A St. George's man who was nearly killed when his boat exploded with him on-board yesterday spoke out about his brush with death.

Trust administrator Steven Proctor was on Let it Go when it burst into flames while tied up at Dowling's Marine in St. George's.

"I had planned to do some fishing a few days later, so I went down to Dowling's to fill up the boat," Mr. Proctor said.

"I got down there, I got filled, and I went to start the boat. It started one time, but when I went to pull in the ropes, it cut out which was unusual. That had never happened before."

"I went to start it again, and the second I hit the switch she just went.

"I don't know if the blowers malfunctioned or there was a build-up of vapours or what, but all hell broke loose.

"The force of the blast itself pushed me into the cabin. I had no idea what was happening. Everything happened so fast. I saw the flames, and decided this isn't the place for me, and I jumped off the boat."

Mr. Proctor landed safely in the water however his boat continued to burn at the dock with gas pumps only a few feet away.

Student Kyle Smith was riding a jet ski nearby. He towed the boat, consumed by flames, away from the gas station and into the harbour. "If he hadn't pulled the boat out into the harbour it would have been a catastrophe," Mr. Proctor said.

He escaped with second-degree burns to his arms and legs; the boat was almost completely destroyed in the fire.

Hours later, only the smouldering fibreglass hull was left floating in St. George's Harbour.

While the cause of the fire is still undetermined, Mr. Proctor said: "Looking back, I did absolutely everything right.

"I did all the safety checks. I made sure the blowers were working. There was nothing else I could have done."

He was especially appreciative of those who came to his aid.

"I would really like to thank the staff at Dowling's Marina, the EMTs, the doctors and nurses and the fire service.

"I would also like to thank Kyle Smith for what he did. If he wasn't there at that time, it could have been very, very serious."

For the time being, Mr. Proctor said he's not interested in getting a replacement for Let it Go.

"It's not exactly high on my list of priorities right now," he said.