: The guys at work pointed this story out to me today. I had been hibernating
: from the news (and the world) so just got the news about 8 very seasoned
: and fit kayaks who got themselves into deep trouble in Howe Sound, north
: of Vancouver, B.C. The following link takes you to survivor Bob Faulkner's
: interview where he details just exactly what happened:
: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2007/10/09/bc-adventureracers.html

: Regard this story as Bob does, experienced paddlers did something that they
: perhaps knew they shouldn't have done but no one was willing to be the one
: to opt out. A very heavy price was paid by the survivors. My condolences
: go out to them and their families.

: Robert N Pruden

A very sad and frightening incident indeed. My condolences to the loved ones and friends. Seems to me that they ignored a couple of very important kayak rules and paid dearly. The failure to asses the risk and decide to stay put is one they confess, but not being dressed for conditions he seems to gloss over. I myself have broken the rule of dressing for immersion on very warm days when the water temps were hypothermic, because I did not want to get overheated in the boat. This is taking an inexcusable risk. I am assuming the water temps in this area must be about 45F most of the time. This leaves very little time to get back in the boat even with a wet suit. A wet suit, or better yet, a dry suit might seem restrictive to an athlete but venturing out in these conditions without one does not fit with the statement that they are participating in an activity where there is controlled danger.