Cascadia: An Epic Journey of Survival

By Darlene Weir

This enthralling adventure is set in British Columbia, Canada, and is a fictional account of a serious earthquake, which is predicted at some point in the future. The Wallis family find themselves literally thrown into danger when the quake occurs and three generations take to the sea in an open boat, hoping to find refuge in their seagoing vessel, Sea Lure. How they meet life-threatening situations and manage to survive makes for an exciting story.

This disaster tale is told by Angie, the thirteen-year-old daughter who is an entirely credible narrator who draws us in and holds our interest throughout. It is clear from the prelude that they do make it to Sea Lure, but that is only the beginning of their struggles. Discovering within themselves resources of courage and determination, which they were not aware they possessed, the family faces threats from elements, as well as from people caught up in the disaster. Cascadia is a very enjoyable and satisfying read.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Nov 27, 2017
• ISBN: 9781543467642

Darlene Weir

Darlene Weir's depictions of the coastal British Columbia backdrop along with her astute understanding of human nature create a strong underpinning for this action-packed adventure.

Book preview

Copyright © 2017 by Darlene Weir.

ISBN:                Softcover                        978-1-5434-6763-5

                          eBook                             978-1-5434-6764-2

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 06/11/2019

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CONTENTS

PRELUDE

PART ONE: THE JOURNEY

Chapter 1: The Quake

Chapter 2: The River

Chapter 3: The Fog

Chapter 4: The Crossing

Chapter 5: Silva Bay

Chapter 6: Killer Whales

Chapter 7: Nanaimo

Chapter 8: Decisions Made

PART TWO: SURVIVAL

Chapter 9: The Boat Thieves

Chapter 10: The Thieves’ Lair

Chapter 11: The Circle of Protection

Chapter 12: Newcastle Island

Chapter 13: The Rescue

Chapter 14: The Retaliation

Chapter 15: The Meeting

Chapter 16: Rallying The Troops

Chapter 17 The Farm

Chapter 18: The Attack

Chapter 19: Fun Day at The Park

Chapter 20: Enough is Enough

Chapter 21: The Surprise

Chapter 22: The Raid

Chapter 23: The Patient

PART THREE: NEW BEGINNINGS

Chapter 24: The Plane

Chapter 25: The Boat Guests

Chapter 26: The Family Reunion

Chapter 27: The Squall

Chapter 28: The Mob

Chapter 29: The Tent City

Chapter 30: The Miracle

Chapter 31: The Plan

Chapter 32: Squatters

Chapter 33: Reflections

POSTSCRIPT

To my wonderful Husband and Best Friend Gordon.

Thank you for your support and unconditional love.

And a special thank you to my beautiful mother,

loving family

and amazing friends who are always there with encouragement

and laughter. I’m so lucky to have you all in my life.

PRELUDE

Sea Lure—a feeling of wonder and overwhelming joy spreads through me—safety, how good that feels. Sea Lure has survived the last, harrowing, scary few days and is ready to welcome this bruised and hungry family into its hold. We stop our rowing and look at her in awe. I don’t know if there are any words to describe how relieved I feel—how we all must feel—to have made it here. We have a home.

Who would have believed four days ago, in the blink of an eye, our normal, safe life could be turned so upside down? Here we are sitting in a small boat feeling relief after enduring one of the most frightening experiences that one could encounter. As a family, we have overcome many obstacles and can only hope that countless others have found a way to do the same. The extent of damage bestowed on our part of the world is still unknown but, now that we have reached our destination, it should all be revealed.

From a distance, the marina that Sea Lure is moored at looks to be intact, but as we row closer we can see the fearful time they must have had here. Many of the docks have come apart–boats are lying on their side in the water, a few washed up on the beach but it is also heartening to see that so many have survived. Sea Lure has an outside berth and, from the look of her, you can tell she has weathered this storm better than most.

As we pull closer we realize all is not perfect. She has a rather large hole on her port side. Dad is mumbling to himself but loud enough for us all to hear. Thank God, it’s just below the deck. We can fix that.

More scrutiny of the port side reveals a lot of scratches, which, we can only surmise, are the result of a boat or debris that came loose and rammed her and dragged itself down her hull. One of the plastic windows on her upper deck is torn and blowing in the wind and the kayaks have come out of their cradle on the aft deck and are dangerously close to falling overboard. But, despite the damages, Sea Lure is floating handsomely. She has never looked so good to us.

Sea Lure is my parents’ beautiful 51-foot Monk design, pilothouse motor yacht, built of cedar and mahogany in Silva Bay, British Columbia. The design is very Pacific Northwest, made to withstand the extreme winds and waves that are prevalent on the West Coast. Over the ten years that they have owned her, we have experienced many adventures as a family and now she is to become our sanctuary. Sea Lure is moored in Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, but we live on the other side of the Strait of Georgia in Richmond, 35 nautical miles away.

We have just completed the most incredible journey from Richmond to Nanaimo in an eighteen-foot launch, rowing across the Strait of Georgia through one encumbrance after another. We faced all the elements—wind, rain, fog, and waves as well as encountering wildlife in all its forms—this is an experience that will be permanently etched in our brains.

The weather is even cooperating, helping to lift our spirits even more. The sun is now peeking through the clouds and warming our wet and dirty bodies. In the distance, you can see a line in the sky that shows a northwesterly wind is on its way and that will bring us warm, sunny skies as well as a bit of wind to help dry everything out.

We made it! Such an understatement from my brother Kurt.

Oh man, I can’t wait to have a shower and a good cup of coffee, Mom says as she gazes admiringly at the boat.

A shower. Wonderful. To change out of these filthy nightclothes will feel like heaven. I can’t believe I’ve worn a nightgown, robe, and slippers for four days. This statement came from my brave grandmother who took this amazing journey in stride and without complaint.

Sounds good to me to. Dad says as he scrutinizes the dock. Look at the wharf Sea Lure is tied to. Not much is holding it together. We’ll need to use caution when stepping on it—looks unstable.

Aye, aye, Captain. What’s your plan? I’m so ready to get out of this waterlogged boat. My brother Harry, with a big smile on his face, salutes Dad. I think he grew into a man over the last few days, he was one brave soul on this journey. Actually, both my brothers were very courageous. I have tremendous respect for them, although I will never tell them that. It just might go to their heads.

All of us are anxious to be clean, dry, and have a warm bed to sleep in. After sleeping on the ground for three nights and travelling in our launch for four days, we need familiarity, a feeling of security, and sleep. It looks like we will all have it soon.

My family consists of two brothers, Harry, 15 and Kurt, 17. Both are tall for their age. Harry has red hair like Dad and Kurt takes after Mom’s side of the family with dark hair and complexion. My girlfriends all say they are cute, but I don’t see it. They can be pests. My parents, Doug and Megan, are amazing. Dad’s family comes from a Scottish heritage background and Mom is a mixture of French, Native Canadian, and Welsh—it makes for interesting stories.

Dad also has red hair and blue eyes and Mom is tall and statuesque with black/brown hair and brown/greenish eyes. My grandmother, Mary, is Mom’s mother and a real trooper. She managed to weather all the misfortunes in stride. Tragically, we lost Grandpa two years ago to cancer–we all miss him so much. He would have loved this adventure being the iconic outdoorsman.

My name is Angelina—Angie is what most people call me and I’m fourteen years old. Well, almost fourteen—I have five weeks to go. I’m also tall for my age and very lanky, with reddish brown hair and brown/greenish eyes like Mom. We are the Wallis family and this is our story.

PART ONE

THE JOURNEY

The lure of the sea is a wonderful temptation,

Always in motion, it’s never at rest.

For those of us that love the attraction,

There’s adventure out there that brings out our best.

CHAPTER ONE

The Quake

It all started on a Thursday. I awoke on a beautiful fall day at the end of September to the smell of oatmeal cooking on the stove. I love fall—nice warm days and cooler nights. Mom believes in making a hardy breakfast to start our day. This morning it’s oatmeal, toast, and fruit.

Ugh! It is six o’clock in the morning.

I can hear my brothers complaining downstairs about the time. Why can’t we be like normal people and get up at seven? whines Harry.

The dogs need their walk and breakfast is almost ready. Hop to it, Mom calls down to them.

Kurt’s yawning could be heard. Harry, at least it’s not raining. Would you mind doing the dogs yourself this morning? I want to read my report one more time.

I just knew you were going to say that—tomorrow is your turn.

Fair enough. Thanks, Bro.

Breakfast is ready you two, so let’s move it, Mom calls from the kitchen.

Our house is a two-story rectangular box. There are three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a large living room, and dining room with a smallish kitchen and sunroom on the top floor. The veranda off the kitchen was enclosed a few years ago to create this nice sunny room. The downstairs area has a good size TV room and two more bedrooms. It also has another bathroom, big laundry room, and a large entryway. There’s lots of room for everyone.

We live in Richmond, a nice community mostly situated on Lulu Island. The Vancouver Airport is on nearby Sea Island. We are surrounded by different parts of the mighty Fraser River. The Fraser originates in British Columbia’s interior and joins the Strait of Georgia in Richmond. The Fraser separates into three parts at its mouth, called the North Arm, South Arm, and Middle Arm. Each arm has dikes built up to ensure that, when we have our spring runoff, the water does not encroach into the city. The surrounding area is very flat.

When I enter the kitchen, Mom is holding her morning coffee and leaning against the counter. She has a little smile on her face despite the confusion and complaining going on around her. Love this coffee, she says. It’s good and strong—just what I need to get me going.

Dad is sitting at the table writing what looks like a list. Hey, Meg? Would you mind stopping at the hardware store on your way home? The launch needs some work and, if I’m going to redo the seats, I’ll need some more screws. The boating season is almost over and Dad is getting ready for his favourite pastime—working with wood. Our runabout is a lovely eighteen-foot mahogany Launch and, like Sea Lure, also made of wood, this gives Dad a lot of opportunities to enjoy his hobby.

What do you say we go to Nanaimo this weekend and check on Sea Lure? He then looks over at the TV. The weather is on. Looks like we have a change coming. Maybe we should consider putting on the winter cover early this year.

Every chance we get from May to September we head to our boat and cruise in the Gulf Islands for the weekend. The best is when our one-month holiday starts and we go farther afield to Desolation Sound or the Broughtons, both very popular cruising areas for boaters.

Mom is now packing lunches for everyone; the smile is gone and she looks back at Dad. We need to clean the freezer on the upper deck. I know we have quite a bit of meat left from the summer and the fridge freezer needs to be emptied as well. Last time we were at the boat we forgot to get the vegetables out of the bilge storage, hope they haven’t gone bad.

Mom stops for a minute. How about waiting until Thanksgiving to put the winter cover on? It’s only two weeks away. I’m sure we’ll make another trip over then. Let’s bring the food home this trip and everything else home thanksgiving weekend to be laundered and stored for the winter. I had hoped to go shopping for a dress today, she continues with a sigh. I’ll go tomorrow. My cousin, Tom is getting married and Mom has been trying for days to shop for a dress. I’ll stop after work and pick up a few things we need for the house as well as get your supplies. Turning to her mother, she asks, Is there anything you need that I can pick up for you? I’m stopping by the pharmacy.

My grandmother is in her housecoat watching the morning news in the sunroom off the kitchen—a daily routine. She is having a few problems with her joints and feeling generally achy. The doctor thinks arthritis is the cause. It seems to come and go, but despite this, she looks amazing for 75 years young. I’m okay, dear. I can’t think of a thing right now. I would like to get my hair cut tomorrow. That’s your day off isn’t it? Grandma has beautiful grey hair cut in a bob and is very fussy about it. I would like to do some shopping, too. I think I’ll look for a new outfit for the wedding as well.

I’ll be home by four. If you think of anything we can pick it up tomorrow. Mom looks over at Grandma. Mom, do you want to come with us to the boat this weekend?

Thanks for the offer but I think I’ll stay home. I’m going to start on a new sweater for Angie. There’s a lovely new pattern I found that would look great on her. It calls for various shades of yellow.

Kurt saunters into the kitchen looking totally dragged out. He must have been working on the computer quite late. He has a big report to give to his science class today. Not sure what it’s supposed to be about, but I think it is something to do with airplane travel through space—beats me how those big, heavy planes stay up there. Dad teaches at the Aeronautical Space School in Richmond and Kurt is very much interested in this form of technology as well.

We all leave the house each day by seven thirty. Mom & Dad both start work by eight, so if we want a ride rather than walking to school, we need to be ready. Dad gets dropped off first, then the three of us—easy for Mom as we all go to the same school. We have two cars but it’s more economical to use one, Dad says, forever the frugal Scotsman.

Kurt! Harry! You have ten minutes to finish your breakfast and get ready for school, Mom shouts from the hallway.

Lucky me. I’m ready to go and this is not because I’m organized or anything. I’m just excited to get to school. My friends and I are making plans for the weekend. We’re having a sleepover at Bridget’s house in a tent outside. We need to make a list of the food we’ll need for our outdoor dinner. Our first time using a portable stove seems a little daunting, but at least Bridget’s parents will be around if we have a problem. It suddenly dawns on me that Mom and Dad said this weekend they were going to the boat. "I can still sleep at Bridget’s house this weekend, can’t I?

Of course dear, that’s Saturday, right? We’ll be leaving after work on Friday, but Grandma will be here with you.

Dad is getting restless and says he’ll meet us at the car. Mom is trying to get all of us organized and out of the house. With our backpacks stuffed with lunch and schoolbooks, we say goodbye to Grandma and the dogs, Shan and Dolly, our cute little Shih Tzu’s. They are full of energy when we’re all at home but Grandma says they sleep most of the day when we’re gone.

As I head down the stairs to the entrance, my legs start wobbling and I fall on my backside. The stairs are swaying. My backpack flops down the stairs and I manage to grab the banister with both hands. Harry is in front of me and I see him slide to the bottom and hit the tile. Kurt is at the top of the stairs yelling for me to ‘watch out’ as he slips on the top stair and almost bowls me over.

Grandma yells from the sunroom, Oh my God, oh my God, what’s happening? The dishes, ornaments, and furniture crashing to the floor are making a dreadful noise and a cracking sound can be heard all around us. The house sounds like it is falling apart. All I could think of is please stop, please stop. Maybe I’m not thinking it—I could be yelling it.

It suddenly stopped. My body continued to shake and it took me a minute to realize that we were no longer moving. The chandelier in the entrance is still swaying and, except for a few shoes thrown around, all looked pretty normal in the hallway. What on earth happened? While I’m trying to get my bearings, Dad rushes into the house from the car yelling that we just had an earthquake. Seeing me shell-shocked on the stairs with Kurt crumpled near me and Harry lying on the floor looking confused, he quickly comes to our aid and gives us a once over, Thank God you’re okay—get outside immediately. Leave everything.

Dad then runs upstairs to Mom and Grandma. I’ve never been one to listen, so I follow him. The living room is in shambles—all the ornaments fell or walked off the tables to the floor. Grandma’s lovely treasures and Mom and Dad’s collectibles are in pieces. Pictures were on the floor or about to fall and two cabinets are lying sideways across the couch and one has split in half. Mom is in the hallway on her knees trying to stand. As I help Mom, Dad runs into the sunroom and lifts Grandma off her chair. He turns and sees me eyeing the wreckage and shakes his head then grabs my arm and pulls me backward after him. I couldn’t take my eyes off the mess. Oh man—there’s a lot of cleaning here to do, I say to no one in particular.

Just as Grandma and I were being ushered—maybe pushed is more like it—through the door, another earth-shattering, fall-on-the-ground, shake happens. The earth is trembling so much that no one has time for the duck and cover position. The noise becomes deafening as car alarms start blaring, then house alarms add their shrieking to the mix. We hear people crying and screaming up the street but we are helpless to respond. As I lie on my back looking up at the sky, I can see the top of the house move over me and then it sways away and there’s this crumbling sound coming from inside. Oh, that can’t be good.

The chimney has collapsed and all the brick is scattered on the ground. We are lucky that no one was hit by flying brick or from the front window as the glass shattered sending shards through the air. The most disturbing thing is I can feel water or maybe it is more like sludge under me.

The quake ends again as quickly as it started. Destruction is everywhere. People are yelling and calling for loved ones. Panic is setting in around us and it feels like a snake crawling up me. I try to stand but this sludge is pulling me back down. The ground looks like liquid. As she walks toward me, Mom’s foot gets stuck in muck and Kurt and Harry are sitting in pools of water. What on earth has happened to our front lawn?

Thankfully, Dad protected Grandma by taking the majority of the fall to the ground—she is lying on top of him looking a little stunned. She is still in her nightclothes and is shivering. We are fortunate to have our coats on, but poor Grandma is not dressed for an autumn day outside. Dad takes his coat off and wraps it around her. I manage to stand, with great difficulty, as Mom finally gets to me.

Surveying the ground, Dad looks at the boys and suddenly yells at them to help him get the launch out of the garage. The garage has two doors and is separated inside by two posts. One half of the garage is open and the car is sitting outside in the driveway, but the door with the launch behind it is still closed. Dad tried the door opener, but, it was obvious, the power was out. They would have to move the boat over to the open door. The posts were going to cause a problem, as they are the same distance apart as the launch is long. The boat is on a trailer so, after moving it back and forth, they manage to get it halfway across to the other stall when it happens again.

Oh, man! Can the house survive another horrible tremblor? Mom and I are holding each other and, because of all the watery muck, manage to stand through this one. Harry is partway through the door of the garage when the quake hit, but Dad and Kurt are still inside.

We watch in horror as part of the garage collapses. Oh, please God. Don’t let them be hurt. Harry slowly rolls over and there’s a big knot on his head—one of the Christmas bins lining up the side wall hit him. We start calling for Dad and Kurt and, thankfully, we hear them groan. Then Dad calls out that he thinks they’re fine. The launch protected them from most of the falling debris.

Only part of the upper deck collapsed—it made up part of the roof of the garage and it fell toward the side yard. Poor Kurt. His old 1974 Cadillac sat there and he was in the process of restoring it—doesn’t look like that will happen now because the collapsed deck is covering it. Most of the pieces that fell inside are the bins stored in the garage, which are easy to move.

All of us are living in fear of another aftershock; Dad and Kurt have to get out of there before another one strikes. A few more bins get moved, and then Dad and Kurt come into view. I’m not sure why Dad wants the launch out of the garage so bad. We should just get into a car and go—I’m not sure where, but it made more sense to me.

Grandma suddenly yells, Where’s Shan and Dolly? They must still be in the house. The front door is askew and blocking the entrance, but I manage to get part of me through the door. There they are, cowering at the top of the stairs, shivering and giving off this sad mewling sound. Thank goodness they look unhurt.

Shan! Dolly! Come down now, I yell. There was no movement. I knew the only way to get them was to go up those stairs and carry them down. Great. I am scared to death of entering the house, but the rescue of our precious pets is more important. I try to be brave. I manage to move the door enough to get my whole body through the entryway. Gosh, that was easier than I thought. Then I realize that Grandma is right there helping me.

I make a mad dash for the stairs, nearly tripping over the chandelier—it must have fallen during the last quake. As I get closer, the dogs start waging their tails. This is not some picnic girls—at least meet me half way. Gingerly, they move to the top of the stairs and I grab them both. Adrenaline takes over. With one under each arm, I race down the stairs. Girls, I think it is time for a diet. I put the dogs down by the door and go to the coat closet and grab a coat for Grandma. We fly through the opening that Grandma made for us just in time for another aftershock.

From my position on the ground—it’s becoming a familiar position now—with the dogs wrapped around me, I can see that progress has been made and our boat is now in the driveway. None too soon as the rest of the garage roof has collapsed. It would have been impossible to get it out of there after that.

There are crumbling sounds all around us and the most unbelievable part is that the ground is getting wetter. Huge puddles are forming and some houses have pools in their front yards. The soil is disappearing and water is appearing on top. It has become obvious that a car would be no good—there are too many holes developing and a widespread watery, sludgy thing happening.

I’m now getting it. The launch may be our only way out. Mom managed to grab our emergency bin that was just inside the garage door. It has water, blankets, and basic essentials. She has also taken the emergency kits from the cars and is storing them in the launch. Harry takes his backpack and throws it in as well.

Grandma gives Dad his coat back and gratefully puts on her own. Our clothes are wet and dirty from the muck in the yard, but at least we are warm.

When we are cruising, the launch is towed behind Sea Lure but she spends the winter in the garage. She is officially known as Tender to Sea Lure and is equipped with a forty horsepower outboard. She has three rows of bench-style seats with a little foredeck that gives us storage beneath. It is going to be very crowded on board with six adults and two dogs, plus provisions.

We’re not sure what’s happening next, but we all seem to have survived the tremblors so far. As I look around the neighbourhood all I see is destruction—there are not many people on the streets and those that are look shell-shocked. There should be more people, we can only hope they have found some sort of shelter. I look at my watch and it is seven fifty in the morning. It took only twenty minutes to create this mess.

We hear a cry for help from the house next door. Our neighbours, Tara and Michael Wilson, are a nice young couple who recently bought their bungalow. Tara is pregnant with their first child. The cry was a woman’s voice—must be Tara. We fly around the hedge to see Michael trapped under a fallen branch. The limb is too heavy for Tara to lift and Michael is out cold.

Dad and the boys rush over to lift the branch off him while Mom heads back to the launch to get a medical kit. There is smelling salt in the kit and she uses that to help revive Michael. If the branch hadn’t been removed, he would most likely drown as more water is rising around us. Mom checks Michael over and he appears to have survived without anything breaking, but she fears that he might have a concussion.

Dad asks Tara if they have something that floats or life jackets.

No I don’t think so, Tara replies.

Kurt, run back to the launch and take two life jackets out, Dad says then turning to Tara. You and Mike need to get to higher ground. I think the river will start to overflow soon. Your house seems to have survived the earthquake, there appears to be no major damage. If you can get to the roof you may stand a chance. The hedge around your house could help protect it when the water comes.

Dad then turns to Michael. Can you stand Mike? Dad and Mom help Michael to his feet and he seems a little woozy.

Yes, I think I can walk, but my chest hurts when I breathe. I might have cracked a rib and I can feel a bump on the back of my head. I must have hit something when I went down.

Michael, do you think you and Tara can get to the roof of your house? I’m afraid this is not over yet. We may have a lot of water to contend with very shortly. I’ve given Tara two life jackets, please put them on. You may need something to help you float if water rises above your house.

God, Doug, that sounds like a nightmare.

"Trust me on this Mike. I think we all need to be prepared. There could be a wave coming and, if the dike collapses, the river will overflow. I have our launch ready to go if needed, but we do not have room for more than our family. I think you’ll find safety on the roof—you should go immediately. If a wave is on its way, it will be here within the next hour.

Mike surveys the ground then looks back at Dad and gives him a hard stare. He then turns to his wife. Alright, Tara. Let’s do what Doug suggests. I think he may be onto something. Doug, can you help me with the ladder before you go?

Dad and Mike retrieve the ladder while Mom helps Tara with her lifejacket. After giving Mom a hug and with Kurt and Harry holding the ladder, Tara starts her climb. Before Mike makes his assent, he turns to Dad. "Doug, I sure hope your wrong about this. Sitting on the roof is not my idea