In Spill, author Dave Anderson imagines what might happen if a container ship grounds off Stuart Island, and a spill of bunker fuel rapidly spreads in the Salish Sea. If you’ve ever worried about such a disaster, then join Dave Anderson for a reading and discussion at the San Juan Island Library on Wednesday evening, Aug. 31,at 7 pm.

The Strander family, vacationing on a sailboat, watches in disbelief as a container ship grounds on the rocks off Stuart Island. Will they be able to help turn back the orcas that are heading for the deadly bunker oil oozing from the torn hull? Can they help put a boom in place to keep the tide from pushing the oil into the pristine waters? Will Sidney, on her jet ski, be able to rescue kayakers surrounded by the fast drifting oil? When the ship explodes and ignites a fire on Stuart Island, will the Sea Scout troop make it to safety? Will Mr. Sander recover after his near drowning when he plunges into the gooey mess trying to rescue an oiled river otter?

Anderson’s tension-filled novel illustrates what can happen when a relatively small spill of bunker oil spreads in the islands, right at the time there is pressure to permit a six-fold increase in mammoth tanker traffic in the Haro Strait and Salish Sea. The effects of such a spill would be widespread, destroying that pristine environment, including orcas and other marine life.

Anderson is a former small animal veterinarian and commercial fisherman. He and his wife Karen live on Whidbey Island