A 72-year-old B.C. man who was found in Lake Laberge last summer died of accidental drowning, the Yukon’s chief coroner has found following an inquiry.

The body of Erich Korinth of New Westminster, B.C., was found floating in the lake about eight kilometres from the campground’s boat launch on July 24.

RCMP said at the time the man was wearing a life jacket and foul play was not suspected.

Kirsten Macdonald’s inquiry, completed last month, found that Korinth died that day.

He had planned to kayak the Yukon River solo from Whitehorse to Dawson City. It’s believed he started his journey across from the Walmart store along Quartz Road the morning of July 24.

He’d bought the kayak, a yellow Chinook with black, red and white stripes, one month earlier, and had spent time on the water familiarizing himself with the boat leading up to his trip.

While Korinth had canoed before, he had limited experience in a kayak.

And though he was wearing a life jacket, his cotton and nylon clothing didn’t allow him to withstand cold waters.

“Hypothermia may have been a contributing factor in his death,” Macdonald writes.

The weather that day was fair, with 16C temperatures. These conditions don’t suggest that a sudden change in weather contributed to Korinth’s death, the report states.

“There was no evidence or history to suggest that medication and/or alcohol consumption may have been a factor,” Macdonald writes.