A canoeist stranded on a rock for four days was rescued on Tuesday due only to the serendipitous passing of another kayaker.
Steve Best was paddling his kayak through Howe Sound near Squamish, BC. As he rounded a corner he saw the man stranded by the shoreline.
“I came across a guy on the shore. He was stranded there. He was a canoeist. He asked me if it was Saturday or Sunday, and I told him it was Tuesday. So he’d been stuck for a while.”
– Steve Best
The man, who remained calm, had been stranded for four days after his canoe had been carried away by the current. He had no supplies after losing his canoe but had managed to retain his now wet sleeping bag and some food.
“On Tuesday his spirits were getting pretty low after four days of boredom, waiting for somebody to come by.”
– Scott Shaw-MacPherson of the Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue team
Best radioed for help, and volunteers with the Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue responded within hours.
“He was certainly wet and the sleeping bag that he had managed to keep with him when he lost his boat was pretty soaked.”
– Scott Shaw-MacPherson
The man was safe and well and in good spirits when he was found. He declined a trip to the hospital, instead choosing to walk home, where he is now. It is still unknown who he is…
