Steve Best was paddling down Howe Sound near Squamish on Tuesday afternoon when he found something he wasn’t expecting.
“I came across a guy on the shore,” he said. “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.”
The man had been stranded for four days after his canoe had slipped away on the tide. He had no supplies after losing his canoe but managed to hold on to his sleeping bag and some food.
Best tried his best to help him, but it was clear more help was needed.
“At that point, I got my radio out and called Canadian Coast Guard in Victoria,” he said.
Volunteers with the Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue responded to the call, arriving just before 1 p.m. Tuesday.
“He was certainly wet and his sleeping bag that he had managed to keep with him when he lost his boat was pretty soaked,” said Scott Shaw-MacPherson of the Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue.
“I think it would have been another difficult night and he said his spirits were going down in a hurry. So he did describe it as incredible boredom sitting there for four days with nothing to do but watch for people to help him.”
The man was in good condition when he was found and is now back safe at home.
Best says he’s grateful he could help.
“Glad I went paddling today and I was where he needed me,” he said.
Shaw-MacPherson said the incident serves as a reminder that one can never be too prepared.
“I think this person set out quite prepared, but it just goes to show how a quick, simple slip-up can turn things into a harrowing situation.”