Editor,

On Saturday, Jan. 24, I had the misfortune of capsizing my canoe in Oak Harbor. I was unable to re-board on my own.

The water was, of course, very cold, and what might have been a tragedy was averted by fast and effective response by bystanders, a boater and local police, fire department and emergency personnel, as well as a number of civilian bystanders.

The assistance not only included my rescue, but extended to loading my canoe onto my car, wrapping me in blankets and offering me a ride to medical help, and even a police followup a few hours later to confirm that I was all right.

I apologize for not catching any names, but I want to sincerely thank all of you for your badly needed assistance.

The helpfulness and fine community spirit of Oak Harbor was amply demonstrated in this incident.

Once again, thank you all.

Bob Pinnell

Oak Harbor