UpdatedFri, Jul 2, 2021 at 7:25 am ET Replies(3) Raistlin Ruther on the water he loved so much. (Courtesy Laura Schwarz Gandara) RIVERHEAD, NY — Friday marks six months since Raistlin Ruther, 18, died while kayaking in the Great Peconic Bay — and for those who love him, the months feel like minutes, the reality that he is never going to return with his bright smile and caring heart seemingly impossible to fathom. Raistlin went kayaking on January 2, launching in South Jamesport into the Great Peconic Bay; Riverhead Police said a report came in that afternoon that he was overdue, and the search began. Several hours later, Raistlin's capsized kayak, The Bay Dream, was located off the shore of Meschutt County Beach in Hampton Bays; his body was found soon after.