We had spent the previous few weeks supplying Kuredu and getting ready for the trip. She was fully loaded - food, drink, diesel, propane and other supplies for three weeks in Desolation Sound. The night before we got all the fresh stuff, meat, fruit and veggies and spent till 11:00 pm on the boat packing everything away and making sure she was ready to set off first thing next morning. We considered sleeping on board but decided against it and rather go home, have a good sleep and morning shower and then come to the boat.
I got up early on July 30 and could almost not contain my excitement. This was, after all, the first day of our cruise to Desolation Sound. The first day of our first real vacation together for 9 years. I looked through the skylight in the bathroom to see cloud overhead and thought "Relax Etienne. You're already on holiday. Why go chase everyone out of bed? What would it matter if we arrive in Smugglers Cove at 2:00pm or 3:00pm. Right?"
So we got dressed and ready for the trip. Packed the car and left for the boat, about an hour later than what I had planned. I always carry a handheld in the car if we're on the way out. That way I get the heads-up on weather and other happenings before we leave. I got a call from a client and while on the phone, the VHF went wild, so I turned it down a little and completed the conversation with the client. As I rang off, Christopher called and asked if I had seen what happened at the marina. No, what? A ferry had crashed into it. Our nightmare had begun.
We arrived on the public dock just as the Coast Guard Zodiac arrived. I asked them to check Mikes Boat as I saw him on board the night before. They asked me to come on board and help, which I did. Mike was not on the boat and had apparently just went to the coffee shop for a morning fix and saw the accident from shore. I went aboard Kuredu to shut off the diesel and propane. She was a mess. I asked the Coast Guard to take me back to shore. Media people saw me come ashore and almost swarmed me, thinking that I may know a little more about what happened. I was in almost every newspaper that afternoon and the next day...
Our boat was badly damaged, our holiday was ruined and instead of heading off to Desolation Sound for some much needed R & R, we were caught in negotiations with BC Ferries and their adjusters. We also had to unload Kuredu, the equivalent of a small apartment. She was towed around the corner to Race Rocks where they lifted her out of the water for inspection. We drove over later in the day to go get some stuff off which might have spoiled. It was very, very sad to see her standing there with this huge hole in the port bow. This proved to be the most difficult chore. We loved this boat and despite the fact that there were tarps draped over her smashed hull and glass everywhere inside, Anneline still insisted that we remove our shoes when we came aboard.
It took three weeks of negotiations with Ferry Corporation to reach an acceptable settlement - a new boat. One unexpected benefit of the delay from ferries in settling was that the 2005 run of Meridian 381's had come to an end and they had begun producing the 2006 model, which included several new features and improvements. More on the Kuredu III page.
Rob McKay, Vern and I fetched Kuredu III from Lake Washington (Seattle) and cruised her up. She was a beautiful vessel, like her predecessor.
