Unclear
October 27th, 2009 | 
Author: 
Up until this point I’ve chosen not to comment on the case of missing Wisconsin paddler, Doug Winter. It’s an interesting case which I’m sure will stir up discussion soon enough if it hasn’t already. As I’ve said many times, I don’t really keep up with what’s going on at Pnet anymore. Still, just like anyone else I can’t help but roll the news reports around in my head and ask questions. Questions I’m sure the police, family and friends have all asked. I’m sure there are some answers out there. Some known already by the authorities and some still waiting to be discovered. One thing I’m feeling is that what I’m reading so far just doesn’t quite feel right.
Apparently Doug Winter went up to Minnesota to paddle on Lake Superior somewhere near Duluth. He went alone. According to reports he checked into the Cove Point Lodge on October 18th. He mailed out a few letters to friends, at least one containing money. The next night he made a call around 9pm to a friend from somewhere out on Lake Superior to tell her he was some distance from shore, he could not see land and the waves were getting large. Reports say the weather was pretty bad. Dave of “The Lake Is Boss” called it classic “Gales of November” conditions in October.
The following day his kayak was found bobbing near shore around 2pm by a couple hikers. They pulled it in. Later his PFD washed up. It’s reported that none of the clips were done up. Most recently his paddle and GPS are also found.
Obviously the family has got to be distraught. My best goes out to them. They want to find out exactly what happened out there. It seems rather obvious that something isn’t adding up. You can’t simply blame it on the evils of Lake Superior. Wisconsin sea kayakers are generally well aware of the risks they take on the big lake, and as in most outdoor sports, it’s generally not the experienced participant who gets into trouble.
By all reports Doug was not a “stupid” paddler. He apparently knew what he was doing, and that’s really where the questions start. By accounts he was fairly experienced and knew what he needed to know to stay out of dangerous situations. You have to think he certainly knew enough to check the weather when going out on Lake Superior. Reading that they found his GPS, makes me wonder if he also had a compass, light, VHF, flairs and the rest. Was he wearing a drysuit? For the moment I’m just assuming yes on all counts. He also had rolling lessons from Silbs in Milwaukee who has written and advised Milwaukee press on the situation. (Although I’ve not read if Doug was a consistent or competent roller).
The most obvious question is what was he doing on the Lake Superior in that weather after dark? An experienced kayaker knowing Lake Superior’s temper would be hanging on every automated weather radio report. You’d not go out if it looked nasty, and most certainly if you were going to face strong offshore winds. While night paddling is no big issue to experienced paddlers, any hint of bad weather would tend to make you head for the beach long before sunset. Chances are he at least would have checked the weather & marine forecast online before heading out. We again could only assume from his experience that he would have a VHF with weather access as well. It just seems really odd that he would have been caught unawares after dark, on Lake Superior.
Then, if he was caught out in bad weather, why not make a 911 call? Keep in mind that police began a search when a missing kayak was found. At first they did not know who they were looking for. It’s a bit surprising a cell phone worked at all. Why not tell his friend to call 911 if she did not hear back in say, 1hr or so? Hard to know.
Why did his PFD wash up? If you were wearing it securely it would stay on. If you wore it loosely it may slip off but usually a clasp or zip would still be attached. Again, it just does not seem logical that a knowledgeable paddler would have been out there in those conditions with his PFD under the bungies. But it also does not seem likely that a PFD zipped and clipped would come off in even the most horrendous conditions. Would he have worn an inflatable and carried a standard spare? The prescription bottle in the pocket suggests otherwise.
Police according to the most recent reports are examining Cove Point’s surveillance cameras to see if they can verify he actually got in the kayak. It’s now October 27th a full week since his orange Impex was pulled from the cold Lake Superior waters.
Maybe I’m just missing something. Maybe in the end what we think we know to this point will all add up. Early news reports are usually a mix of loose facts, rumor, and bits kept from the public. There’s really no point in speculating. Often we never really do know all the facts. Still, I can’t help but feel that what I’ve read so far just doesn’t quite feel right. Let’s just hope that by some miracle Doug Winter is found somewhere safe and warm and with an epic tale to share. Again, all my hopes go out to his family.
Read More
Posted in News & Print, Paddling, People, Safety | 
Tags: doug winters, lake superior, rescue, wisconsin
I know Doug Winter (not Winters)–he is very particular about his last name being “Winter”–paddled with him in various conditions, and have observed him roll, often in waters colder than I’ll roll in just to make sure I can do it–but Doug did in freezing temps and waters. I also have watched Doug become a rather competent kayaker. Doug always carries a VHF radio in his life jacket pocket, you can see the antenna sticking out of the pocket in some of the posted photos. Additionally, his boat is outfitted with a deck compass. Based on my discussions with Doug over lots of coffee, on my part not his as he doesn’t drink coffee, Doug is an excellent school teacher, his students are very fortunate to have him as their teacher, he cares about their success and has a special gift for teaching them math and science. The fact that he has gone missing, apparently on Lake Superior while kayaking saddens me deeply. It would be nice to know what really happened, but we may never know. I’ll save a seat for him the next time I’m at Sven’s.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and impressions JB. Just goes to re-enforce why the situation seems so odd.
There’s lots more to all of this, I am sure; and the Milwaukee community has chosen to remain mum as to not fuel speculation. Let the investigations take their course. I believe the story will eventually get filled in. Meanwhile, we are great full to all the paddlers who have sent us supportive e mails. We are in contact with Doug’s sister in California and, out of respect to her, have stopped commenting to the press.
Originally, I hoped to get out the story about needing to approach sea kayaking in the proper manner. I hate seeing “missing may be ” stories in the papers. Now, as speculation as to what happened builds, the press is looking for “dirt”. We don’t plan to supply any. Doug, we miss you. Silbs
I agree with you Derrick. It all seems very odd. I’m trying not to make any judgments.
There is a cell phone signal there. I know CDMA phones, like Verizon, work in that area, but I don’t know if GSM phones, like those from AT&T & T-Mobile, would work. The closest Coast Guard would be Bayfield or Duluth, 40 and 50 miles away, respectively. Would a handheld signal reach them? I don’t know. This time of year, the only traffic at night might have been a freighter and maybe someone monitoring VHF at the mine.
Hypothermia causes people to do strange things–unbuckling a lifevest may be one of them.
There’s nothing off shore near Cove Point, so I can’t understand why someone would have been a couple of miles offshore–even the NW wind wasn’t strong enough to push an average paddler that far offshore. It’s a 24 mile crossing to Sand Island in the Apostles. This time of the year a crossing like that on LS wouldn’t be the smartest thing to do. The hills are tall enough in that area that they should be visible from a couple of miles offshore. I don’t think you’d be able to see the lights from Beaver or Silver Bay. With a new moon, it would have been dark.
That part of the lake is protected pretty well from NW winds; I’d guess near shore there might have been a 1 foot swell. 45006 was reporting 4.27ft, but that bouy is so far away with so much NW fetch that it wouldn’t have been relevant for the MN shoreline. Here’s the nearshore forecast from the 19th:
Forecast as of 3:57 am CDT on October 19, 2009
Grand Portage To Grand Marais Mn-
Grand Marais To Taconite Harbor Mn-
Taconite Harbor To Silver Bay Harbor Mn-
Silver Bay Harbor To Two Harbors Mn-
Today
NW wind 10 to 15 kt. Mostly cloudy in the morning… becoming partly sunny. Waves 3 to 5 ft subsiding to 2 to 4 ft.
Tonight
NE wind 10 to 15 kt. Partly cloudy in the evening… becoming mostly cloudy. Waves 1 to 3 ft.
Tuesday
NE wind 10 to 15 kt becoming E 15 to 20 kt in the afternoon. A slight chance of rain in the morning…then a chance of rain and snow in the afternoon. Waves 2 to 4 ft building to 3 to 5 ft in the afternoon. A Small Craft Advisory may be needed.
Tuesday Night
E wind 15 to 20 kt decreasing to 10 to 15 kt after midnight. Rain likely in the evening…then rain with snow likely after midnight. Waves 4 to 6 ft building to 5 to 7 ft after midnight.
At any rate, there are lots of questions unanswered. I wish his family and friends the best.
I taught with Doug last year at Audubon Middle School. We shared so many great times. I would like to contact his sister and brother and share some of this with them and was also wondering if the service happened already? I just need some closure myself.
Sincerely,
C.Baumann