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MASSETT, B.C. (Canada) — No, the above
headline is not a typo. It actually did happen twice. To the
same two castaways. On the same deserted island. In the same
week.
The National Post reports that a sailor and his dog, who spent
two days on an islet in Lepas Bay after a storm had capsized their craft, found themselves
shipwrecked a second time in the same spot just a few days after their rescue.
Queen Charlotte Islands, B.C.
is the spot where Melvin and Bond spent their "summer
vacation".
(Image provided by Yahoo!
Maps)
Melvin Cote, 56, and his canine companion "Bond", a Miniature
Pinscher, had set sail from Prince Rupert early last month, intending to
spend the summer in the Queen Charlotte Islands.
The weather started getting rough; the tiny ship was tossed. Bond
almost went overboard, and Mr. Cote lunged to save him, but unfortunately, the vessel
capsized. Leaving all of their possessions and supplies behind, the two swam for
the rocks at the northeast tip of Graham Island.
"After all the strain trying to get up on the rock face I knew I
had some sort of a shoulder injury. I was having spasms in my leg, having
a hard time walking," Mr. Cote said.
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This is NOT "Bond", it's "Razzle",
a darling purebred Miniature Doberman Pinscher looking for a
home through Save-A-Pet
Animal Rescue in New York. They say she's a real
sweetie.
If you'd like to adopt her, click on the picture for info or
email the rescue at: saveapetNY@yahoo.com.
(Boat not included, so don't even ask.)
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Though they had made it to dry land, it was still not easy surviving
for the next few days. Mr. Cote, despite being a former soldier and
having sharp survival skills, needed an extra boost to get by. That
was Bond's department.
"He's kinda what kept me going out there. Being a man who
has been out in the bush and done some survival techniques I knew the
thing was to stay warm, find some sort of food. But without him, I
wouldn't have known what to do," the man said.
Mr. Cote told the National Post: "I ate fiddleheads and
cooked some mussels  off
the rock face. That's all there was to eat there, you
know?" (No, Wags. He said fiddleheads. It's
not quite the same thing.) Mr. Cote added that he was able to
salvage some rain water for Bond and kept the fire going with bark he
peeled from trees.
Some helicopters and aircraft passed overhead, but they didn't see Mr.
Cote and Bond, despite their signals. Eventually, the castaways were spotted by a group of teachers who were
studying sea life at Lepas Bay. The teachers paddled out to the
islet and brought the happy castaways back to Masset for treatment.
The Other Half of the Story...
As soon as they had recovered from their ordeal, Mr. Cote, Bond and
their friend Steve Wallace returned to the shipwreck in order to try to
salvage some of Mr. Cote's belongings (almost all that he owned had gone
down with the ship).
As mischievous Fate would have it, the second boat promptly sank in the
same spot.
"Something got caught in his wheel and there we were going down
all over again," Mr. Cote later described.
This time, Bond was slightly injured, but his human friend came to the
rescue and pulled him out of the water.
Shortly thereafter, the Masset auxiliary Coast Guard, which had been
alerted by a passing ship, arrived and rescued the trio.
Says Mr. Cote, recovering from a separated shoulder at the Masset
Sing and Surf Inn, "Right now I'm just figuring out what to do
next. I want to make sure I'm not jinxed or anything. The
third time, I might not be so lucky."
Whatever you do, Melvin, don't leave home without that dog!
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"Noah's Passenger List"
Mr. Cote isn't the only one to appreciate the immeasurable value of a
dog to anyone lost at sea. In August 1999, Guinness World Records supplemented
its entry for "Largest Wooden Ark" with an interesting
commentary on the five animals best suited to ride "Noah's
Ark" to a new world.
We've reproduced that list here (and added our 2 bones worth). It's not
exactly a "Top
8 List", but we hope you enjoy...
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The Scoop-Annotated
List of
FIVE IDEAL ANIMALS
TO HAVE ON THE ARK
(from Guinness
World Records)
- "Earthworm - worms help increase the amount of air and water that gets into the soil. They break down organic matter such as leaves and
grass that plants use. Slime, the secretion of earthworms, contains
nitrogen and is an important nutrient for plants."
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Scoop
Editor's Note:
Dogs help increase the amount of "air" (especially
after eating a peanut butter & celery burrito) and
"water" that gets into the soil (or likewise, into
the carpet). Dogs are also a great source of
slime. However, they are not ideally suited to
assist in the cultivation of plants ...or flower gardens. |
- "Cow - for milk production.
Milk is produced by the cow from her blood. The products of digestion and absorption enter the blood
and are carried to the udder."
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Scoop
editor's note:
Hmm, perhaps a cow is indeed best in this respect. With
dogs, the products of digestion and absorption are frequently
coughed up all over the Oriental rug. Udderly
disgusting! |
- "Chicken - the chicken egg is a source of high-quality protein (that is, proteins that contain all the amino acids needed in the human diet).
It is also an excellent source of all vitamins and contains many essential minerals, including phosphorus and zinc."
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Scoop
editor's note:
The dog tongue is a source of high-quality slobber (that is, a
substance that has an affinity for human hands, expensive
shirts and recently-washed faces). It is also an
excellent source of partially-chewed-up bugs and inevitably,
toilet water. |
- "Sheep - human beings have been using wool since prehistoric times.
Sheepskins were worn until it was discovered how to make yarn and fabric from their fibre covering."
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Scoop
editor's note:
Dogs, too, are excellent for providing warmth. However, I
must admit that I've never been pushed off the bed by a wool
sweater. |
- "Dog - not quite as vital as these other animals but still useful.
For more than 12,000 years, dogs have lived with humans as a hunter, protector, and
friend."
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Scoop editor's final note:
All in all, it's a good list. But how many of you noticed
that "human" did not make the cut? Wags, be
honest... you'd rather have me on board than an earthworm,
right? ...Wags?! |
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