Large Fierce Mammal

The generally held definition of a “survival knife” is a knife that is carried for the express purpose of facilitating the longevity of its owner in a situation wherein the shit has hit the fan. Internet forums on the subject abound with recommendations and equipment reviews, and I have my own opinions on the subject. Nevertheless, it cannot be denied that in its truest definition, the “perfect survival knife” is the knife you actually have in your possession, and are able to employ successfully, at the moment of your most dire need.

Case in point – the beautifully crafted Opinel knife. Opinel knives like the one pictured here are made in France to an ancient design. The handle is simple slotted wood without special liner or other embellishment. The locking mechanism is a very basic twist collar that does not self-activate like the folding knives most of us are used to, leaving it up to the user to decide when or if the blade needs to be locked open. Opinels have a reputation for swelling shut in damp conditions. They are criticized by some as structurally weak. I personally find them attractive, elegant, and effective in their intended realm of use, but they are certainly not the picture of the “perfect survival knife” as it floats in the mind of many a modern bushman … and yet I personally know of a group of men who are alive today because the Opinel carried by one of their number was there to be called upon to serve in the role of survival knife du jour. Only that knife in the hour of need and no other.

The men were crew members on the Cape Aspy, a scallop dragger out of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia that capsized and sank just after midnight more than 100 kilometers off  shore on 30 January 1993. Our hero had just bought his Opinel a few days before, and had it in the pocket of his jeans. When the ship started to founder, the crew had very little time to get into their survival suits. On deck, they deployed the life raft that, after a struggle against strong winds to even get it over the side, successfully inflated and righted itself, and they all jumped into the black swells of the freezing Atlantic to board it.

Out of a crew of 16 souls, three were found dead while two more were declared missing and presumed dead. It is believed that neither of the latter two ever left the ship. Reports from survivors are that both were visible to them through the windows of the wheelhouse shortly before she went down, and neither man was wearing survival gear.

Those who made it into the raft now considered the fact that it was still tethered to the ship. They had been told that the tether would automatically tear away from the raft if the vessel went down, but at a time like that the mind wonders about the words of trainers who spoke them on dry land on a bright summer day.

As the ship began to heel, and with the tether line tightening with no sign of releasing on its own, my friend unzipped his survival suit and wormed his hand to the Opinel in his jeans. With his crewmates holding his legs while his off hand gripped the raft for dear life, he leaned out the boarding port, pulled the knife open with his teeth, and used it to cut the tether. Now, in an inflated raft that was bouncing like crazy, leaning arm extended over the dark ocean, he had to decide what to do next. Folding or bringing that blade back inside a crowded inflated raft wasn’t an option so, I am told with a pang of regret, he let it go. The knife gave its life to save its Master and his comrades. As good a knife story as I’ve ever been told.

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