Bangor canoeist, dog safe after capsizing in Penobscot

BANGOR – A woman who capsized her canoe Thursday afternoon in the Penobscot River was pulled safely out of the water by the city harbor master, but her motor didn’t make it.

Police responded to a call at about noon that a canoe had tipped over behind Eastern Maine Medical Center. Bangor Officer Paul Colley said he was patrolling in the area and got a call to the harbor master almost immediately.

“She was swimming when we got there; she seemed fine,” Colley said. “I think she was just happy to have her dog.”

Kathy Percival, 48, of Bangor and her dog Precious both had life jackets on and were floating downstream when they were fished out of the water. Harbor master, Gerald Ledwith,brought her to shore on the Bangor side of the Penobscot behind the Sea Dog restaurant.

“Without a life jacket, she might not have made it,” Colley said. “The current is tricky out there, and the width of the river is deceiving.”

Colley said the harbor master also retrieved Percival’s canoe – a red 16-foot Old Town Camper that still had factory stickers on it – but the motor had sunk to the bottom.

“Once [the motor] gets to the bottom, it’s not going to go anywhere,” Colley said. “They may have someone dive for it; it was brand new.”

Percival told Colley she was tightening the motor when it capsized, but the officer said the current is stronger than it looks in that part of river. The water temperature was about 77 degrees at midday Thursday.

“She was just playing around, I guess,” Colley said.

An ambulance and firetruck also went to the scene but neither was needed. Colley said Percival was in good spirits. Another officer gave her a ride home and she was returning later Thursday to pick up her canoe, Colley said.