A Yukon canoe trip was booked via our travel agent in the UK. It was advertised as suitable for beginners/novices so we all felt in good hands.
Pickup from the hotel was on time and we headed for the shop/office. We signed the waiver forms and got fitted with paddles and life vests. Then we walked the 100m to the Yukon river bank. The river was flowing pretty fast with lots of visible eddies but we were told this is normal and the wind was quite gusty. Our guide had his dog with him and it was verging on manic! It was large and very excitable keep running off causing the guide to keep chasing to get it back and under control. The instruction briefing was limited to how to manage/steer the canoe but did NOT include and safety points; ie. what to do if we get into trouble or out of control, what if we capsize and are in the cold water etc. The group was 6 people, our party was 4 plus a Japanese couple who didnot really understand what was being said. One couple per canoe plus the guide and his dog in the 4th boat. Once in the canoe it very quickly became apparant how fast he river was moving. Within less than 5 mins our canoe was out front and several hundred metres downstream. It was hard work to stop the canoe from bering spun around by the eddies and the gusty wind. We decided to try and stop on the bank and wait for the other 3 canoes. During this process we were spun around and hit by a strong gust which started to tilt the canoe. Despite trying to overt disaster the canoe started to take on water and rapidly capsized leave use both in the cold fast moving Yukon! After the initial shock of the cold water we eventually managed to swim to a shallower part of the river closer to the bank and waited for help. The guide in his canoe appeared after a few minutes. His main concern seemed to be the safety and retrieval of the now submerged canoe close to the bank. We spent the next 10 mins getting the canoe emptied and hoisted up a steep bank to safety. While we were both now safe but still ankle deep in water the guide called the office to arrange support pickup for us. He then took-off to regroup with the other 2 canoes further downstream. The Japanse canoe then had problems and another 10 mins later the complete tour was cancelled. The response from the team in the office was an attitude of "you signed the waiver and i've got your money, so tough!" There was no apology or any sign of concern for our well being. Not a company I would recommend as they do not take their clients safety very seriously.