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INUVIK
When North Wright Airlines pilot Tim Szaefer noticed a glint of light out of the corner of his eye on a flight between Inuvik and Aklavik on July 3, he almost thought nothing of it and flew by. Then, the pilot saw a second flash, which raised his curiosity but not quite enough to change his route.

Seven boaters were rescued from a cabin about an hour and a half from Inuvik by boat on July 3, due largely to a chance sighting by a pilot in a cargo plane flying from Inuvik to Aklavik. The group had not been seen since leaving the Inuvik boat launch in a family boat on Canada Day without telling anyone. - NNSL file photo

"It was a few miles away and I wasn't just going to veer off course just to explore random glints of light," he told Inuvik Drum.

When the flash happened a third time, Szaefer decided to investigate. The wheeled plane was full of cargo and carrying no passengers.

"As I got closer, I noticed that there was a cabin down there and then I saw that on the roof, in big white letters, it clearly said 'SOS.'"

Szaefer made a second, lower pass and saw six or seven people near the cabin, all waving their arms at him. By this time, he was sufficiently convinced these people needed help. It was about 4 p.m.

The Inuvik RCMP had received a missing persons report at about noon that same day. Three men and one woman had reportedly not been seen since Canada Day, said Sgt. Peter Pilgrim of the Inuvik RCMP. The group had possibly taken a family boat, which was no longer at the town landing, but had not informed their family of where they were heading or when they could be expected back.

"No plans were made, no one knew what was going on," said Pilgrim. "The boat was taken without consent at the time."

This lack of information left the RCMP with little to go on and few ideas on where to start looking, said Pilgrim.

"We didn't even know for sure that they were on a boat," he said. "They could have been out there for a long, long time."

Once Szaefer had signalled to the group at the cabin that they had been seen, he noted their location on a map, got on his radio to alert the RCMP of what he had seen and continued on to Aklavik. Once on the ground, he was met by Aklavik police officers who, in turn, sent the location of the cabin to Inuvik RCMP.

Inuvik RCMP and the Auxiliary Coast Guard then dispatched boats from Inuvik to check out the location. At that point, it had yet to be determined that the group spotted by Szaefer were in fact the people who had been reported missing.

"We were hoping, but we weren't positive," said Pilgrim.

The group of seven stranded boaters were found without food and water, he said. Four members of the group were the people reported missing and the other three were with the group, but not reported missing. Their boat had broken down the day before. The group was rescued and brought back home later that evening.

At the request of the family, Inuvik RCMP will not be investigating the incident further or releasing the names of the missing persons, said Pilgrim.

"Some people are a bit embarrassed, that's for sure," said Pilgrim. "They're just happy to have their family members back."

The incident should serve as a reminder to all that, when heading out on the land, it is essential to make a plan and share that plan with others, said Pilgrim.

"Have a plan, prepare for what you're doing (and) let someone know where you're going, how long you will be and when you will be back at the bare minimum," said Pilgrim. "Going down the river in a boat without preparation can only lead to dangerous times for all."

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