Locally veterans of the Broadkill Race will remember seeing Mitch briefly as he flew by them. And then his smiling face at the finish line as the rest of us mere mortals finished.  He died in late February 06 while training on the Potomac for the General Clinton 75 mile race held each Memorial Day.  

Around 3:30 pm on Saturday afternoon, Mitch pulled away from the Washington Canoe Club wearing a paddler’s dry suit (I don't think this was a kayaking drysuit, more probably a windbreaker type outfit, police reports specifically say he did not have on a survival type dry suit despite what the news article indicated) and a pfd.  He was training for an upcoming 75-mile race, the air temperatures were in the 50’s but the water was 39°.  He apparently dressed for the training paddle and not the water temperature.  This is not inconsistent with paddlers and rowers in training.  He was always very safety conscious (used a meat thermometer to measure the water temp, always wore a pfd and used a light on his boat...).  The water was reportedly like glass as he headed down the Potomac below Key Bridge.  His previous paddling workout included going down the Potomac past Haines Point and then into the Anacostia up to the railroad bridge (another 4 miles) and then returning to the Club.

He didn't return and his wife contacted the WCC and police to report him missing.  After an overnight search, which included 8 boats and 2 helicopters, his body and, 300 yards away, his kayak were recovered on the riverbank at Bolling Air Force Base.  It is speculated that Mitch was caught by the sudden storm that blew through the area about 5pm on Saturday.  (NOAA had issued a small craft warning but it is doubtful Mitch knew.)  He would have been on the Anacostia heading back to the Potomac.  If he flipped at the mouth of the Anacostia the wind and current would have push him downstream away from Haines Point.  This is consistent with where the Police found him.

Larry Schuette wrote to the WCC:  “Mitch had excellent equipment, was well trained and exceedingly safety conscious.  Obviously paddling solo carries extra risk but Mitch was aware of the risks.  I take away the obvious lessons that paddling is dangerous and that winter paddling doubly so.  The margin for error is exceedingly slim and we all need to plan for the worse and be willing to execute that plan.”  

I think it is important to note this post on the Delmarva Paddler's message board "Arlene Madruga, Mitch’s wife, requested that in lieu of flowers to send donations to the Washington Canoe Club.  She was actually pretty vehement about that.  She said that Mitch would much prefer the club benefit from money spent on flowers for her and her kids or even donations for them.  He loved the club and loved helping people and she wants to keep energy flowing into the club."

Specific sources include, an email Larry Schuette (former president of WCC) posted to the WCC’s website and also to ACA, Chuck Sutherland’s website, knowledgeable people at NOAA, and information posted to the Delmarva Paddler's website. 

Some personal thoughts;

The way I understand the gasp reflex, (See Cold Water Shock ) and one of the ways it is especially dangerous to kayakers, is that when the cold water hits your chest you literally gasp involuntarily (think diving into a cold pool, and a cold pool is usually around 65-70°, now think 40°).  In a kayak since you are head first under water when you involuntarily gasp in goes the cold water.  That cold water is quickly absorbed by the lungs and then hits the heart.  The whole process takes just seconds. It may also trigger an involuntary collapse of the airway, but the results are the same.  You sink.  Let's say though that Mitch was able to eject out of his boat quickly as he probably did not have a skirt on and was able to keep his head above water.  In 39-degree water and no drysuit or wetsuit he would be zapped of strength within minutes.  If he were unable to clear himself of the water by getting on or in his boat he would have still had precious little time to get to land. 

 I practiced rolling and wet exits in my pool one year well into November.  I learned much, especially how my gear and my body react to cold water.  It got down to a balmy 45°.   For extended sessions I used a surfers wetsuit.  Even the process of acclimating the suit to the water the first time was, shall we say, exhilarating.  After several dunking some water found its way into my right ear.  My ability to rescue myself, roll or wet exit, was instantly compromised.  The dizziness was much like what happens when you twirl around until you can't stand, only it lasted for about an hour.  I now leave myself a large safety margin when I paddle in water colder than 50, including earplugs, especially as I spend much of my time in the water alone. 

Please see the cold-water safety section at Chuck Sutherland's great site  and the explanation of the gasp reflex there.  Be sure to read the paragraph on the Marines who drowned in the Potomac.  His brochure can be found at  "Off-Season Boating, Cold Shock, Hypothermia"  He wrote a piece on cold water shock that is reprinted here. 

For an unfortunately similar story see Kayaker died of shock from cold water

See the Cold Water Safety page for more information on paddling in cold water.