Approach it with caution: With warm weather, the river beckons

In the wake of the June 6  drowning in the Housatonic River at Bull’s Bridge in Kent, The Lakeville Journal asked owners of businesses that cater to river sports for advice on safety.

Dave Fairty, co-owner of Backcountry Outfitters in Kent, had some blunt advice for swimming in the Bull’s Bridge section of the river.

“I wouldn’t swim in it at all,â€� Fairty said. “Swimming in small rivers is a bad idea. If you are swimming in a 500-foot wide river near a village, that’s one thing.  But in a little gorge where a massive amount of water is funneled through a tiny space, water amounts are staggering.

“People always think that the Housatonic is a tiny river. It’s not.�

Fairty said swimmers who choose to go into the river sometimes do not have a sense of how hydraulics works.

“Even people who think they are good swimmers don’t understand the situation,� he said. “You may think you are a good swimmer, but when you are pulled into the water, you are never going to be more powerful than the river. What always seems to happen in these drowning cases is that the victim gets pinned underwater by the current.�

Harold McMillan of Housatonic River Outfitters, which caters primarily to fly-fishermen, said for the wading angler,  “We always recommend a wading staff. It’s better to purchase one that’s all metal — a wooden one can float away or break.

“We also always recommend you wear polarized sunglasses.  For some reason the Housatonic  has a lot of glare. Polarized glasses let you see rocks if you’re stepping into a deep pool. A lot of people fall in the river by not watching where they’re going, falling  over a rock and taking a face plant.

“In this river, most of our wading shoes incorporate a felt bottom that sticks to the rocks and moss and gives you better traction. Sometimes embedded in the felt sole is a metal cleat� for additional stability.

McMillan said just hopping in the river in an old pair of sneakers or hiking boots is a bad idea. “A rubber hiking sole is the worst thing you can wear. A typical Vibram or rubber sole is very slippery in this river. It’s fine to get in and out of a boat  but not for wading in the river.â€�

Fishermen taking float trips on McMillan’s boats are required to wear life jackets, he said.

 â€œWe have a life jacket for every person in our guide boats.â€�

McMillan said visitors to the river should check the U.S. Geologic Survey website and look at the flow rate at the dams on the river. “Anything over 2,000 cubic feet per second means ‘approach the river with caution.’�

And if the river is cloudy or muddy it’s caused by turbulence or a rise in the water levels, he warned. Anglers and waders should avoid stepping blindly into areas with poor visibility.

Clients of Clarke Outdoors in Cornwall are required to wear personal flotation devices on boating trips, according to co-owner Jenifer Clarke. This applies across the board, whether customers are renting a kayak or canoe or going on a rafting trip.

“We make sure they know how to swim,� she added. “And renters who use our transportation service get a safety talk on what to do if they tip over.�

She had some additional advice:

“Never stand up in a rapid. Foot entrapment is a danger — you get your foot caught on a rock and you’re in trouble.

“Float on your back with your feet first, so your feet and not your head hits any rocks.

“Avoid downed trees — we call them ‘strainers.’ The boat might go through but you won’t.�

Clarke said that alcohol is not much of a factor in accidents with her clientele.

“It was worse in the past, but the mentality has changed and people just want a day on the river. They can drink in camp afterward.�

Fairty thinks that there should be warning signs posted around the river warning about the dangers of swimming in it.

“It seems like almost every year someone drowns in the Housatonic,� Fairty said. “And in almost every single case it happens to be a teenager.

“Teenagers think they are invincible. Something really needs to be done because there have been too many lives wasted.�