Boat Explosion On Salt Spring Island

 By Maryanna Gabriel 

Not the most relaxing walk. 

I have been working hard with the writing. So I scribbled this note to myself last night and left it on the kitchen counter to make sure I did it. Today, for some reason I did not park where I normally do. I drove to the ocean and parked where I never do. Definitely weird given the theme of my last blog. 

With a loud BOOM, black smoke spumed from a boat off of Hudson Point. I could see pleasure boats turning and stream towards it but there was nothing they could do. That guy is a goner. As I stood and watched, the smoke funneled upward like a tornado. The air reeked. 

Along came the fire engines. Four of them. I didn't even know we had that many on Salt Spring Island. The ambulance came without a siren or lights on. Not a good sign. They all converged at the spot I normally park on. Thank goodness I was not caught in the middle of it. 

The odd thing is, this is the fourth emergency call in a very short time. First the lumberyard went up in flames, then a resort quite close to where this accident is caught on fire, and now this.

It is a relief to come home to my peaceful forest without much excercise, but at least I managed to find some raspberries on a roadside stand. A bit of comfort.