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Authors: Rex Saunders
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hit them. Although I wasn’t at it for the money, at eight dollars a pelt they
would give me enough money for gas, and that was good enough for me. I wanted to
bottle the seal meat for ourselves and keep a few for our sons living in
Brampton. They came home every summer and took back cases of bottled seal,
moose, and turrs. Our daughter, Trudy, lives in Roddickton with her husband,
Alonzo, and their children, Gregory and Leann. They like bottled seal, too. So,
ten or a dozen seal carcasses were good, with a few meals to give away.
With no other boats around, I was doing well with the seals. I
got two on another ice pan and I hauled them in the boat. It was really warm.
The sun was shining, and no wind. I was a bit too warm, so I unzipped my floater
suit as far as the belt buckle around my waist. I pulled it open to let the air
get in and cool me off a bit. It felt good.
Around 3: 30 p.m., the cellphone in my shirt pocket began to ring. I answered
and it was my wife, Irene. She said, “The two boats that went out when you went
out are in now.” She was talking about Verrick and Roger Patey’s boats. “It
started to blow a bit in here, so you better get in here.”
I said, “Okay.”
“Where are you? Do you have either seal?”
“Yes, maid,” I replied, “I got nine now.”
“That’s good. Come in now.”
“I’m leaving now,” I said. “I’m about four or five miles off Griquet Cape or
White Cape. I’ll be home in an hour or so. I got a bit of ice to poke through,
then I’ll be in to the wharf.”
I put the phone back into my shirt pocket. I had the motor about half-throttle
when I looked around behind me, and there were two more young harps on a pan. I
figured, I’ll get those two, then I’ll be on my way home.
I wasn’t in any big hurry because there wasn’t anywind and the
sun was shining. I was looking at the two on the ice pan, which was about twenty
or thirty feet long, and about fifteen to twenty feet wide. I grabbed the
throttle and pulled her out of gear and waited for the boat to strike the ice on
her bow and bounce off, so I could put her in gear and go on again, just like I
did a hundred times. I’m sure everyone who has been sealing in a speedboat or
longliner has done the same.
My boat didn’t bounce off the ice pan like I thought she would. Instead, she
ran up on the pan of ice and tipped to one side, and the nine seals fell down on
her side. I looked back and I saw water coming in over the gunnels. I got up on
the other side, trying to take the gunnels out of the water, but it was too
late. She was going over, bottom-up. The next thing I saw was water about a foot
or so from my face. I took a deep breath and held on. The next thing I knew, I
was underneath the boat. I quickly came up above the surface and gasped for a
breath of air. It was then I realized I had a mouthful of salt water. I spit it
out and my bottom set of false teeth flicked out and dropped out of my reach,
into the water.
My floater suit had me pinned to the bottom of my boat. Somehow I got hold of
the steering wheel and the gunnel and pulled myself down. If I hadn’t unzipped
my suit earlier, I would not be here now, because I would nothave been able to pull myself down. My shirt was open and the water poured
inside, and that allowed me to be able to pull myself down and out from
underneath my boat.
The water was very cold. My wool cap was gone and I had nothing on my hands. I
tried to climb up on the bottom of my boat, but that was impossible. I got hold
of the keel with one hand and the gunnel with the other hand, but the boat was
twisting and turning. I had to let go and swim to an ice pan about twenty feet
away. I tried to pull myself up on the ice pan at three or four places, but I
couldn’t get up at all. I almost made it up, but the buckle on my floater suit
would get caught on the edge of the ice pan. I put
would give me enough money for gas, and that was good enough for me. I wanted to
bottle the seal meat for ourselves and keep a few for our sons living in
Brampton. They came home every summer and took back cases of bottled seal,
moose, and turrs. Our daughter, Trudy, lives in Roddickton with her husband,
Alonzo, and their children, Gregory and Leann. They like bottled seal, too. So,
ten or a dozen seal carcasses were good, with a few meals to give away.
With no other boats around, I was doing well with the seals. I
got two on another ice pan and I hauled them in the boat. It was really warm.
The sun was shining, and no wind. I was a bit too warm, so I unzipped my floater
suit as far as the belt buckle around my waist. I pulled it open to let the air
get in and cool me off a bit. It felt good.
Around 3: 30 p.m., the cellphone in my shirt pocket began to ring. I answered
and it was my wife, Irene. She said, “The two boats that went out when you went
out are in now.” She was talking about Verrick and Roger Patey’s boats. “It
started to blow a bit in here, so you better get in here.”
I said, “Okay.”
“Where are you? Do you have either seal?”
“Yes, maid,” I replied, “I got nine now.”
“That’s good. Come in now.”
“I’m leaving now,” I said. “I’m about four or five miles off Griquet Cape or
White Cape. I’ll be home in an hour or so. I got a bit of ice to poke through,
then I’ll be in to the wharf.”
I put the phone back into my shirt pocket. I had the motor about half-throttle
when I looked around behind me, and there were two more young harps on a pan. I
figured, I’ll get those two, then I’ll be on my way home.
I wasn’t in any big hurry because there wasn’t anywind and the
sun was shining. I was looking at the two on the ice pan, which was about twenty
or thirty feet long, and about fifteen to twenty feet wide. I grabbed the
throttle and pulled her out of gear and waited for the boat to strike the ice on
her bow and bounce off, so I could put her in gear and go on again, just like I
did a hundred times. I’m sure everyone who has been sealing in a speedboat or
longliner has done the same.
My boat didn’t bounce off the ice pan like I thought she would. Instead, she
ran up on the pan of ice and tipped to one side, and the nine seals fell down on
her side. I looked back and I saw water coming in over the gunnels. I got up on
the other side, trying to take the gunnels out of the water, but it was too
late. She was going over, bottom-up. The next thing I saw was water about a foot
or so from my face. I took a deep breath and held on. The next thing I knew, I
was underneath the boat. I quickly came up above the surface and gasped for a
breath of air. It was then I realized I had a mouthful of salt water. I spit it
out and my bottom set of false teeth flicked out and dropped out of my reach,
into the water.
My floater suit had me pinned to the bottom of my boat. Somehow I got hold of
the steering wheel and the gunnel and pulled myself down. If I hadn’t unzipped
my suit earlier, I would not be here now, because I would nothave been able to pull myself down. My shirt was open and the water poured
inside, and that allowed me to be able to pull myself down and out from
underneath my boat.
The water was very cold. My wool cap was gone and I had nothing on my hands. I
tried to climb up on the bottom of my boat, but that was impossible. I got hold
of the keel with one hand and the gunnel with the other hand, but the boat was
twisting and turning. I had to let go and swim to an ice pan about twenty feet
away. I tried to pull myself up on the ice pan at three or four places, but I
couldn’t get up at all. I almost made it up, but the buckle on my floater suit
would get caught on the edge of the ice pan. I put
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