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Local boys lucky


rick

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Local News - Saturday, January 15, 2005 @ 08:00

CALLANDER — Three snowmobilers from Niagara Falls, Ont., plunged through a thin layer of ice Friday afternoon.

They thought they were sinking to their deaths.

“I thought it was over . . . that it was the end,” said Mike Dayboll, 33.

Incredibly, when the water reached their knees, their waterlogged boots touched another layer of ice and they were able to get out and walk for help.

“I feel a little embarrassed about this but we’re alive. It could have been much, much worse,” said Dayboll in the comfort of a passerby’s truck.

The incident took place less than a hundred metres from the mouth of the Wasi River on Lake Nipissing.

Locals believe there was a solid foot of ice until the January thaw Wednesday and Thursday saw another torrent of water rush down the river and into the lake.

The fresh metre of water formed another treacherous layer of ice overnight.

“We were in a blizzard, a whiteout, and couldn’t see 50 feet in front of us,” said Dayboll.

“We fish this area every winter and we knew the river was there but we didn’t know how close we were.

“We just couldn’t see. We knew we were in trouble when we saw a fishing shack half tipped over.

‘Up to our knees’

“The ice just started giving way and it kept getting worse. Then we were in it and started going down. We were up to our knees when we touched.”

Dayboll and Ted Rienzo, 33, walked about a kilometre to Wasi Road (Highway 654) where they started frantically waving their hands in the air.

Andy Chayer, Vernon Gebhart and his son, Dennis — on their way to go ice fishing — stopped when they saw the two men on the road.

They pulled the soaked and frozen boots off the two men and had them sit in Chayer’s truck to get warm.

The frozen boots were sitting in a snowbank.

Officers with the Ontario Provincial Police and members of the Callander Fire Department arrived and headed out for the third man.

Eyewitnesses said he insisted on staying with his machine.

“It’s an old one so I really don’t understand,” said Dayboll.

“His name is Rob and he’s in his 40s. I don’t know how to spell his last name.”

He was rescued by police and fire officials while others worried about hypothermia problems.

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Guest Brian Laketrout Cuthbertson
Locals believe there was a solid foot of ice until the January thaw Wednesday and Thursday saw another torrent of water rush down the river and into the lake.

The fresh metre of water formed another treacherous layer of ice overnight.

“We were in a blizzard, a whiteout, and couldn’t see 50 feet in front of us,” said Dayboll.

“We fish this area every winter and we knew the river was there but we didn’t know how close we were.

“We just couldn’t see. We knew we were in trouble when we saw a fishing shack half tipped over.

‘Up to our knees’

“The ice just started giving way and it kept getting worse. Then we were in it and started going down. We were up to our knees when we touched.”

7035[/snapback]

Can you say stupid :dunno:

Rick do you know them :huh:

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