A boat seen floating across Wood Lake, May 18, 2021.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Anna Howes
May 19, 2021 - 4:06 PM
An abandoned boat with a seen floating across Wood Lake in the Okanagan can be removed within 30 days if an owner isn’t found, according to Transport Canada.
Posts in a Lake Country Facebook group showed the boat with a Caya Largo logo drifting across Wood Lake yesterday, May 18, before it came to rest on the shore across from Tween Lakes Resort.
“Transport Canada and the Canadian Coast Guard have the authority to enforce the Wrecked Abandoned and Hazardous Vessels Act," Transport Canada spokesperson Simon Rivet said in an email statement. "An adrift vessel should be reported to the Canadian Coast Guard, along with information such as the type, size, and any identification markers.
"The Canadian Coast Guard will assess and if determined that it does not pose a pollution risk or hazard, Transport Canada will be notified.”
Glen Downey, owner of Marine Wreckers a boat disposal service, said once abandoned boats are reported to Transport Canada and the RCMP they can be salvaged.
Downey currently has one boat in the salvage yard, but expects to see more after yesterday’s windstorm. Some people without boat insurance will also abandon their boats as it costs to dispose of them, he said.
As an example, it costs more than $300 to dispose of a 27-foot boat, he said, but cost vary depending on size and weight.
Transport Canada will identify and notify the owner to retrieve their boat if it's reported, Rivet said.
"If no owner can be located and Transport Canada is able to determine that the vessel has been abandoned, Transport Canada will then issue a public notice to alert the owner and the community that action to retrieve and secure the vessel will be taken in 30 days," Rivet said. "At that time and depending on the condition of the vessel, it may be sold or disposed of."
Jocelyn Noseworthy, media relations officer with the Kelowna RCMP, said no reports were made to the RCMP about the vessel and the RCMP does not become involved unless there's a public safety concern.
Adrift boats can be reported to the Canadian Coast Guard at 1-800-889-8852.
More information on boat disposal services can be found through the Boating B.C. Association's website here.
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