[A] fishing trip turned fatal near Stave Island in Lake Champlain early on Saturday after a boat capsized. It was a rare occurrence in Vermont, which averages just over one fatality from boating accidents per year.
Wayne Bailey, a 63-year-old from Berlin, set out to go fishing with his brother, Eric Bailey of East Calais, at around 5 a.m. A few hours later, the brothers noticed that the boat was listing and taking on water.
According to Vermont State Police Capt. Garry Scott, the watch commander on duty, the men soon saw water in the engine compartment. When the engine seized, both of the brothers ended up in the lake.
“One brother [Wayne] died as a result,” Scott said. “We’re not sure if he drowned or if it was a medical event.”
Multiple agencies responded to calls for help at around 11:30 a.m., including the U.S. Coast Guard, South Hero Fire and Rescue, and the VSP. However, they came too late to save Wayne Bailey, who was pronounced dead on the scene.
Sgt. John MacCallum, a VSP detective, said that while there is no evidence to indicate anything suspicious, the police department will not have an official answers until they receive the results from Bailey’s autopsy. In the meantime, MacCallum is trying to learn more from the other boaters on the lake at the time.
The boat itself sank completely. Police do not yet know what went wrong with it.
Boating fatalities like Bailey’s are rare in Lake Champlain, and in waterways across the state.
Between 2013 and 2017 — the most recent years for which there are data — Vermont had the fewest boating deaths of any state in the nation, averaging 1.2 fatal accidents per year, resulting in the same number of deaths.
The average number of boating accidents is 3.6 each year, a number that pales in comparison to states like Florida or California, which averaged more than 650 and 350 crashes per year during the five-year stretch, respectively.
To maintain Vermont’s safety record, the Fish and Wildlife Department requires that boat operators take a boater safety education course. It also publishes a boating handbook outlining statewide rules and best practices.
There is no current indication that Wayne Bailey’s death was due to negligence or rule-breaking. More information on what did cause the accident will become available in his death certificate, which should be available in the coming weeks.
