Iceland Volcano a Boon for European Boat Owners

Enterprising British and French boat owners have been raking in the dough the past week, courtesy of Mother Nature. The eruption of Iceland’s glacier-covered Eyjafjallajoekull volcano cast a pall over European skies, forcing airlines to ground flights from the United Kingdom across the breadth of northern Europe. Glass particles in the volcanic ejecta posed a serious threat to jet engines with cancelled flights emptying airports across the continent.

Stranded tourists clogged inland roads and flocked to seaports seeking passage between the France and the U.K. and Europe and Scandinavian countries. Looking to make a profit on a different kind of catch, savvy fisherman turned their boats into impromptu ferries. Fishing boat and private boat owners up and down European coasts and along inland rivers and canals became the new transit kings.

Although the current eruption has finally tapered off enough to allow Heathrow and other international airports to open again this week, geologists warn that the volcano is still erupting and intermittent ejections of dangerous particles and dense smoke are likely to continue. The last eruption of Eyjafjallajoekull in 1821 lasted 13 months.

Some travelers, fearful of the consequences of being air-borne during an eruption, are sticking to boat travel. European leaders are reported to be reviewing the logistics and economics of moving goods by boat or other forms of transportation should the eruption continue.