The day before I left Brooks Camp was a day of boating and swimming in Lake Brooks. In the morning we practiced boating and in the afternoon we tested on all the skills and ended the day with a swim test. Let me tell you about this unforgetable day.
I have been on boats most of my life. In the last 20 years my boating experience consists of canoes and kayaks. But when I was a kid my family traveled the length of the Mississippi River numerous times. I have been from the very start of the Mississippi River at Itasca where you walk across it to New Orleans not all on the same boat or same trip but I have been on all of it. Ocassionally my father would let me drive the boat while cruising down the river but for most of my life I have been the passenger, navigator and the person that does all the water testing never the driver. So I was excited to learn.
My first boat was driven with a steering wheel, don't ask me what kind of boat, I don't know, one that works in Alaskan waters. I got on board and was given the keys. No instructions, no helpful hints, just the keys. My first skill was the star pattern. Moving slowly and making no wake you enter five buoys and make a star pattern within them and then progress out of the buoys. The wind that morning was about 15 - 20 mph. I didn't do to bad at making the star pattern but it was done at an entirely too fast of speed. I did it once and turned the boat over to one of the other people on the boat. Not much of a lesson and not very easy.
There were 21 people in the class and three instructors. Three boats were running through the skills and three people were on the boat at one time. So there was a lot of down time. Next up was to run an aluminum skiff with a outboard tiller motor. I had never done one of these. Neither had the other person in the boat who was also a female. The third person who was suppose to go with us had disappeared when the boat arrived so he missed out. It was good for us because we had quite a time.
Both of us told the instructor we were nervous and had never driven this type of boat. So he took us for a ride to show us that we were perfectly safe in the boat. Then he showed us the serpentine course of ten buoys we had to weave in and out of at speed and the best way to handle it. Before turning the boat over to us he said we had to find the twelve year boy in us. We both looked at him like he was nuts so he explained. He said;" If I were to give a twelve year old boy control of the boat he would naturally go as fast as possible and weave around everything. That is because all boys have a little asshole in them." We were told to find that little boy inside of us. So I took control and tried to find the little boy in me. Let's just say he wasn't in the mood to play at first but I got the hang of it. The instructor said I did well enough to pass the test he would sign me off right there. Next up was my partner who like to turn large wide turns. It took her a while to pass the skill. We were out on that boat for 45 minutes.
Other skills we had to show that went quickly were emergency turns and beaching. Then it was time for lunch. The first time out on the water in the afternoon was with my boss. He by the way was dressed in a dry suit. A fact you are going to have to know. On this trip I was with two other females both in their twenties. Another fact to remember. So we get on the boat and we were asked what the type of boat requires before leaving the dock and where are they. So everyone on board needed a life jacket which we were all wearing, we needed a throwable floatation device which we found. The boat we were on was required to have a night and day distress signal, a horn or whistle, a fire extinquisher,and a few other things that weren't required but good to have on hand. Next we were to go out and rescue bob. Bob was a floating single buoy in the water representing a drowning victim. We were to take the boat out so that the person on the bow of the boat could touch bob but the boat did not go past bob or over bob. The name of the test was kiss the buoy. After the three of us passed the test we went for a little ride when all of the sudden my boss falls out of the boat. He is lying face up in the water moaning. We stop the boat. Go through the steps of rescue. First we yelled at him. No answer. Next one of the other passengers tells him she is going to but an oar in his hands to pull him in and proceeds to do so. Only of course he does not grab the oar. So I reach and pull his body closer to the boat. The next step is to make the side of the boat bounce down and as it comes back up use the force to pull the victim into the boat. Now you have to be told that my boss is a rather tall man over six feet. Needless to say we could not get enough momentum build up to pull him into the boat. The next thing to try is using a cargo net or tarp roll the body onto that then roll him up like a burrito and on to the boat. We happened to have a cargo net on board. Working together we got my bosses body onto the cargo net, placed his arm over his nose, this step is important as you don't want to smash their face as you roll them up the sides of the boat. Then together the three of us girls rolled my boss up and over into the boat. We were all excited that we finally got him out of the water we were high fiving each other while we left my boss rolled up in the cargo net yelling hay I am alive.
As we were heading back into shore our boat broke down. Now we had to show we knew how to do minor repairs and trouble shooting. Our boats gas hose had come unhooked. Once fixed three psyched girls beached the boat and got out. Only to find out that it was time for the swim test.
The swim test is done for two reasons. One you have to show you can save yourself and get back into the boat. Second to show you just how cold the water is. You had to have a PFD on, which kind was your decision, and swim 50 yards. But to get to water you could actually swim in you had to walk 25 yards in the cold water than swim. I decided that I wanted to go first so I could just get it over with. I was wearing a class five PFD which is a specialized coat like the coast guard wears, t-shirt, jeans, and wool socks. (we were told to wear the kind of thing you would wear while out in the boat and up there no one wears swim suits on board). I was given the okay to head to the boat. I could not believe how cold the water was. By the time I reached the first 25 yards I could not feel my feet. Then I fell into the water and rolled over on my back to back stroke to the boat. I was totally in shock by how fast I started shivering. My boss was walking between me and the other person to make sure we were all right. I was shaking a lot so he told me to stand and walk a little ways. By this time I could not move my fingers and I swore I had cement blocks for legs. My legs were so cold that I just wanted to get off of them so I started to back stroke again and it felt good to me to get off my legs. I did not realize that I had started to hyperventilate. My boss kept trying to get me to stand up but I fought and kept swimming till he lifted me out of the water. Just a fact you should know that you will lose body heat 25 times faster in the water so it is best to keep as much of your body above the water to save body heat. Which is what my boss was trying to help me with though I was not being cooperative. Finally I made it to the boat and like a fish a flopped into the boat. I was shaking from head to toe and had never been so cold in my life. The boat took the two of us back to shore. I was helped out of the boat and given a towel. Luckily, I had moved to the cabin that day and had a short walk to my room to get out of my wet clothes. I put on just about everything I owned. It took an hour for me to stop shivering. I think it took longer for my feet to unfreeze. Brooks Lake had ice on it just the week before. I was told that the temperature of the water was 35 degrees. I will not do anything that will cause me to fall into that cold water again. I never want to be that cold ever. Lesson learned.
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