After our earlier adventure in the Broughton Lagoon tidal rapids, we really thought the rest of the day would be uneventful. I mean how much craziness can Mother Nature dish out in one day???

 

 

Well, she had more in her…Around 3:30 pm the weather shifted and it was evident a squall was headed our way so we closed up all the canvas and battened down the hatches! Around 4:30 all hell broke loose, no real wind but the thunder was incredible. The first lighting and the huge KABOOM …it was like dynamite going off over our heads. I didn’t even get past counting one one thousand…Sucia and Bentley were both shaking and running for cover. …I uttered a WOW..WHOA as the squall crested from the direction of Broughton Lagoon…Is this an evil place and it’s telling us to beware???

Lighting has a unique smell especially when you are right under a strike. The ozone layer feels alive…within minutes of the first huge kaboom we could smell something burning. The lighting went on for about 20 more minutes and each kaboom got progressively farther away.

As the squall moved away, I stepped out on to the swimstep and noticed smoke drifting out from the opening of the small creek at the back of the cove. WHOA, WOW… the lighting had hit a tree about 200 years from us on shore and tree was on fire. We listened to the snap, crackle pop and could see smoke but no flames coming from deep with in the forest. After some deliberation, Wally hailed the Canadian Coast Guard on the VHF radio as we had no cell reception. He reported the strike and fire as the intensity of the smoke had gotten worse…it was that orange-brown color that unseasoned, pitchy fire wood puts off.

 

 

Wally was on the VHF radio several times as the Canadian Coast Guard took information and relayed it to the Ministry of Forests.  Within another hour, a second rain squall came through damping down the potential fire. There was no threat to us but boy howdy had it been an exciting day…crazy tidal gates, rapids, thunder, lighting and a fire strike just 200 yards away.

 

 

We were still game for a bit more adventure so after dinner when the rain let up we took Bentley in the whaler for a cruise up into Greenway Sound. Moody dark skies, with light pockets made for a beautiful vista. We found the decrepit marine park dock and took Bentley for a short walk up the trail but the misty, dark forest was just too creepy so we headed back to the safety of the warm, crazy Beach House.

 

 

Wally had a final radio call with the Canadian Coast Guard scheduled at 6:00 am the next morning. Geez, don’t they know we are retired…who gets up that early???

It rained off and on all night so the fire danger passed and Wally happily reported no concerns to the Canadian Coast Guard at O’ Dark Thirty in the morning. After all this crazy fun in Greenway Sound, we decided to head for cilivilation…Sullivan Bay Marina was our destination, where we were planning to meet friends from Anacortes, do laundry and some provisioning.