Canoe in Fatal Outing Is Found Near Island
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VENTURA — An outrigger canoe that carried six men during an outing last week that ended with the death of one paddler and another’s disappearance was found more than 20 miles away near Santa Cruz Island.
The 40-foot canoe was spotted about 11 a.m. Monday by a group of commercial divers on the vessel Crazy Horse, which was anchored about a mile off the eastern shore of the island, authorities from several agencies said.
After notifying the Coast Guard, the dive boat hauled the canoe to the Ventura Harbor, where workers towed it to a nearby beach, said Andy Jones, a Coast Guard boatswain.
The canoe had not suffered any major damage, Ventura Harbor Patrol Officer Bob Wallen said.
Members of the Channel Islands Outrigger Canoe Club retrieved the canoe Monday night. Club leaders contacted on Tuesday said they were too distraught about the Jan. 3 accident to comment on what the club would do with the craft.
The canoe was carrying six club members when it capsized about a mile offshore during an early-morning excursion. Four canoeists survived, one man died of hypothermia, and the sixth man, who tried to swim for help, is presumed dead.
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