- Wednesday, November 01, 2006 @ 10:00 Two Beachburg teens were safe, warm and dry at their homes Tuesday morning after a chilly night on the Ottawa River. Zack Splaine and Joel Fraser, both 16 and both Grade 11 students at Fellowes High School, had put in their kayaks at the OWL launch site at the end of the Powers Road, just above McCoy Chute, and proceeded to do the 1 1/2 hour run through the series of rapids made famous by whitewater rafting and which are also a favourite playground for paddlers. The fun ended abruptly near the end of the run, in a rapid ironically named Lost Canoe. "We got caught in a hole," said Zack. A hole is a feature where the water curls over and over. "It's like a turbine," said Zack. "I started recirculating (rolling over) in my boat and after I bailed out of the boat, I kept recirculating. Eventually I got a quick breath and was able to start swimming toward shore." He doesn't know how many times he rolled over. By this time his boat and paddle were gone, along with his shoes. Although the boys say they had taken the change back to standard time and the resulting earlier nightfall into account, the low light level prevented them from seeing and avoiding the hole. "We hit it simultaneously," said Joel. "I was able to punch through it." Zack was able to grab Joel's kayak and the two of them made their way to shore, where they found themselves on a small island. In an attempt to get to the mainland, they crossed that island and another channel with rapids to a second island. They took turns wearing the pair of shoes they had between them. With only a single one-person boat for the two of them, Zack had to stay in the water, holding on to the kayak and swimming along behind it. "When we got to the next island, we found a four-wheeler trail," said Joel. "We followed the path and came to a cabin. It wasn't locked, so we went in. There was a propane stove which we lit for some heat. We also found some candles and matches. There were blankets, so we took out our wet clothes and hung them over chairs and wrapped ourselves in the blankets." In the meantime, Joel's father, Donald Fraser, had gone to Black's Takeout to meet the boys when they came off the river. At 7 p.m. Mr. Fraser phoned his wife and Zack's mother, Leanne Splaine, to tell them the boys had not come in and that people were starting to search for them. It was the beginning of a frightening night for the boys' parents. "They've always been where they said they'd be and they're never late," said Ms. Fraser. One of the searchers was Tyler Curtis, a national paddling champion and paddling instructor, who is trained in whitewater search and rescue. Mr. Fraser drove to his home just downstream from McCoy Chute to tell him the boys were overdue and ask if the search and rescue people should be called. "I told him that once that system was activated, the rafting companies would be called to mobilize their resources," said Mr. Curtis. "I said let's get the process started right now." He and Mr. Fraser checked all the access points on shore first. Then he and a friend launched their kayaks and paddled the middle channel of the river, where they speculated the boys had gone. This took just over an hour. They then searched the main channel. "We realized then that we were pretty hopeless in the water, so we would have to formulate a game plan involving a bigger search for the morning," he said. Mr. Curtis estimated 15 to 20 volunteers were involved in the search. Several ATVs were in use as well as a Zodiac, an inflatable motorized boat owned by one of the rafting companies. "Other Zodiacs were available, but there's no point in having too many crafts out on the water after dark," said Mr. Curtis. Mrs. Fraser asked a neighbour to take her to Black's Takeout so she could be with her husband. "Donald built a fire because he figured if they were anywhere in the area they would see it," she said. "He also kept calling their names. We just kept trying to think positive, telling ourselves that our boys are smart and they know to stay together. "It was very helpful to speak to Tyler. He knows the boys and their abilities and he knows the river. He told us that likely one of them had lost a boat or maybe dislocated a shoulder and that they were probably hunkered down somewhere for the night." The Ontario Provincial Police were called about 9 p.m. and set up a command post in LaPasse, just upstream from the rapids. Several OPP members assisted with the search, including members of the emergency response team and marine unit, as well as the Quebec Provincial Police. At first light, a military rescue control team from Trenton operating a Griffon helicopter joined the search. When the boys heard the helicopter they built a fire outside the cabin. Shortly afterward they were spotted from the helicopter, which then landed in a nearby clearing. They were airlifted to LaPasse, where a waiting ambulance crew checked them over before pronouncing them fit to go home with their parents. Ms. Splaine said she cooked a full dinner, with meat, potatoes, and gravy, for her son when she got him home on Tuesday morning. "The tears were just a-rolling, when I first saw him and again when I got him into the house," she said. "We're just going to be hugging our sons to death over the next few days." "I never want another parent to go through that again," added Ms. Fraser. Both families are very grateful for all the people who assisted in the search. "Thank you isn't enough, but it's the best we can do right now," said Ms. Fraser. "They responded very quickly, and they were very well organized," added Ms. Splaine. "Tyler was great. He was the first out on the water." Both boys have received paddling instruction and have been paddling for about two years. Even though the parents want their sons to stay on dry land for the next little while, they don't begrudge them their choice of recreation. "Other parents complain that they're always running in to Pembroke with their children to activities," said Ms. Fraser. "Our boys have their recreation right here in their backyards."
On October 28 i think it was joel fraser and I decided to get my brother to take us to ottawa to go and surf at the champlain bridge, this was our first time here but we did alright, i got in a blunt, round house, and a couple flat spins, but the real reason we went is to try and get used to the feature because we want to go in the level six cup next year!
