It happened in slow-motion. While trying to steady the rock of the canoe from gunnel to gunnel, the windward side slowly dipped in the trough between waves, and we took on water—in the middle of the lake on a chili October afternoon. Canoeing mishaps do occur, some of which are life-threatening—even on par with hanging off the 3,000-foot rock face called El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. This particular mishap happened while paddling with my father-in-law on the serene Lake Rosseau north of Toronto. It was a heavy-sweater day as we paddled through the bay’s calm waters, where Mary’s grandparents owned a lake home. A vigorous paddle to the other side would provide good exercise and fresh air. I have always loved the feel of a cool breeze across my face and the sights and sounds of being on a lake.

It began like many other canoeing outings. We traversed out of the protective cove and the wind expectedly picked up, but it was nothing to be alarmed by … yet. This is always a judgment call, but a quick scan of the shorelines showed little heavy wind blowing through the trees, and there were no white caps in site, so the outing looked to be paddling as usual.

The wind gradually stiffened, but at what point does it become the better part of wisdom to turn back? By the time we reached the middle of the lake, the breeze was cutting strongly across the bow at an angle, and the waves began to kick up the occasional white cap. A cardinal rule of the water is not to let your canoe turn sideways to the wind or the waves, and if you do, then paddle with all you have to get through the turn. We fought the growing, angular gusts but could not hold a straight course. I’ve had experience in more challenging situations, but my father-in-law was older and not as accustomed to the path of the paddle. The best course of action was to turn back for the protected bay.

As we began our turn around, a perfect combination of a gust of wind caught us just as we turned sideways to the waves. Trying not to overreact and flipping to the left, we, unfortunately, dipped to the right—and slid into the cold water. We had life vests on, which was good, but we were in the middle of the lake, far from the nearest shore. The water was quite cold; our shoes, clothing, and sweaters weighed us down and made it difficult to tread water. We dared not panic. In calm conditions, there is a way of righting the canoe, getting back in, and bailing the water. But that requires two experienced and practiced canoers to balance each other on opposite sides of the canoe. While I had practiced that in calm waters, this was a new experience for me in rough waters.

A second cardinal rule is always to stay in your swamped canoe. Most canoes are constructed to provide flotation even when capsized; wood canoes, of course, would float, and aluminum canoes have airtight compartments in the bow and stern. So the best course of action was to stay with the canoe and wait for help. But swimming and pushing the canoe to shore was out of the question, being so far from land.

Hypothermia is always a concern in a situation like this, or even drowning from exhaustion. The closest boat was way off in the distance, so we began yelling, waving our hands and paddles. But no response. No other boats were close. We prayed. And we prayed. The Lord gave us calmness, so we didn’t panic. But we were getting cold.

At first, we didn’t notice, but a boat finally turned our way and crossed over closer to us. Pulling alongside, they saw our plight and loaded us in. They explained that they saw us waving and yelling but initially thought we were just teenagers acting up and having fun. Then they thought better of it and came to check us out. We summarily hoisted our canoe onto their boat, and our rescuers brought us safely back to the lake house.

This incident reinforced several valuable lessons:

• Always wear a life vest in a canoe, especially on open water
• Always be prepared for the unexpected
• Follow the “cardinal rules” where possible
• Don’t over-compensate, and don’t panic
• Temper the activities according to the least experienced person
• Keep safety in mind when doing adventurous things.
• Don’t let fear of mishaps prevent you from doing adventurous things
• Pray