Officers Hoyt Walker and Troy Kuykendall Memorial Law Enforcement Geocoin

To go fishing and be remembered.

Dedicated to the memory of Officers Hoyt Walker and Troy Kuykendall. Family men who devoted their lives to keeping California safe. Taken by the sea while doing what they loved best. You will always be remembered my brothers. End of watch 04/07/09. Count is clear. Count is clear.......

‘They were family men’
Written by Kurt Madar, The Triplicate April 08, 2009 09:12 am

A fuller account emerged Tuesday of what happened when two men died while fishing off rocks near Battery Point Lighthouse on Monday.

Only one of the men initially was washed into the surf, with the other two jumping in to try to help, a family member said.

Brothers Troy and Ben Kuykendall and their brother-in-law, Hoyt Walker, were fishing off an exposed spur of rock when Troy was swept by a sneaker wave into a deep surge channel.

“Hoyt immediately jumped in after him,” said Rory Woods on Tuesday. He is another brother-in-law of Walker. “(Hoyt) was a strong swimmer, always has been ever since he was young.”

The surge channel that Hoyt Walker jumped into was so dangerous and wild that search and rescue personnel later approached it with extreme caution, employing dry suits, emergency life vests and ropes.

Woods, who had talked directly with survivor Ben Kuykendall at Sutter Coast Hospital, said that at first Hoyt had a hold of Troy and was attempting to get them both out of the water onto the jagged, barnacle-encrusted rocks when a large wave separated them.

“At this point Ben also jumped into the water to try to help Hoyt save Troy” for a second time, Woods said. “Luckily for our family the next wave threw Ben back onto the rocks, so we didn’t lose them all.”

That wave also pulled Troy back into the surge channel while leaving Walker clinging to the rocks.

“Hoyt yelled at Ben to go call 911,” said Woods. “And then he turned around and dove back out into those waves to try and save Troy; that was the third and final time that Hoyt fought to save Troy’s life.”

Woods had to stop for a moment in recounting the story he had heard from Ben.

“I just want everyone to know what kind of men they both were,” Woods said. “They were family men, they would give the shirts off their backs. Many people say they would risk their lives for those they love, but you never know until it happens. Hoyt really meant it when he said that.”

As Hoyt strove to reach Troy for the third time, Ben, who had a pre-existing heart condition, raced to call 911 and collapsed.

He repeatedly tried to get back up, and in fact witnesses reported that when paramedics had helped Ben recover, he once again jumped to his feet and started running to try to do something.

Even when lying on the sand as the paramedics tried to calm him down, Ben was yelling, “My brother is in the water, please help him.”

This was not the first time that Hoyt Walker had fished from that exact spot.

“Hoyt moved here nine years ago to work at Pelican Bay Prison,” Woods said. “He loved to fish; rock fishing was his hobby and he used to go to that spot often.”

According to Woods, Hoyt was teaching Ben and Troy how to rock fish Monday when the tragedy occurred.

“He’s taken me fishing out there,” said Woods. “He’s been there many times before.”

The wave action in the surge channel that Troy and Hoyt died in was so extreme that it took a Coast Guard helicopter and search and rescue personnel with poles and hooks to get both bodies out.

Troy’s body was eventually swept out to sea and a Coast Guard rescue swimmer was lowered into the surging waves off the west side of the lighthouse to retrieve him.

Hoyt’s body stayed within the surge channel for another half-hour to 45 minutes before search and rescue could pull him out with hooks and poles.

Hoyt Walker is survived by his wife and two sons.

“Troy was raising five children,” Woods said. “Two of them are his and the other three were his step-children through marriage.”

A service for Troy Kuykendall and Hoyt Walker will be held Saturday at 11 a.m. at the Foursquare Gospel Church, Pacific Avenue and Butte Street, Crescent City.
Immediately following, graveside services will be held at the Smith River Cemetery.