A Kayaker Fell Into the Lake. You'll Never Guess Who Saved Him

Pretty sure priests on a floating tiki bar wasn't your first guess
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 5, 2020 8:30 AM CDT
A Kayaker Fell Into the Lake. You'll Never Guess Who Saved Him
Stock photo.   (Getty Images/peakSTOCK)

A man from upstate New York was rescued on Lake George earlier this month, and he's got a bunch of partying priests to thank for it. WNYT reports that Jimmy Macdonald was kayaking on the lake with his wife and stepkids when he drifted far from shore, distracted by pictures he was taking on his new $1,400 smartphone. When he realized his predicament, he tried to paddle back, but the water was rough, and he soon tipped over into the 30-foot-deep waters, losing his paddle in the process. Although other kayakers and canoeists were in sight, Macdonald says he had too much pride to call for help, instead trying to right the kayak himself. He soon became tired, however, and then realized he was in real trouble.

"I thought I was going to die," he tells Glens Falls Living. "I was absolutely powerless and wished I had asked for help earlier." Then, out of the corner of his eye, Macdonald saw salvation: a floating tiki bar. The captain of the boat had spotted Macdonald's paddle floating on the water, and then a passenger heard his cries for help. When they got to Macdonald, a deckhand and passengers pulled Macdonald and his expensive smartphone (which he'd held onto for dear life) onto the vessel. And that's when Macdonald found out this was no ordinary party: Per the Boston Pilot, the floating tiki bar was filled with priests enjoying a day out on the water (sans drinking). Macdonald, who's a drug counselor and recovering addict, notes the oddity of the whole situation: "How funny is it that I've been sober for seven years and I get saved by a tiki bar?" (More strange stuff stories.)

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