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Be careful, it can be fatal quickly this time of year....

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  • Be careful, it can be fatal quickly this time of year....

    An Anne Arundel County man was rescued Thursday morning from the ice-clogged Patapsco River as he clung to his overturned kayak.

    Randall Heath, 46, of Pasadena fell from his boat while duck hunting about a quarter-mile offshore. His life jacket did not inflate and could not get back inside.

    An officer patrolling nearby heard the 911 call for help and launched a patrol boat from Stoney Creek at about 10:45. Racing at top speed and picking his way through the ice floes, some six-inches thick, the officer reached the scene in 15 minutes.

    “I didn’t see anything. It was a field of ice,” Officer Antonio Colvin said. For 10 minutes, he methodically searched the area until a firefighter on shore guided him by phone to the victim.

    Colvin came alongside the nearly submerged kayak, where Heath was trying desperately to stay afloat. The officer maneuvered the victim to the stern of the patrol boat and tied a rope to his belt to keep him from sinking. From there, he wrestled Heath aboard.

    "It was amazingly difficult to get him in," Colvin said. "Luckily, the ice quickly reformed around my hull and gave me a nice, steady, level playing field to get him in."

    Meanwhile, Anne Arundel County firefighters in survival suits launched a dinghy and began rowing to the scene. Colvin picked them up and they began reviving Heath, who was shivering uncontrollably and unable to speak. The patrol boat fought its way through the ice to the marina at Celebrations on the Bay, where emergency medical technicians were waiting.

    Heath was taken to Baltimore-Washington Medical Center for evaluation and further treatment of hypothermia and a broken hand.
    Tarpon 120, no electronics, no pedals.
    Tarpon 100, the karma boat.

  • #2
    http://www.capitalgazette.com/news/f...y.html#getslug

    was just about to post this same article & start a new thread.

    be safe out there if you are a winter angler!
    Hobie Ivory Dune ProAngler 14 Lowrance Elite 7 ti TotalScan

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    • #3
      Stay out of ice...only fish open water...fish with a buddy...keep your head in the center of the kayak, do not lean out...fish protected waters...carry waterproof communication...in other words...know when to stay home- even world-class white water kayakers with every safety device know when to stay off the water
      Last edited by ronaultmtd; 01-16-2018, 08:31 AM.
      "Lady Luck" 2016 Red Hibiscus Hobie Outback, Lowrance Hook2-7TS
      2018 Seagrass Green Hobie Compass, Humminbird 798 ci HD SI
      "Wet Dream" 2011 yellow Ocean Prowler 13
      Charter member of Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club

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      • #4
        Very difficult to get back in a Kayak even without the winter gear on. Carry a paddle float and be prepared to deploy it to prevent the kayak from rolling over when you try to get back in. That means a couple of stout lines on either side of the cockpit so you can thread the paddle underneath and create some leverage for the paddle float.

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        • #5
          Some more things to keep in mind. Especially when fishing or hunting this time of year, you should have a kayak rescue ladder and a full life vest. Not the skinny life vest that you have to depend on the C02 cartridge inflating the life vest. That is one more opportunity for something to fail when your life depends on it. It is a matter of safety at times, not comfort. In this case, the kayaker's kayak flipped and his life vest did not inflate.
          MOC a.k.a. "Machburner the Crab Whisperer"
          2016 Hobie Outback LE
          Kayak Crabbing since 2011 and Snaggedline member since 2009
          https://www.youtube.com/user/machburner

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