Kayak renters may have stricter rules

A search for “missing” kayakers who were safe on shore cost the equivalent of $225,000, said Lorain Port Authority Executive Director Tom Brown.

Now, aspiring paddlers likely will need more information, identification and money to rent kayaks in Lorain.

The Lorain Port Authority supports changes in local rules for renting kayaks from the two vendors operating in the city, Brown said in the Port’s regular meeting on July 18. Among the board members, no one spoke against stricter rules if they improve safety and the ability to

search for anyone in distress.

The issue arose due to a series of incidents earlier this month.

On July 4, two paddlers rented kayaks from Grumpy’s Bait and Tackle, which operates at the Port’s Black River Wharf boat ramp off 14th Street.

When they did not return on time, owner Bob “Grumpy” Fowler searched the river for them, then called the U.S. Coast Guard. That prompted an all-night search, but it was called off on July 5 when the kayaks were found stashed in woods nearby the bait and tackle shop.

The kayak search pulled resources away from another Coast Guard attempt to find a 20-yearold man who went missing in the water at Century Park, Brown said. Authorities later found the body of Christopher Recznik, off the park.

“All told that’s about $225,000 worth of resources

used up because someone took kayaks, ditched them in the woods and went home,” Brown said.

On July 17, Brown convened a meeting with the Coast Guard, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Lorain Police Department and Lorain Marine Patrol.

“What we assessed very rapidly is, there were issues with how our vendor rents kayaks,” Brown said. “But then shortly after that we realized that’s the problem everywhere.”

The Port staff will update its call-out procedures for all its sites to contact other agencies in emergency situations, Brown said.

In a second phase of changes, Brown met with staff from Grumpy’s, LoCo ‘Yaks and a Vermilionbased kayak rental service, he said.

The Port staff found out, across the board, most agencies are not getting enough pertinent information about the renters, Brown said.

For future rentals, the Port will require a car license plate number to match a car in the parking

lot to a missing boater. The vendors also will scan driver’s licenses, Brown said.

“So if a kayaker does not show up at 8:30 p.m., we know exactly who that person is, we know exactly what number of kayak (they have), we know what time they left, what time they were supposed to be back. Is there a car in the lot that matches this person? So that we have a more organized search, if you will,” Brown said.

“We want to avoid this,” Brown said. “I think an ounce of prevention could have avoided the majority of that Coast Guard search.”

The Port strongly suggests, and may require, that the kayak rental vendors ask for an up-front deposit from paddlers, Brown said. He added he was shocked they do not, but the vendors wanted to create a downhome, spontaneous feeling for paddlers.

“It was all the honor system until someone goofed up and the Coast Guard’s got a C130 flying around Lake Erie throughout the night,” Brown said, referring to the search and rescue aircraft.