Vancouver Island residents alarmed after winds push huge vessel close to shore

Vancouver Island residents were startled by a huge bulk carrier being buffeted by strong winds not far from their homes on Thursday morning.

“It was dangerously close to our shore at Arbutus Ridge by Hatch Point,” said ­Marilyn ­Gourley, who lives on the ­waterfront near Mill Bay on Vancouver Island.

“We were all ­emailing each other in our community here that we were all quite scared about this ship.”

Gourley and other residents of Arbutus Ridge, in the Cobble Hill area north of Mill Bay, feared the 752-foot-long Michalis had dragged its anchor in high winds and could hit a nearby fuel depot to the west.

“We’ve had very strong winds here on our shore,” said Gourley, who noticed the ship about 7:45 a.m.