Jillian Dickens
Northern News Services

Iglulik (Oct 03/05) - Four boaters were stranded between Hall Beach and Iglulik for one night before being met by search and rescuers last week.

While the four spent an evening without food because they ran out of fuel, the only health issue was a skin infection.

"The water affected my body. Maybe it was the salt but I have an infection on my face and my hands," said Mary Apak, 41, who, along with her young daughter Jennie, 14, and two others, was making the 65 km journey.

They were stuck for more than 15 hours before being rescued by the Iglulik Search and Rescue team.

The lost boaters were found offshore in Foxe Basin at around 2 p.m., hungry and cold but in otherwise good spirits.

"Everything and everyone else is okay," said Apak.

Alisha Issigaitok, 10, of Iglulik and Manasie Issigaitok, 21, of Hall Beach, were also on the boat.

Four boats, including the Hall Beach and Iglulik Search and Rescue teams and the Hall Beach RCMP, took part in the search.

The four were reported missing at 10 p.m. Sunday when they didn't turn up in Iglulik as expected.

"We got word from their family that these people never came home during the evening, ever," said Paul Haulli, Hall Beach mayor and search and rescue member.

"They were in an 18 ft, 65 horsepower boat and took 15 gallons of gas with them."

Halfway to Iglulik they almost ran out of gas, but they shut the engines down and drifted towards Iglulik until it started getting dark and the wind picked up.

That's when they used some of their sparse fuel supply to bring them to shore, where they spent the night huddled together under the boat's small shelter, warmed by their campstove.

"My kids were cold, my baby was cold, but they were okay," said Apak. "We had nothing to eat at all."

They drank warm water heated over the stove to keep warm.

In the morning they saw Iglulik in the distance. They tried reaching it again but were rescued first.

"A couple of times we said to each other that we didn't think anyone was looking for us," Apak laughed. "So we tried to get there ourselves."

The boaters ran out of gas because heavy fog forced them to follow the shoreline, rather than taking a direct route, says Apak.

"I have travelled that way many times before," said Apak. "We weren't lost."

They were travelling to the funeral of Louise Evaluardjuk, Apak's sister-in-law.

They are resting now in Iglulik, visiting their respective families.