Ada Wednestiny, Fenruary 2, 1983 - North Shore News |

strictly personal

Instead of settling down to
life on Social Security, he set
off in a 33foot sailboat,
taking the kids, and began
an idyllic existence as live-
aboards along the B.C.
coast.

by Bob Hunter

‘Come quickly, Jesus’

ALMOST TOO LATE is the story of Elmo
Wortman, a 52-year-old divorced father of four
who was forced by rheumatism to quit working as
a carpenter in Washington State.

Certainly, he needed all
the gumption he had when
things finally went wrong on
the unlucky day of February
13, 1979.

It was 4 p.m. when they
cast-oefffrom

I read Wortman’s book
eagerly, having often fan-
tasized about doing the same
thing. He and his kids had
almost no money but they
harvested food from the
beaches, tideflats and water.

At various times, they
survived on as little as $10 a
month. The kids’ coats
seldom had all their buttons,
socks didn’t match, and their
boots often had holes in
them from clambering over
barnacles.

Their sailboat, named
Home, was cramped. But
compared to the alternative -
- food stamps, rent subsidies
and welfare -- the children
loved their wild and free
existence. As for Elmo
Wortman himself, an ex-
Marine, what can you say?
Give him top points for
gumption.

aiming to cross Dixon
Entrance en route to their
temporary base at a float-
house near Port Refugio on
Suemez Island, off the west
coast of Prince of Wales
Island.

I've sailed out from Dixon
Entrance myself. As the
silver veins of the mountains
of the West Coast sink
beneath the waves and the
cold breath of the open Gulf
of Alaska puffs across the
decks, there is a feeling of
being at the edge of the
habitable world.

Dawn came on St.
Valentine's Day for the
Wortman family in a haze of

wind-driven snow. The
weather predictions were
wrong. They'd been caught
in a freak storm. Their

ordeal had begun.
Under the brutal pounding

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of 20-foot waves, the little
boat began to disintegrate.
Bolts holding the mast
sheared under the strain.
The tiller arm snapped and
the puothouse doors were
carned off by the sea.

After three days — the last
day everybody was too sick
from the violent motion of
the boat to eat -- one of his_
three daughters had a pre--

“wornition of land. At mid-
night, under an icy moon,
they found themselves being
washed inexorably towards
an unknown beach.

When they tried to load
their little plastic punt with
supplies it sank, leaving
them no choice but to throw
themselves into the black,
howling sea, protected only
by their floatjackets.

Imagine having to order
your kids into a freezing
ocean. They had to pet clear
of the boat, avoid the rocks,
and in the end = stagger
through the snow on the
beach to the trees.
Weakened by his
rheumatism, Elmo fell
behind and was smashed
against a chiff.

He awoke in daylight,.
freezing and bleeding, alone.

Figuring the kids were
dead, he saw no point in

1388 Main St.
North Van
980-4118

delaying the inevitable, so he
zipped open his coat, ex-
posing his wet clothes to the
wind to speed up the process

of dying.
“Come quickly, Lord
Jesus,” he prayed.

I'm not sure I'd have done
anything differently under
the circumstances. I can
scarcely imagine anybody
reaching a much = more
horrible point.

Yet Wortman
children survived!

I don’t remember reading
anything about their ordeal
when it happened, which is
surprising since theirs is one
of the classic survival yarns
of our time.

To be continued........

and brs

RRSP 10

Alternatives are
needed in W. Van

FROM PAGE A1

Victor Day of Haywood
Avenue, who wrote in a
letter to council that
alternatives to single-family
homes were needed in West
Vancouver to prevent the
decline in population in the
area.

“This is certainly a
problem which must be
looked at,” agreed Edward
McKay, president of the
Ambleside Ratepayers
Association.

But on behalf of the
association he was delighted
with the Keith Road result:

Fixed Term - 15 Months

“This is a great relief to all
the residents and it shows
that the public does have
influence with council. It is
most encouraging,” he said.

Rates subject to change without notice.

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