was overloaded.
A little reminder that the only thing between us and disaster is about 5-8 inches of freeboard.
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In the short version, I heard him say “I’m from Minneapolis”! Which confirmed my initial impression of him. “All hat, no cattle,” is an old saying about urban cowboys. A little book learning, a community college or Boy Scout class might have been a foresight he didn’t think he needed. A competent father, grandfather or friend would have even better.
Surpassing many of these mishaps do not end in fatalities.
This guy has lots of YouTube videos, none worth watching, my two pesos worth of advice.
Surpassing many of these mishaps do not end in fatalities.
This guy has lots of YouTube videos, none worth watching, my two pesos worth of advice.
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The canoe guy, Kevinangler1, claims to be a minister of some kind and has made alternate versions of his videos called The Rescue and The Recovery more or less laced with religious and political interpretations. I'm posting the so-called shorter and less religious versions.
He says the canoe was a 10 footer and was valued at $2000 USD, and that the canoe contained another $3,000 worth of gear and money. Believable?
In this third video, The Recovery, which is the less religious version and which can't be embedded here, he hires a dive team that actually recovers the canoe, motor, wallet, car keys and other gear.
He says the canoe was a 10 footer and was valued at $2000 USD, and that the canoe contained another $3,000 worth of gear and money. Believable?
In this third video, The Recovery, which is the less religious version and which can't be embedded here, he hires a dive team that actually recovers the canoe, motor, wallet, car keys and other gear.
I didn't notice before, but you guys are right, the electric motor is pushing him along at a good clip. Why was he paddling?
He did just about everything wrong. Not only ignorance and bad judgment but a real lack of humility. He's really fortunate there were people to bail him out.
There is no way I would have put a video of my stupidity out there. I don't even clutter up my fish and ski motor boat like that. Things should have been strapped in, out of the way and I would've been on my knees for better stability and/or praying. Why do people think it can't happen to them.
Just my 2 cents worth.
Just my 2 cents worth.
I think this guy is so egocentric and clueless that he likely doesn’t realize that he looks stupid. He titles his video “My Canoe Sinks In Middle Of Lake.” No. The problem was not a sinking canoe. Don’t blame the canoe. Blame the no-skill paddler who precipitated the capsize.
I'm also curious where the battery was located. Boat trim, wasn't on his prep list.
We are right to find the errors in his ways, but just put yourself in the situation, of dumping a boat in the middle of the lake, anywhere.
Are we prepared to self rescue ?
This is making me analyze my own preparedness.
