The man who drowned while canoeing Saturday was a good swimmer, his family said.
By NORA KOCH and JANETTE NEUWAHL
Published August 10, 2004
CRYSTAL BEACH - Kenny Seaman was an able swimmer. That's why family members are wondering how he drowned in the Gulf of Mexico last weekend after his canoe capsized in a storm.
Palm Harbor's Kenneth Linton Seaman, 37, went out in a canoe with three acquaintences about 5 p.m. Saturday, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.
The canoe was about one-third of a mile off Crystal Beach, near the spoil islands in St. Joseph's Sound when a storm arrived between 5:30 and 6 p.m. A wave capsized the canoe, authorities said.
Seaman, along with fellow paddlers Mark Vander Voort, Michael Pattillo and Heather C. Valiante, fell into the gulf.
Vander Voort, 37, and Seaman swam for shore, but Seaman fell behind and drowned. Pattillo, 37, and Valiante, 33, took refuge by holding onto a small cooler.
"He's a very good swimmer," said his sister, Amanda Sklar of Palm Harbor. "We just don't understand how this happened."
Vander Voort, of Crystal Beach, made it to shore and went to the gulf-front home of Neil A. Valk, who went out in his boat to rescue the other two survivors. Valk also recovered Seaman's body, according to the Sheriff's Office.
The canoe sank, authorities said, and there were no flotation devices aboard.
Seaman had met Vander Voort about a week earlier at a local Laundromat, said Mike Vander Voort, Mark's older brother.
On Saturday, the group gathered to canoe out to the spoil islands to watch the sunset, said Mike Vander Voort, who had heard the story from his brother.
"They could have just watched the sunset from the beach," said Mike Vander Voort, shaking his head.
Born in Staten Island, N.Y., Seaman moved to Tampa Bay from Pennsylvania in 1980. He graduated from Dunedin High School and attended St. Petersburg College before getting certified as a welder. He ran a his own lawn maintenance and pressure-washing business, XJ2000.
Seaman would often care for the lawns of seniors who couldn't do it on their own, his sister said.
"He would do anything for anyone any time," Sklar said, adding that he often canceled business calls to pick up his four nieces from school.
Seaman loved the Grateful Dead, canoeing and biking. He had a canoe at home in Palm Harbor, and another in Crystal Beach, Sklar said.
Seaman also liked to canoe in the Suwannee River and walk around the parks in Live Oak. His family plans to spread his remains in Live Oak, Sklar said.
In addition to his sister, Seaman is survived by his mother, Amelia Sklar of Palm Harbor; another sister, Sho Seaman of Dunedin; and four nieces.
The funeral is pending, but a memorial service is being planned for Thursday at North Bay Community Church.
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Times researchers Carolyn Edds and Kitty Bennett contributed to this report. Nora Koch can be reached at 727 771-4304 or nkoch@sptimes.com
