NORTH HERO, VT — Vermont State Police are investigating the death of a 71-year-old canoeist after his boat capsized Tuesday on Lake Champlain.
The incident began at about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday when two men who were related set out in a canoe from North Hero near the Hero’s Welcome store.
While near Knight Island State Park, the canoe overturned.
Both occupants were wearing personal flotation devices.
The men became separated in the water.
One of them, Paul Council, 67, of Woodbury, was able to swim to Knight Island after about an hour in the water.
By then darkness had fallen, and Council sought shelter by gaining access to the caretaker’s residence.
There was no means of communication.
Wednesday morning, Council located a canoe on the island and rowed back to North Hero, where he reported the incident and summoned help.
Multiple emergency crews began responding to the area, including state police, the Grand Isle County Sheriff’s Department, numerous local fire departments and the Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife.
At about noon, a resident of Holiday Point Road called authorities to report seeing an apparent body floating in the water.
The location was roughly 2 miles north of where the canoe overturned.
First responders recovered the body of an adult man from the water.
The body is presumed to be that of the missing canoeist, a 71-year-old from Montpelier.
The body will be brought to the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington for an autopsy to confirm identity and determine the cause and manner of death.
State police are working with the office of Grand Isle County State’s Attorney Doug DiSabito, who also responded to the scene.
Police are not identifying the victim at this time pending notification of relatives.
