Journal Entry
2:00pm - Saturday May 5, 2001
Peggy, Roger and Sasha 
Campsite #6 - Spider Lake, Massassauga Park

Peggy and I are devastated and saddened by the drowning of a young man - Raffaele Pace - 23 years old, a recent graduate of Queens University. Raffaele and his girlfriend, Angela Dublanko, were on campsite #4, just across the lake.

We had just arrived at our campsite at approximately 8:15pm. The sun was just going down, but the light was still good enough to set up camp. We immediately started to unpack when about 5 minutes later we heard what sounded like a teenage girl shouting and screaming. I grabbed my binoculars and spotted an overturned yellow canoe - one I had seen only moments before when we came across the lake to our site. 

I yelled across the lake at the campers on site # 5 (they were so much closer) that there were people who needed help. They didn't seem to respond - perhaps they could not hear me. Peggy and I grabbed our paddles, threw Sasha (our puppy) into the canoe and paddled across the lake as quickly as we could. I estimate that it took us about 10 minutes to get there. The screaming had stopped. As we got about half way across the lake, I saw one person in the water (Angela - who we came to know). I shouted at her as we approached to stay with the canoe - I don't think she could hear me - she swam to shore.

By this time the campers from site # 5 had gotten into their canoe and had started paddling towards the overturned canoe. Both canoes arrived at the same time. When Angela finally saw us approaching, she started screaming again: "he's under the canoe, he's under the canoe." There was no sign of anyone. Peggy and I were closer to the overturned canoe and went immediately to it. I hoped that he might be tangled up in any rigging attached to the canoe. I grabbed the canoe and righted it within seconds - emptying it and sliding it over the gunnels of our canoe - there was no sign of him (Raffaele). Angela sat screaming on the shore while we spent another 10 minutes or so searching for Raffaele. Still no sign. We were desperate for anything which would have told us where he went down, knowing full well that we had one chance in those frigid waters. I knew from survival training that a person had about three minutes before they lost their ability to swim. I knew first hand from my own near drowning how heavy clothes were and how futile it is to try and swim in them. I kept asking her questions. What colour of clothes was he wearing, where did you last see him, was there anybody else. The gravity of the situation hit Peggy and I hard. The water was dead calm, black and cold. Angela's clothes, which she had removed so that she could make it to shore, looked foreboding floating around the empty canoe and floating paddles. 

We knew that Angela was likely freezing and we needed to tend to her. We went over to where she was crouching on the shore and brought her into our canoe. She was shaking uncontrollably; I placed my fleece vest and life jacket over her shoulders. She looked like she was suffering from hypothermia, shock and hysteria. We quickly paddled in to their campsite, which was less than 100 feet away. I dropped everyone off and headed back to the spot were I spent another 10 minutes desperately searching for any sign. There was nothing. When I mentioned that I would return to our camp to get my cell phone, Angela indicated that Raffaele had a cell phone with him. She found it quickly and I paddled out into the middle of the lake, which was the only spot where one could get a signal and called 911. I explained that we needed help - we had an overturned canoe - two people - one missing and presumed drowned, the other possibly hypothermic and in shock. 911 explained that they would dispatch immediately, and then patched me through to the Parry Sound Marine detachment. I gave them a full detailed description of our location. The officer questioned me thoroughly, what was the condition of the portage, how long was it, were there any boats at the portage. Constable Brian Holloway informed me that 4 officers and two boats were being dispatched. I returned to the spot, conducted a third search for any signs of Raffaele, everything was still eerily floating on the surface, exactly where it had been dropped. I proceeded back to their campsite. 

Peggy had stripped Angela, gotten her into dry clothes and packed her into a couple of sleeping bags. Angela was warming up and was no longer showing signs of hypothermia, however, there was little we could do about her state of shock. A third camper from site #5 had arrived and started a huge bonfire. I headed back out to the middle of the lake to get a status report on the progress of the officers. I would make 3 other similar trips throughout the evening/early morning. The last one being at 12:30 AM which was already 4 hours after the accident. They informed me that the officers had left the Three Legged Lake boat access point approximately 15 minutes earlier. They also informed me that a search and rescue helicopter had been dispatched from CFB Trenton. The Helicopter arrived at approximately 1:00am. The huge twin rotor Sea King was scary and loud and had a massive, powerful searchlight. They flashed us to indicate that they saw us, and proceeded to do a complete search of the accident site and a thorough shoreline search for the next 20-30 minutes. The officers arrived just before the helicopter finished its search.

Peggy and I spent about 5 hours with Angela. Peggy was at her side every moment from the time we picked her up on shore. During Angela's roller coaster of emotions, we were to learn about the lives of 2 bright young loving individuals.

Angela was a 22 year old, only child, from Vancouver Island. She was in Ontario attending Queens University. Her parents were divorced and she had little contact with dad. She is very close with her mom who runs a B&B in Tofino, BC.

Raffaele was a 23 year old young man who had just graduated from Queens University. He had 2 older sisters (one in Sicily) and his parents lived in Barrie. I found out from Peggy later that Angela had told her over and over again that he had been "such a good person". Gone! Tragic. 

No life jackets in the boat - just gone out to wash their dinner dishes when the boat capsized. 

Angela was able to strip off her clothes. She tried to get Raffaele to strip as well when she realized the gravity of the situation. Instead of swimming towards the closest point of land, which would have been less than 20 yards away, he started swimming towards their campsite. When he could swim no further, Angela went to him and struggled with him to help him out of his heavy Jacket and fleece pullover. But her efforts failed. As they were sinking further and further together, he had let go of her and went down. 

Angela was consumed with survivor's guilt and worries; what would she say to his parents; what would happen to her; what about his car, their stuff, the rented canoe; where would she go; should she ask her mother to come out to Ontario now knowing that she was scheduled to leave on a trip to Europe in less than a week? Peggy let her know that most of these concerns were just details that would be taken care of by all of the people who were here to support her; that all that she needed to worry about was herself - she was after all a victim of a very tragic accident and that there was a whole network of people to support her now, including her family and friends who would continue to do so for a long time.

The Officers confirmed all of this when they informed us that Angela would be taken to the Hospital, where a couple of ladies from the Vicar Society would greet her and stay with her at all times. It was about 1:30 am when we said our goodbyes to Angela. Two of the officers took her back to Parry Sound by boat, and we headed back to our campsite - exhausted and in a state of our own shock.

The search resumed at 9:00 am when another helicopter arrived. We were in bed until then, having only gotten our own campsite site up and ready for bed at 4:30 am. The two officers came by at around 11:00am, taking brief statements and telling us that the divers were arriving at 12:00noon. They indicated that they would return later for detailed statements, and asked if I would accompany them to locate the exact position of the canoe and supposed position where Raffaele went down. Peggy stayed back at the site with Sasha. It was difficult emotionally returning to the spot, knowing that a young man's body was lying at the bottom of the lake. I know it was important to be as accurate as possible in order to give the best chance of a quick recovery. I enquired about Angela's well being. Officer Brian Holloway shared with me that she was resting in the Hospital accompanied at all times by one or two of the women from the Vicar society. She would not be left alone until her Mother arrived that evening.

The officers informed me that four divers were on their way, and that they would work in pairs, taking shifts if necessary. The officer felt certain that the divers would be successful in their search for several reasons: they had what they believed to be an accurate location; it was a sheltered bay; and because he was not wearing a life jacket, his body would have gone straight down where she had last seen him. I asked the officers if they would inform us when they found him. They assured me that they would; however, he felt that we would probably know beforehand based on the activity around the site. They were right.

The officers returned me to our campsite. Peggy and I were not up to much; we stayed around camp doing very little. We watched the proceedings across the lake, feeling sad and very out of sorts. So many emotions, so many what ifs. How could such a seemingly innocent event such as washing dinner dishes go so horribly wrong?

We know from talking to Angela that they were a couple that felt strongly about always wearing their life jackets. We know that they weren't fooling around or playing in the canoe. We know that drugs and alcohol were not a factor. Why not wash your pots and pans on the beach? Was it perhaps that they wanted to keep the beach clean to go swimming in the frigid water later? A simple lapse in judgment and not taking or wearing the life jackets to go 50 feet off short to wash the pots: a simple act of both leaning over the same side of the canoe at the same time; a simple thought that they could leave the canoe and make it to shore without help, not realizing how the cold water would affect their body's, and how the heavy clothing would serve as an anchor. The powerful numbing effects of the cold, 51degree water which would rob them of all strength within minutes became evident too late - Raffaele had already left the canoe, headed not towards the closest point of land, but to the beach, which was at least 100 feet away.

Angela is a strong swimmer having grown up on the coast of Vancouver Island. A person used to swimming in cold, rough, and ocean waters. When she hit the water, she didn't go into shock; there was no panic. We know that Angela responded properly to the mounting crisis: she stripped down to her undergarments, thereby freeing herself to swim the 50 feet to shore. She had tried desperately to help undress Raffaele, who was just too panicked to cooperate.

How different things might have been had they stayed with the canoe.

How different things might have been had the life jackets only been in the boat.

How different things might have been had Raffaele been able to take his clothes off.

The officers returned to our campsite at about 2: 30pm. They informed us that the divers had found Raffaele's body on their second pass, only 20 feet from the marker (where the canoe had over-turned). How truly sad and heart breaking. It is so hard to comprehend how a simple lapse, and innocent gesture, could have such a tragic end.

The officers then took our detailed statements, interviewing us separately. They recorded every tiny detail we could recall - including every word that had been spoken throughout the 5 hours we had been alone with Angela. They had us re-live the harrowing event. When they finally left us to return to site #4, we were drained and emotionally exhausted.

Shortly thereafter we heard the motorboat one last time. We watched in silence as it came out of the bay. Strapped to the front was the body of Raffaele enclosed in a white body bag.

Four officers sat erect in the back of the boat. It made it's way ever so slowly across the lake, taking forever to disappear from sight.

Words cannot describe the feelings and emotions for a life lost. I know our lives have been changed forever. All life is precious, but a tragic loss is even more difficult to understand. We did not know Raffaele, but came to know him in our own way through these very sad circumstances. 

Our hearts go out to Angela and Raffaele's family, and our thoughts and prayers are with them.
 
Roger N. Prince
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