Kiwi kayaker helps refloat rescuer's craft

An Auckland kayaker who called for help in the wilds of the Canadian Arctic says he was picked up by a tourist boat - which he then had to help push off a sandbar.

Reuben Elers told NZPA that he flew over 2000km north from Edmonton in Alberta, to paddle a section of Canada's longest river with his partner, Canadian Cailyn Donelon, of Alberta, but they ran into problems, including deteriorating weather.

"Huddled under a tarp ... in what were our last dry clothes, thoughts of food rationing and survival were crossing my mind," he said.

The couple had planned to paddle about a tenth of the McKenzie River's 1800km, but called the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for help on July 1, after completing about 120km of the journey from Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk,

The couple initially had problems with northerly headwinds, but the long daylight above the Arctic Circle allowed them to paddle through the night, when the winds dropped.

But at 2am on July 1, they received satellite phone reports of increasing headwinds, and called for help.

"We pulled ashore and decided we would not be able to continue the remaining distance to Tuktoyaktuk," Mr Elers said.

But a tourist boat diverted to pick them up ran aground soon after. "We came to a very sudden stop at the mouth of the river where it opens up and meets the Beaufort Sea, we had missed the channel by a couple of metres and slammed into a sandbar."

Police launched their own boat to refloat the craft, though that also had problems with sandbars.

"One 'mountie' the driver, Cailyn and myself standing in the middle of a very large body of water ankle-deep pushing this boat inch by inch is something I will never forget," Mr Elers said.

The boat was freed, and tourists injured in the grounding carried on their journey, escorted by beluga whales, he said.

"No permanent injuries to anyone, just a bunch of bruised and cut people," Mr Elers said.

- NZPA