Jessie Sharp, a 28 year old expert kayaker from Tennessee had always dreamed of conquering the mighty Niagara Falls with a kayak.
He had experience navigating Class 4 rapids. Niagara River Rapids are considered Class 6, the most difficult.
Sharps idea was to gain enough speed in his kayak to project himself over the falls and the pummeling water that would surely claim his life.
He would then transverse the rapids below eventually ending up four miles downstream in Lewiston.
So confident was Jesse about making the trip that he parked his car at Artpark in Lewiston and made dinner reservations for that evening.
On June 5, 1990, Sharp entered the waters above the falls around Dufferin Islands in his sleek 12 foot red kayak named Rapidman.
Powerhouse operators, noticing what was about to unfold, diverted water from the river in an attempt to ground the kayaker.
