Three lakeside area resident expatriates were swallowed up by Lake Chapala’s treacherous waters after setting off on a sailing excursion Monday, May 18.
The tragic end to the outing became apparent late the following afternoon when the body of Zane William Bennett, 63, was discovered floating in the water about 80 meters offshore from the Chapala pier.
The fate of his companions, fellow Canadian John Danielkiewicz and U.S. citizen John Robin Champagne, remained unknown until mid-afternoon Thursday, after search and rescue parties recovered their remains at separate north shore locations.
Danielkiewicz was found by local fishermen nearly a kilometer away from the shoreline at Riberas del Pilar. Chamapagne was located about 300 meters from the waterfront in the vicinity of Alseseca on the western outskirts of Ajijic, not far from the spot where fishermen had spotted and retrieved their capsized vessel two days earlier.
Piecing together information provided by Chapala Civil Protection and Fire Department (UPCB) chief Lorenzo Salazar Guerrero, officials at the Ministerio Publico district attorney’s office (MP) and acquaintances of the drowning victims, it appears that the ill-fated nautical journey began when the three friends cast off from the Playa Azul restaurant in Piedra Barrenda, just east of San Juan Cosala, aboard a blue and white sailboat labeled with the registration ID “WN 7202 NJ.” It was late in the afternoon, around the time of day that strong winds tend to pick up and provoke choppy waters. They were reported missing by family members after failing to return to their homes that night. 
The search for the lost sailors started the following morning, led by UCPB officers and a crew from the Chapala’s Capitania de Puerto (harbormaster’s office), with tactical assistance from Proteccion Civil units in Jocotepec, Jesus Maria and state headquarters. Local fishermen, tourist boat pilots and relatives of the missing men likewise pitched in on the effort.
According to Salazar, the overturned sailboat
showed damages, including a broken mast. He indicated that the corpses of Danielkiewicz and Champagne took several days to surface because they had become entangled in fishing nets out in the water. He also revealed that the victims were not wearing life jackets when the accident occurred.
After being identified by their spouses and close relatives, the bodies were retrieved by personnel from Jalisco’s Forensic Institute for autopsy as required by law.
Danielkiewicz, a native of Alberta, Canada with domicile in La Floresta, was well known in the expat community as proprietor of the popular Chapala watering hole Tomas Restaurant Bar.
Bennett, a resident of the Agua Escondida subdivision of Ixtlahuacan de los Membrillos, was his longtime friend and former bar manager.
Champagne was known as regular customer and experienced sailor who lived in La Fuentes, outside Jocotepec.
Funeral arrangements were still unknown at press time.