A derelict 37-foot boat that has been an eyesore and a source of frustration for over six months on the edge of Saanichton Bay at James Island Wharf was finally removed from the water on Friday, July 4, thanks to the initiative of the Tsawout Nation.
The removal of the boat 'Waterfront' was spearheaded by Tsawout Nation Fisheries manager and principal negotiator Chrissy Chen, who seized the opportunity while coordinating the deployment of a crucial marine resource management buoy.
"The nation members are angry and community members are angry. They want it gone,” said Chen, highlighting the widespread discontent the abandoned vessel had caused.
Coincidentally, Chen and her team were on Saanichton Bay deploying "Quant Junior," a buoy designed to help the nation monitor and manage its marine territory and resources.
"Quant is the Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area (IPCA) name, meaning we look after and protect," Chen explained."We deployed the buoy so we could keep an eye on what's going on in the marine waters and salinity, the weather and temperature.”
The buoy's deployment involved months of coordination with agencies such as the Coast Guard and Fisheries and Oceans Canada, requiring a team of divers, a tugboat, barge, and crane operators.
Seeing the resources available, Chen proposed leveraging them to remove the derelict boat that had washed ashore.
Tim Turcot, a Tsawout resident, witnessed the removal, which began with divers attaching straps underneath the sunken vessel.
"That started at 10 a.m. when the divers got here," Turcot said. After the barge completed its work setting up the new buoy, it arrived around 1 p.m. and it took approximately two hours for the 150-tonne crane to hoist the 51,000-pound boat from the water.
Residents living near the jetty expressed their relief at seeing the boat gone, having witnessed its deterioration over time, including the scattering of debris such as a washer, dryer, refrigerator and chairs.
The owner of the boat has been contacted many times and was warned of the big storm that came in November 2024 but Chen and her team never got a response.
