Inexperienced kayaker, 43, died after capsizing on swollen River Ure in North Yorkshire following heavy rainfall

An inexperienced kayaker on only his second ever trip died after capsizing in the swollen River Ure near Ripon following a period of heavy rain, an inquest heard.
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Christopher Laverty, 43, from York, was in a double inflatable kayak with his best friend of 20 years, David Wade, when they were pulled towards a weir and thrown over a 6ft drop.

Mr Wade was swept downstream and managed to grab onto a tree and rescue himself, but published writer Mr Laverty disappeared under the water.

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The River Ure at West TanfieldThe River Ure at West Tanfield
The River Ure at West Tanfield
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An inquest at County Hall in Northallerton heard today that the two men, who had no experience of white water conditions, had entered the Ure at Mickley intending to kayak to Ripon on May 21 last year, but river levels were high following an unusually wet month.

The pair had kayaked together once before, on the Leeds to Liverpool Canal at Silsden, before looking for a river route for what would be Mr Laverty's second trip in the craft. Mr Wade had owned the kayak for around two years but had only used it 'four or five times'.

Mr Laverty's wife Gillian, a teacher, told the inquest that her husband and his friend had found the canal trip 'slow going' and so were looking forward to attempting a more challenging stretch of water at the Ure. She said that outdoor pursuits were not Mr Laverty's 'natural go-to hobby' but that he enjoyed laughing and 'hated being boring'.

In a statement, survivor Mr Wade said that the pair had camped overnight at the Lockside caravan site near Ripon and were driven by his wife to their starting point at Mickley at around 10am. He described the weather as 'overcast and drizzly' and that although the day was calm, the Ure was swollen and fast-flowing. He admitted that they were both 'a bit anxious' about the speed of the water but were also excited and thought they could handle the conditions.

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"We hit fast-flowing rapids quite soon, and we were having the time of our lives. We covered around two miles in the first hour. The river was calm but high and wide. I could hear rushing water, and thought a drop might be coming, so we tried to paddle to the side. But we were pulled downstream and over a 6ft weir. We capsized and were thrown out, then spat back to the surface after about 30 seconds. We were around 4ft from the kayak so we both swam towards it."

Although both men had lifejackets on, they had to desperately hold onto the boat as the undercurrent was so strong it dragged them under several times.

Mr Wade continued: "It was so strong it pulled all the clothing on the bottom half of my body off. We were pulled under two or three times, and the last time I went under it took me downriver. I was under for about two minutes and I thought I was going to die. I surfaced beneath a tree and I managed to grab onto branches and pull myself onto rocks. I went back up the path to the weir, but the kayak was gone and Chris was nowhere to be seen.

"We'd both been panicking and fighting the current, and it all happened in about 15 to 20 minutes."

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Mr Wade raised the alarm at a nearby property and a major search operation was launched involving multiple emergency services near Sleningford Watermill, between West Tanfield and Norton Conyers. Mr Laverty's body was found with a visible head injury just after 1pm.

A police officer who attended the Lavertys' flat in the Fishergate area of York was initially told by his wife that she believed he could have taken his own life as he had been on medication for depression, but police found no evidence that the death was anything other than accidental.

Mrs Laverty told the inquest in a written statement that her husband had just signed his second book deal before he died and was looking forward to going on trips with her in the summer of 2021. She said his career was going well and that it 'finally felt like things were coming into place for him'. She received a card the day after Mr Laverty's death which he had scheduled to arrive while he was on the camping trip, saying how proud of her he was.

Recording a verdict of accidental death by immersion in water, senior coroner for North Yorkshire Jonathan Heath said: "I am satisfied that this was not a deliberate act. It was clear the kayak capsized unintentionally."

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Mr Laverty was the author of a book and editor of a website both dedicated to on-screen movie fashion. He was a regular guest on BBC radio shows and on the TV channel HBO, and a contributor to entertainment magazine Empire. He was a freelance writer, broadcaster and guest lecturer.