On March 14th 1972, the 21 year-old M.V. Vanlene freighter vessel carrying 300 Dodge Colts from Japan blindly entered the Barkley Sound; believing they were in the Juan de Fuca Strait. The Vanlene ended up running aground on the rocks off of Austin Island, largely due to the vessel having no more than a compass to navigate its way across the Pacific Ocean. This fact, as well as a thick spring fog coating the whole West Coast made sailing the freighter into the Juan de Fuca St