The following account of a cold water boating death is reprinted here because of its immediate relevance to the recent death of Mohammed Ramzan. This was not a “rowing” death per se. But it is a sad and brutal reminder that in cold water being told to hold on is one thing: being able to hold on is another.
“On Memorial Day, 1996, two brothers (10 and 18-years-old) capsized their canoe in 50f lake water (Adirondacks). They were being towed in high winds. The younger brother, wearing a PFD, was promptly rescued. Minutes later, the older brother, wearing blue jeans, a light shirt and no PFD, could not be found. His body was recovered by divers the next day. He was not able to hold on to the capsized canoe for even the few minutes it took to save his younger brother.”
http://www.connyak.org/Public%20Affairs/coldwater.pdf