Overturns in Meredith
 

Canoe overturns in Meredith. "Victim" in the water for 28 minutes. Glad he was saved.

I would offer an opinion about going out in a canoe this time of year in 37 degree water but it would not be "family friendly"

https://www.laconiadailysun.com/news...2e3952c6f.html

Glad he is ok, cold water stuns you, especially a 63 year old. Water needs to be warmer for me to venture out.

Thanks, I heard he was out of the water but never heard if he was ok. I saw he had gone in, and posted on another thread here for the guys out in boats to be very careful. You opinion is right. I have posted before how just plain stupid it is to be out in a canoe in this cold water but of course got lots of argument.

Thank goodness he was a strong swimmer...

.....who was wearing a life jacket.

;)

Well the life jacket explains why he survived. Even if you are a strong swimmer, when your body hits that cold water, you become paralyzed.

Surviving a fast plunge off a small boat into icy cold 37-degree water depends a lot on surviving the first two minutes without becoming totally panicked. A tight fitting foam pfd that covers your chest will help to keep your chest area warm enough to survive. If you can remain as non-panicked as possible and keep your mouth closed for the FIRST TWO MINUTES without swallowing water into your airway you can survive the panic and severe pain of the icy cold for another 30-minutes or longer.

On a New England lake a loud whistle attached to your pfd where it can be easily used can be very helpful for attracting attention.

Your legs, arms, feet and hands will all freeze but your core body area will continue to keep you alive with the insulation and flotation provided by a traditional low-priced foam pfd that covers the chest area and fits tight to help keep the heat in.

A tight fitting foam pfd is good to keep you from getting too panicked as well because it keeps you somewhat warm for maybe 30-minutes.

I'm thinking the victim at Leavitt Beach area in Meredith was sitting on the rear seat of his canoe as opposed to kneeling on his knees in the center of the canoe which makes it much more stable in windy condition. Kayaks are usually a lot more stable than a canoe for this reason.

There is no problem being out in the cold water in a canoe, it is done all the time in various parts of the world. There are precautions that can be taken to make it less risky. The biggest precaution of course is to have a life vest on...

I have gone for many early season canoe trips, including once in January when the lake hadn't frozen over yet. Never felt wrong, but I was prepared... and played it safe....

I do not presume what to tell you what to do personally, but all paddlers should recognize that the price of capsizing, except very close to shore, in January or April, is likely your life

For about $60 at Parafunalia in Gilford, they carry a selection of O'Neill thermo tops which can be worn under a pfd or under a wet suit vest for surviving or swimming the cold water.

I have one and it gets soaking wet but does actually keep the heat in the chest area. Is a very tight fitting black top.

I agree with you.

Yeah, I have no desire to canoe or kayak in such cold water, but if I did, I would at a minimum put on at least a shorty wet suit, if not a full wet suit under my clothes. A life vest is not suitable protection for 37 degree water. But hey, live free or die.

Safe cold water paddle
 

You can safely paddle in cold weather. In college at Dartmouth, we used to slide our kayaks down the hill across the ice along the Conn River into the soup with ice floating by. Wet suit, long sleeves, and on the head with the helmet. Even rolled, although your face gets slapped with the icy water. It is never cold, just poorly dressed people!

I’m gonna assume ( being Dartmouth) a wee bit of antifreeze was involved.

I've never even come close to going over in my kayak but a canoe is a lot less safe! I've gone out in my kayak in April many times and never had a problem but I would never go out in rough waters.

26 NH drownings in 2022, 90% male
 

New Hampshire death by drowning factoid: In year-2022 there were 26 drowning deaths in N.H. and about 90% were males. Source: a Marine Patrol sergeant was asked in a recent NH radio interview; how many drowned in NH in 2022 and he replied "26 and about 90% were males."

There is no internet list that shows all 26 NH drowning deaths in 2022 and lists their age, what happened, and pertinent info. Getting more specifics on each individual drowning is not available like the who, why, and where.

Correction: Is 80% and not 90% of drowning deaths are male ...... my bad for making this mistake ....... http://www.piedmont.org/living-bette...own-than-women