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Deep Bay barge owner doesn’t want to be the first to go

In an interview with the Undercurrent last Friday morning, March 16, Ian Thornett, the man who owns the large landing barge that has sat for over a year in Deep Bay, spoke about his boat, his commitment to being a good neighbour and his feelings abou

In an interview with the Undercurrent last Friday morning, March 16, Ian Thornett, the man who owns the large landing barge that has sat for over a year in Deep Bay, spoke about his boat, his commitment to being a good neighbour and his feelings about his choice to moor there.

Thornett is a first mate on tugs. He is from Nanaimo, has lived elsewhere on Vancouver Island and has recently moved to Port Alberni.

He was on Bowen he comes often to put zincs on his barge and had it on the beach for the night while he and his cousin, Bruce, did the work.

Thornett seems an honorary member of the live-aboard community of boaters in Deep Bay. He knows those who live there year-round and he fits in nicely, he says. "The lifers from this island aren't gonna let me in if I'm an idiot," he maintains. "They'd squeeze me out in some way. I'm abiding by the same rules as every other boat in this bay."

Long-time islander Huck Henneberry echoed that in a talk the previous day. He said those who live on boats accept Thornett because he's a good guy and isn't breaching any etiquette there. Henneberry's boat is next to Thornett's and the two are in frequent cell phone contact; if something goes wrong, Henneberry, and another local, are there.

The boat has broken free and beached on at least two occasions, each time, Thornett says, because someone cut the ties on purpose. That won't happen again, he insists, not with the two large cement anchors he now has. The anchors were purchased on Bowen, and his friends nearby keep watch.

How did Ian Thornett come to own a landing barge, and why? The story wouldn't be complete without noting the tragedy in his life. Thornett recounted that in November of 2004, his wife Michelle, and their four-year-old son, Seth, were driving in Nanaimo when they were hit by a man being chased by police. The driver of the other vehicle had taken his two-year-old daughter without authorization and had threatened her life. That man, who died in the crash, drove over the line into Michelle Thornett's car. While the man's daughter survived, as did Thornett's wife - she required a lengthy stay in hospital - young Seth did not. He died days after the crash.

Thornett's marriage didn't survive the tragedy (although he remains close to Michelle and their daughter) and not long after it ended, he moved to Tofino. During that period, he bought the barge, he said, as a "make-work project" to help him move on. He got the former U.S. military barge from a private dealer in Deep Bay on Vancouver Island, south of Comox.

Never an idle man, Thornett has done extensive repairs and additions, including building a wheelhouse complete with two rooms with beds and a fridge and stove. He did the designing, the welding and virtually all the work himself. He considers the boat to be a pleasure boat and has it registered as such. It takes six gallons of gas per engine per hour to run; he only runs two of the four engines onboard at any given time.

He says to his knowledge he's not in breach of any law "I'm not here to harm anybody." Bowen by-law officer Bonnie Brokenshire came along and simply gave him a talk about cleaning up after himself and not damaging the beach. The meeting seemed amicable.

Both Thornett and Henneberry say their boats have holding tanks and they don't pollute.

They have nothing to do with the sunken boat that sits only yards off the beach and do not condone it. They say to become a part of the community a boater has to be responsible and leaving your boat submerged is not acceptable.

The boaters have their own complaints. Henneberry says three of their small boats, used to get to shore and back, were stolen in February; he saw dolly marks on the beach area and believes someone came along in the evening and hauled them off. The thefts, which he reported to the police, cost him money.

Generous by nature, Thornett gives tours of his barge to anyone who comes along and expresses an interest in having a look. He also helps other boaters set their anchors and while here this time, he helped one recover a boat engine that had fallen off in a storm and sank. To him it's what boaters do for one another.

Thornett allows that others sometimes live on his barge and admits one was not sanitary. But he read him the riot act and is adamant it won't happen again. He does not seem averse to people living on his boat but insists on a code of conduct. He relies on others to keep him informed.

He could not find moorage under $1100 a month and having been a commercial prawn fisherman knew the area and that boats were here year-round. He does intend to take his landing barge closer to home, perhaps as early as next month, but in the meantime he does not see any reason he should go, not unless there's a law that can be produced which everyone must abide by.

"If I have to leave, fine, but I don't want to be the first to go," Thornett said. "What about all the other boats out here?"