The
frigid Arctic waters were between one and two degrees Celsius. Rosemary,
like the others in her group, had worn ski gear under her exposure
suit, gloves on her hands, and a baseball cap. The exposure suits
get their insulation and flotation capacity from an inner core of
closed-cell foam. They fit like a pair of coveralls with cinch straps
at the open cuffs and only provide protection for brief immersion
times. Ice-cold water inundated Rosemary's suit, leaving her susceptible
to rapid hypothermia. Although her extra clothing may have prevented
cold shock (See "Cold Shock," SK, Spring 1991 ), she was
still in a serious situation. Survival time in the Arctic is often
measured in minutes. When Phil arrived, the two kayaks and paddlers
were beside each other. Mark and Phil quickly instructed Rosemary
to get onto the back of Phil's kayak.
Rosemary was afraid that she would cause Phil to flip. Mark had already righted
Rosemary's kayak, so he then draped himself over it and reiterated instructions
to Rosemary to go to the stern of Phil's kayak and crawl up on the end of it.
Without Mark's instructions, Phil would not have known what to do. Rosemary
explains what happened next: "As I moved over to Phil's kayak I realized
that my foot was wrapped up in the ropes attached to the kayak [the deck lines]
that Mark was on-the kayak I had been paddling. I explained the problem and
while I dunked backward under the water so my foot could come up, Mark turned
around while still lying on the kayak to untangle my foot. Then I swam to Phil's
kayak and crawled onto it lengthwise so I was lying face down and holding onto
the edge of the central hole [cockpit]. Phil was holding onto the empty capsized
kayak and Mark told him that in this circumstance the book said we should let
the empty kayak go.
"Mark and Rosemary's kayaks, only moderately loaded with gear but swamped,
were too heavy to drag one boat over the other to drain the water from it. There
were no pumps aboard. Mark and Phil's main concern was getting Rosemary out of
the water and back to shore. Perhaps in his haste or lack of assisted rescue
practice or knowledge of standard rescue procedures, Mark failed to suggest that
they get Mark into the other righted kayak, and ultimately had Phil release the
capsized kayak. With every second the situation was getting more desperate as
the wind, despite what would seem to be a limited fetch, gained strength and
the seas grew much worse. |
