Your kids did the right thing. Out on open water is just bad. We got caught out on a lake this last weekend. We were eating by a bluff cliff when we heard the thunder. We paddled like crazy to get to a good shoreline, but didn't beat the storm. It was scary, but we made shore and sat under a tarp. Afterwards the storm cleared out and we dumped the canoe and headed back out.

Got some pics on our blog http://craigshikes.blogspot.com/