Dead kayaker was a dedicated adventurer, friend recalls

Friends and family are remembering Denis Fontaine as a man with a true passion for life who wasn't inclined to play it safe.

Two men died Sunday in a kayaking accident near Porteau Cove, about 40 kilometres north of Vancouver.
(CBC)

The 40-year-old North Vancouver resident was one of two men who died Sunday in a kayaking accident near Porteau Cove, about 40 kilometres north of Vancouver. Richard Juryn of North Vancouver, 50, also died in the incident.

David Howells, Fontaine's best friend, said the avid athlete lived for the times he could spend outdoors with his friends and family.
 
"Whether it was trail running or mountain biking on the shore or kayaking on Deep Cove, which he loved to do, it was a huge part of him," Howells said.

The energetic adventure racer lit up a room when he walked in, Howells added.

"Having a laugh was at the top of his list with everything he did," he said. "Whether we were racing together or sitting in a bar or having dinner together or out for a casual bike ride, Denis would always manage to come up with something that was usually hilarious."

Warnings weren't heeded

Howells said Fontaine lived on the edge and his frequent warnings to Fontaine to stay safe often fell on deaf ears.

Richard Juryn, in green, photographed on a snowshoeing trip in Greater Vancouver's North Shore mountains in January, was one of two adventure racers who died in a kayaking accident Sunday in Howe Sound.
(Bob Faulkner)

Fontaine and Juryn died Sunday after their kayaks overturned in rough seas near Porteau Cove, in the waters of Howe Sound north of Vancouver, near Squamish.

Survivor Bob Faulkner told CBC News on Monday none of the eight kayakers was wearing a wetsuit despite the two-metre-high waves and 84 kilometre-per-hour winds.

They were taking part, he said, in a day-long training exercise involving kayaking, running and biking, and all were dressed in lightweight training gear suitable for high energy sports.

Fontaine's common-law wife, Cheryl Beatty, was in the kayak with Fontaine when it capsized. She was released from hospital Sunday along with Graham Tutti, after suffering from hypothermia.

Beatty told CBC News Tuesday the eight members of the group including the two who died were wearing personal flotation devices.

World-class competitors

Fontaine and Beatty participated regularly together as world-class competitors in multi-day adventure races that included kayaking, hiking and mountain biking.

When the CBC profiled them last year, Fontaine spoke of their passion for fitness.

"We often laugh [how] we'll finish a race and an hour before the finish line, we'll go, 'I'm never doing one of these things again,' and then at the after-party, they announce when the next one is and you're like, 'Ooh, I'm in.' ''

The pair regularly did things most people couldn't endure. Some races took as long as five days, and a weekend jog for them might last eight or nine hours.