WESTFIELD – Three kayakers escaped injury Friday afternoon but lost their boats Friday evening when they overturned in the area of the Great River Bridge.
Others deemed the river conditions to be too dangerous for a planned canoe and kayak cruise.A caller, Donald Humason of Bates Road, alerted an emergency dispatcher Friday afternoon that he had seen two kayaks floating in the river but only saw one person in the water.
Officer Nathan Osowski arrived four minutes later and was joined moments by Officer Seth Florek and Sgt. Jeffrey Baillargeon.
Baillargeon reports that he arrived to find two male parties running along the dike who said they were two of the three kayakers involved and pointed out the third that was still in the river making a futile attempt to recover the kayaks.
The firefighters responding with the department’s rescue boat were advised to return to quarters and the deputy chief on duty, Mark Devine, continued to the river to assess the situation.
After the last kayaker came to the shore, the three boaters told Baillargeon that they had started their expedition in Russell and did not encounter any difficulties until they came under the shadow of the Great River Bridge.
The three men, all from Westfield, said that they were not injured in the spill and were provided a courtesy transport to Whitney Playground where they had left a vehicle.
All three of the kayaks were lost.
However, a six mile paddle on the river planned by the Westfield River Watershed Association was at least postponed due to the water conditions.
Lynn Bannon of the association said Monday that members of the group monitor a U. S. Geographical Society web site to survey the flow rates and went tot eh river before the planned event to make an on-site assessment which motivated them to postpone the event.
Bannon said that the waters were found to be “crazy high” and “the flow was incredibly fast” so the event was cancelled for the day.
Bannon reports that the members of the association hope to stage their paddle from Whitney Playground to Robinson State Park on Saturday, June 22, if the waters abate sufficiently and a crew of volunteers can be assembled.
The event offers experienced paddlers who bring their own canoe or kayak and paddles an opportunity to cruise of the river in a group.
For more information about the Canoe and Kayak Cruise, visit www.westfieldriver.org or call Fran at 413-562-4998.
