Canoe tragedy - now a third child has died

[edam]

desperately sad story

The loch was apparently dead flat on the day it happened, but being tidal could have had very strong unseen currents. I don't know whether the families were local or not - they may not have known how dangerous it was. But those Canadian canoes can be quite unstable anyway, especially with lots of small children in. I would never take one out on the open sea no matter what the conditions.

Unfortunately a set of very poor decisions have combined to produce tragedy - unsuitable boat, inadequate lifejackets, not enough adults, adults not wearing lifejackets at all, possible lack of knowledge of local conditions.

They were all locals.

Oh, poor souls! Having to make that journey back up without their precious lassie.

Those poor wee lads.

The families are fairly local but that doesn't mean you know what's what. We went to a local beauty spot about 15 miles away from us with a friend who had grown up near there. He was very insistent about keeping our dcs well away from the river's edge at one point. I would have done that anyway being paranoid about that but I was quite struck by this very laid back chap's emphasis. He explained that this was a notorious accident spot - which he knew having lived there but we didn't and yet anybody would have described us as 'local'

There appears to be some confusion about Buoyancy aids and life jackets.

A buoyancy aid is just that. It aids buoyancy. It will keep your body afloat at the surface, but if you happen to be lying face down that is how you will stay until you or somebody else turns you over. Child size Ba's have crotch support straps, but youth and adult size BA's don't so correct size and fitting are vital.

A life jacket should always have crotch support straps and is designed to keep you afloat, on your back, face up, even if unconscious.

The vast majority of people using a canoe type use buoyancy aids.

If a child uses a buoyancy aid not designed for their age, as has been reported ( ie too big, without crotch support straps that stop them dropping down in the water and the BA riding up over their head) this is what will happen. Unless they keep their arms by their sides, the very act of treading water or swimming will leave them struggling to stay in the buoyancy aid.

All this is supposition but combined with the report of there being no built in flotation in the canoe (this keeps it at the surface even if full of water so that you can hold on to it and get support) the situation they found themselves in must have been desperate.
It is a tragedy and if one good thing was to come from it, perhaps a Government public information campaign on the importance of the correct gear when getting on open water especially the likes of a tidal sea loch.

I am feeling and also a bit cross about this accident.

Those canoes are very unstable. I am from Canada and have received extensive training on how to manoeuver and recover those canoes. I also worked in a summer camp for many summers and we used to take children in them and we would not take children under ten years old. The canoe can overturn if there is too much movement in the boat, if the weight is not balanced, if people chance position in the boat. You have to know how to sit in the canoe. You have to kneel basically, and rest your bum on the beams, you don't actually sit on the seat. The weight has to be at the bottom of the boat.

I feel so so so sad about this accident.

They are back out today, searching for that poor man's body.

nottiger - maybe there needs to be more information with them when they're sold?

Nottiger
Yes we used to raft them together to make them more stable and even then we would get greyish silver knees from kneeling on the aluminium

Lost the second part of my post.

Completely agree we need to make sure that people are educated about such things and information should be given out on sale. People selling flotation devices should also make it clear which type is appropriate for the buyers needs

They weren't local, they were from the Black Isle, which is about 60 miles away.
I know Gairloch well, my son is at school there.
Yes the sea is freezing, my ds kayaks and always wears a wet suit.
I wonder if the children even had these.
The sea was very calm that day, it was a beautiful warm sunny day on Sunday.

I feel so wretched and am trying not to cry. If I understand the news properly a lady has lost her husband and 2 children all at the same time. How does anyone survive that?

Can i just ask, why are bouyancy aids sold for small children who generally can't swim to life saving standard? What is their purpose? A life jacket to me is something you wear when you are in the sea or on a river. A bouyancy aid is for when you are learning to swim in a pool with an adult.

Such a sad sad time. So many people losing their lives this summer in water.

I am puzzled as to why they dad who was okay couldn't pick up the children who were floating on the water? I am not trying to blame him, just trying to understand why swimming off to get help was better than staying and trying to right the boat and get the people back in it. I am terrified of water and feel I spoil my kids fun sometimes as I am trying to keep them alive.

I would imagine he'd have done everything he could possibly could fab.

I wonder if the boat sank? There hasn't been any report of it being recovered. I assume he must have thought the children's buoyancy aids would keep them afloat until he could get help.

I am sure of it. It must have been devastating to leave knowing his child was in the water .

Justfab- but it sounds as though the canoe may have sunk as it didn't have built in floatation. Just try to imagine if you are the only adult there (we don't know the situation at all with the other adult- maybe he was knocked unconscious / already underwater)- you have 4 young children, only one of whom is a strong swimmer, the others all possibly fairly scattered over a wide area wearing only bouyancy aids... Even a sting adult has NO chance of rescuing all the children in that situation. He probably swiftly realised the only hope was to alert the emergency services

It is an utter tragedy.

Sorry that should be STRONG adult not sting

X posts there just fab

maybe he wasn't a strong swimmer (I think I read he collapsed on the shore) & feared that if he tried to rescue any of the children he wouldn't make it himself?

Honestly. I am not blaming him. Just trying to understand what happened. I would never voluntarily go in a canoe or let my children in one and now I have seem what can happen, even more so.

I wasn't impressed my DH took the kids on a boat at Leeds Castle yesterday. I hate water so much. So scared of it.

That's one thing I don't understand janey68 - a canoe would 'normally' turn over and float 'upside down' because the air gets trapped underneath. Then it is possible to pull a child on the canoe's 'spine' if you know what you are doing. But with two adults (without life jackets) and four children (some very young) and no suitable life jacket, it would be very difficult to do.

Highly likely the canoe sank if it got side on to a wave and filled with water, as Canadian canoes don't have natural buoyancy. And if the other adult was unconscious he wouldn't have stood much chance of righting it by himself even if it had flipped straight upside down. From righting capsizes in sailing dinghies I can say it is exhausting even if you have a lifejacket on and are in warm water - next to impossible if you are in Scottish seas, are by yourself and have no lifejacket. I think he did the right thing by going for the shore - if he'd tried to stay and help the children, he would have started getting hypothermia and very quickly been of no use. Better to get the coastguard out, although very sadly in this case it was too late anyway.

fab the buoyancy aids that are sold for sailing etc are a bit thicker than the vests sold for children learning to swim, and to many people they would look like a lifejacket. They are sold in weight categories and if a child is wearing one for a heavier weight than they actually are, they will slip down out of them in the water. Many ranges only go down to 30kg, which would be too big for the 3 youngest children (you could use them at about age 8). Of course we don't know what size they were wearing though. They would be appropriate only for competent swimmers doing things like dinghy sailing or canoeing in sheltered waters. They should not be used at sea. However imo even if they had been wearing appropriate lifejackets they would have become hypothermic very quickly.

Horrible tragic accident and my heart goes out to their families.

Water should always be treated with respect, and those that play on it be both equipped with the right gear and also prepared for accidents happening. I paddle a canadian canoe, and although it is an amazing hobby both for ourselves and the kids, you have to make sure you are within your ability and take extreme care in even the calmest conditions.

Some modern open canadian canoes do have natural buoyancy (double hulled, royalex/plastic) but fibreglass ones dont and even with natural buoyancy if you are swept into cold water suddenly, it can be very difficult to get back into the boat. It also sounds like the canoe was overloaded. Unless the water and wind were flat calm and unless my boat was airbagged (adds buoyancy) up to the hilt, and i ws wetsuited and lifejacketed (not BA'd) I wouldn't take it on the sea. I definately wouldn't take kids.

Lifejackets should keep your face out of the water if you are knocked unconsious. BA's just help you keep afloat. Kids, even paddling in canals, should always wear Lifejackets.

As one of the fastest growing sports in the uk, and with more and more families taking to the water, there should be more education about water safety in and out of boats and what to do if things go wrong.

Poor poor kids, and poor poor families, :(

I'm very grateful for all the information on this thread - I had no idea about the difference between buoyancy aids and lifejackets. Am thankful, in retrospect, that when we were on a canal holiday the hire company provided full lifejackets for the children (I trusted my Dad to make sure we had the right equipment, as he sails so knows about this stuff). Even so I was very, very careful with the kids around locks.

Expat, I'm sorry this is so close to home for you.

They keep showing reporters in front of Yorkhill here. I have to turn it off.

My heart is breaking for those families. So shocking and tragic - one woman has lost her two children and husband, another family has lost their daughter and sister.

Just awful.

I know the Beaton family and am horrified at the news. It is a terrible accident, let's not lay blame.