Single Older Woman – Canadian Vacations – Wood Islands Ferry -Travel Day

July 22,2022

Today is travel day back to Nova Scotia, courtesy of the Northumberland Ferries.

I packed up the car and bid adieu to the owners of Lighthouse Beach and Motel and made my way back along the Eastern Coastal drive to Wood Islands Ferry Terminal. Another glorious, sunny warm day – hopefully I’ll have a nicer view for the crossing today.

I was booked on the 11:30 ferry crossing and arrived in Wood Islands at 10:00. With an hour to spare, I made my way to the local Lighthouse and stopped in to the tourist boutique and chatted with the ladies there.

I made my way to the Ferry boarding queue, secured the vehicle and mulled around the parking lot with the hundreds of other passengers to await our Ferry.

As we all watched our Ferry approach the dock, there was a commotion at the ramps. Something was wrong…..I smelled smoke, before I saw smoke, then as the Ferry got closer, we all gasped – the Ferry was on fire!! Dark smoke was billowing out from the top deck of the vessel and it did not abate. All of us watched in horror, as the vessel had to retreat back into the open waters.

Ferry terminal staff were busy shouting orders, screaming into their walkie talkies and trying to instruct the throngs of passengers to go back to your vehicles. At this point, the vessel had moved alongside a small “island of sorts” and dropped anchor, but not before we all observed the orange evacuation ladders being tossed out of the boat….. I stood there transfixed……now what? how long will this take? what sort of delay will there be? How long will it take to evacuate everyone? Is there another ferry coming instead?

After a few minutes, the terminal staff confirmed that our ferry would not be sailing today and everyone would have to make alternate arrangements to get to where they had to go. This took me a minute to process – I would have to drive to Charlottetown and make the trip across the Confederation Bridge, to get back to Truro.

Once I left the parking lot, I checked in with my sister, let her know what was happening, as surely, this would make it on the news, back in Ontario.I started my drive to Charlottetown. Fortunately, my bff Stacey and I drove across the bridge in 2018, so I knew what to expect. Now though, I would traverse it on my own.

The eerie reality of this experience hit me, as I drove the route back.

Think about it – how many times, whilst you drive around your community, do you see/hear an ambulance, a fire truck, a police car, etc. You don’t really pay attention to what tragedy has befallen some family….. But I knew – pick up truck, volunteer ambulance, cars with boats attached were all making their way to the Ferry Terminal to assist the police and fireman, etc, with the injured, the scared, the seniors, the children that needed to be taken off that stricken vessel. Those images are forever ingrained in my memories. As I neared the bridge entrance, a few friends texted to check in – was I on that boat? Well no, I would have been on that boat for the return to Caribou.

I paid the bridge toll and drove across for the 12 minute trip. Blue skies, sun and the glistening water, as I made my way into New Brunswick. I stopped into the Tourist Info Ctr once in Nova Scotia to stretch my legs and grab some water.

I arrived at my hotel just after 5:30 pm and took stock of the many food items that perished in the car – the juice, the yogurt, the choc milk, the strawberries.

The cooler I had was sufficient to keep things cold for an hour or so, but the stuff had now been in the car for almost 8 hours. To dispose of them was of no consequence, all things considered.

Footnote – I would learn later that the Ferry Service between the two provinces did not become operational again for 2 weeks. All those passengers lost luggage and some even lost their vehicles…..I can’t imagine what I would have had to do, if I was in that situation – driving a rental car and being so far away from home. I said many prayers of thanks that evening and felt very grateful that I was okay. Three weeks later, I also received an email from Northumberland Ferries saying I would be getting a full refund for the trip – for the trip from NS to PEI and then the cancelled trip. A nice gesture on their part.

Thank for reading and for letting me share.

Joye