Harsh winter conditions and icy waters have created many complications for boats floating on the Okanagan over the past week.
On Jan. 14, frigid temperatures and windy conditions in the south Okanagan caused a boat to freeze in the water near the Summerland Beach RV Park, north of the Trout Creek neighbourhood.
Members of the Summerland RCMP detachment and the Penticton RCMP detachment did not receive a call about the boat, said Cst. James Grandy of the Penticton RCMP detachment.
Local resident and avid paddleboarder Denise Egan said the boat is not a new sight and explained that she has seen it parked there over the years. However, the boat, which she believed was grounded, was in quite a bad spot.
“The first thought I had was that this boat needs to come off the water,” she said. “Because if there’s gas or anything in it, we don’t want that leaking into the lake.”
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On Jan. 20, just six days after the boat in Summerland was found frozen in place, another boat was found stranded in the icy waters of Okanagan Lake.
Kelowna RCMP is looking for the rightful owner of the other vessel that found its way to a lakeshore retaining wall near the 800 block of Manhattan Drive.
Investigators have been unsuccessful in locating the icy white sailboat’s owner and have not found any related lost or stolen property reports. To claim the boat, the owner will have to provide proof of ownership, a serial number and details surrounding the boat’s disappearance.
Read the full story here.
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Then, two days later on Jan. 22, marine rescue crews responded to Manhattan Point in Kelowna around 3:15 p.m. after reports of a sinking speedboat.
The boat seemed to be mostly submerged and still tied to a buoy. Nobody was on board.
Read the full story here.
The three stranded boats have caused Okanagan residents to ask the question, whose boats are these boats?
If you know whose boats these are or have any information on the owners please contact the Kelowna RCMP at 250-762-3300.
