Kayaker’s family and friends still in dark over how he died on Washademoak Lake

Craig Knorr, 51, of Saint John, died doing what he loved in one of his favourite places.

But until his family and friends know what happened to him in his final moments, kayaking on Washademoak Lake in Cambridge-Narrows, they won't be able to find peace.

What they do know from police is that on July 21, a powerboat struck his yellow 14-foot sea kayak.

It was the driver who called 911 around 7:45 p.m., said close friend Tracey Lavigne of Fredericton, whose wife Paula Noël was Knorr's "best friend" for half his life and his "chosen family."

The boat driver "said that he did not see the kayak or Craig, so he didn't know if there was someone in it or not because he didn't even see the kayak before he hit it," Lavigne said.

Oromocto RCMP Sgt. Stephane Esculier confirmed to CBC News that a 27-foot speedboat, with a 425 horsepower engine, collided with the kayak, not far from the Bridge Drive wharf, across from the Mic Mac Tent & Trailer Park.

The sound of the impact was loud enough that it attracted the attention of a nearby cottager, who later contacted police.

WATCH | 'It's just as important as driving a car safely':

Family pleads for boat safety after loved one mysteriously died while kayaking

6 hours ago

Duration 2:10

Craig Knor of Saint John died kayaking last month on Washademoak Lake in Cambridge-Narrows. Oromocto RCMP confirmed a boat struck the 14-foot kayak, but the driver of the boat doesn't know whether Knor was in it.

Esculier described the driver as a "very seasoned boater," with the required proof of competency to operate a motor boat, and "very familiar with the area." The driver told police he initially thought he hit a wayward log, known as a deadhead.

The driver said he didn't see anybody in the kayak or in the water immediately after the impact and believed it must have been abandoned, but he stopped and called it in, Esculier said.

RCMP launched an underwater, air and shoreline search. Three days later, some kayakers discovered a body, "believed to be a 51-year-old male from Saint John who had been missing since the 21st," washed ashore near the bridge, he said, declining to confirm it was Knorr, a popular hairstylist at a spa in uptown Saint John.

A cause of death has not been determined, and autopsy results have so far been inconclusive, according to Lavigne.

"There was no evidence of trauma to the body," she said. "There is also no evidence of drowning, or heart attack or anything like that."

Knorr, an experienced kayaker and strong swimmer, was not wearing a life-jacket. Lavigne said this was not unusual when Knorr was paddling in the quiet, wide open stretch he frequented, where it's easy to see any other watercraft from a distance.

It was clear that day, said Lavigne, an avid kayaker herself.

She believes the fact Knorr's broken paddle was found floating with his kayak suggests he was in the kayak when it was struck.

Otherwise, she thinks it's unlikely the kayak and paddle would have stayed together because an empty kayak would have been carried off by the current and the breeze more quickly.

Family seeks witnesses, safer boating

Knorr's cousin Avery Burnside-Curran of Saint John said she too suspects he was in the kayak, but without more information, family members fear police won't be able to say for sure.

They are asking any witnesses, or anyone with security video that might help the investigation, to contact the RCMP.

"We just want to, you know, have some closure about what exactly had happened," said Burnside-Curran, describing Knorr's death as a "real shock" and "incredible loss."

Family members are also calling for increased boating-safety awareness, and tougher rules and enforcement, said Burnside-Curran.

Even if the boat strike didn't kill Knorr, the boat still struck the kayak, she said.

A teen was also killed in a recent boating incident off the shore of the eastern New Brunswick community of Richibucto. Miguel Vincent Mina Estrada, 19, from Saint-Louis-de-Kent was in the water when he was struck by a boat on July 27 and died at the scene, police said.

"Ultimately, we're hoping that even if we're able to share [Craig's] story kind of further, we can hopefully influence some boating safety — maybe call to action other boaters that are on the water to maybe making sure that they're being careful and that they're being responsible and that it's just as important as driving a car safely that it is to drive a boat safely," said Burnside-Curran.

Since Knorr's death, a number of kayakers have shared their stories about "really close calls with powerboaters," and powerboaters who "aren't looking for kayakers," or giving them enough space, she said.

"It just seems that there's more speedboat and Sea-Doo traffic in the whole river system than it's ever been before," she said, expressing fear swimmers and kayakers will be at risk without "more awareness and enforcement of boating laws."

"I just don't want it to happen to anybody else."

'Ellen's Law' for boating proposed

Lavigne contends the two recent deaths should serve as a wake-up call to politicians and the RCMP.

"Even one needless death is one too many."

Lavigne, who has kayaked with her wife and Knorr almost every weekend throughout New Brunswick for several summers, said they had recently discussed how "it feels a bit like the Wild West out there.

We constantly are having to have our heads on a swivel. … It can be terrifying.

– Tracey Lavigne, close friend and kayaker

"People drive very fast," she said.

"We constantly are having to have our heads on a swivel and, you know, stay very clear of them because it feels like sometimes the boaters are not looking out for us.

"And that's very concerning, especially when you're on a narrower stretch of river like the Hampton Marshes, where there's like twists and turns and you can't see around the turn. It can be terrifying."

She would like to see legislation similar to Ellen's Law for cyclists to protect non-motorized users on the waterways.

Ellen's Law, enacted in 2017, makes it illegal for drivers to pass cyclists without giving them at least a metre of space. It followed the death of Ellen Watters, 28, a rising star in Canadian cycling who was hit by a motorist during a training ride in Sussex in December 2016.

Speed not a factor, say RCMP

The RCMP have no reason to believe speed was a factor in the collision between the kayak and boat, said Esculier, and "no signs of intoxication were noted."

He could not say how fast the boat was travelling, citing the continuing investigation.

Nor could he immediately say if there are speed limits in that area.

Transport Canada did not immediately respond to a request for that information either.

But spokesperson Hicham Ayoun did confirm that regulations allow any level of government — federal, provincial, territorial or municipal — to ask the federal government to restrict the use of pleasure craft or commercial vessels on any waters in Canada.

Restrictions are used to address safety concerns, to protect the environment or the public interest, he said.

They can include such things as prohibiting all vessels and setting speed limits, to limiting engine power, or restricting or prohibiting sporting or recreational activities or equipment.

Enforcement on water 'fairly limited'

Esculier said he has no data on whether there's been an increase in motorized traffic on waterways or an increase in boating incidents.

He did say there are a lot of people who are "not seasoned" kayakers and boaters out there, however.

RCMP enforcement on the water is "fairly limited" and does not include regular patrols, he said.

"We would always like to be everywhere at all times. But with the the manpower we have, with the equipment we have, we do our best to place our resources where they're needed the most," he said, citing communities and events where there have been issues in the past.

RCMP await the final autopsy results before deciding whether to appeal to the public for help, but anyone with information is encouraged to call, said Esculier.

"We want to get to the bottom of it for the family of the deceased and for ourselves as well."

Meanwhile, Knorr's loved ones are working through their grief, said Burnside-Curran.

"It's been really hard to accept the fact that he's not coming back," she said.

Her "cool cousin," who studied film after hairdressing and lived in Ottawa and Toronto before returning to Saint John about 10 years ago, had a knack for saying "just the right thing to make you feel heard and understood" and a sense of humour that "lit up a room."

She's been overwhelmed hearing about all the lives he touched, she said.

Knorr was "very easy to love," said Lavigne.

"He could always fill the room with laughter. I think that's one of the things that we miss the most right now is all the laughter."

A graveside service for Knorr is scheduled for Monday. A celebration of his life will be planned at a later date.