Which is Weirder?

OK...which is weirder -

This story?
OR -

The fact that I found out about it through a guy who lives in Vermont?

OK, the accident itself isn't so strange. Manhattan's piers become some nasty strainers when the current gets crankin'. Unlike our last newsworthy freak kayak accident, there's no mention of another paddler trying to rescue him, although it's said that he was taking a lesson. That's the weird part.


9/3 update:

Just had to share a response from a noted weisenheimah on the yahoo group for the Pier 66 gang (I shared this with them since they are right in the vicinity), cause it kinda cracked me up:

"Bonnie, what the rescuing crew member MEANT to say- is that -"in a couple of more minutes he would have been FINNISH! ( it is a little known maritime standard that after 15 minutes at the mercy of the aquatic elements most survivors consider themselves natives of Finland- nobody knows why......)"

BTW, since I got nosy, I've gotten a couple more versions of the story - it's all hearsay & secondhand so I'm not gonna pass those on but let's just say that it sounds like the story was a trifle misreported in the Daily News & moreso in the Post (not surprising for the Post, the Post is a rag - best headlines in town, but a rag nonetheless). Hey, who's gonna miss a few silly little facts when the story's soooo much more exciting without 'em?