Arctic Revue Day 7 "Shipwreck"

Our kayak is a Klepper Aerius II with a wooden internal frame and an outer hull made of rubber and canvas.  One our worst fears came true when our kayak was damaged by river travel.  The Kongakut River is very braided, rocky, and shallow in many places.  It was necessary to figure out where the deepest channels were so as to keep moving with the current, instead of getting stuck on a gravel bar just below the surface of the water.  When the boat would get stuck, we'd have to climb out of the kayak, pull it free, walk it to a deeper place, and then climb back in.  This happened over and over and over, and became quite tedious. 

Another hazard to avoid were the larger river rocks.  The most dangerous ones were the ones in a swift current hidden from our view.  In a strong current where the water is rushing, there are places where the water is disturbed on the surface, but it is easy to pass through safely.  But there are other places where a giant rock is close to the surface and must be avoided. 

One fateful day we were navigating another very swift part of the river (which is really exhilarating to do, by the way).  We slammed against a large submerged rock.  The rushing current turned the boat sideways with us and all our gear in it, using the rock as a pivot point in the middle.  Above the roar of the river, we both heard the distinct sound of wood cracking.  We got out of the boat, towed it to the the closest gravel bar, and assessed the damage.   

The middle rib was completely broken in half, as well as one of the gunwales.  We inspected the hull and found 3 large gashes in the rubber.  This was a stunning setback.  With our vessel damaged, we were unsure how far we would be able to continue, if at all.  We set up a tarp for a wind break to work on field repairs to the ripped hull and broken rib.  We used some waterproof duct tape to patch the gashes, and I whittled a splint for the rib from some willow driftwood. 

While making the repairs, 3 Arctic Terns flew nearby, dive-bombing for small fish.  Amid the stress of our wreck (and the full blast wind and full blazing sun), the angel-like terns brought a little joy to our situation.  The repairs allowed us to go further, but in the end, the rugged Kongakut reversed our repairs to the hull and made the gashes even bigger.  Our goal of reaching the Arctic Ocean was no longer in our grasp, but not before we made the most of our initial repairs with more adventure on the Kongakut.