Frigid temperatures and windy conditions around the South Okanagan have combined to create rough conditions on the water.
A scene of an ice-covered sailboat in Okanagan Lake has prompted those on social media to inquire about whose watercraft it is. Currently the frigid air is causing mist to rise off the lake.
The boat is frozen in the water near the Summerland Beach RV Park, north of the Summerland neighbourhood of Trout Creek.
Members of the Summerland RCMP detachment and the Penticton RCMP detachment have not received calls about the boat, said Cst. James Grandy of the Penticton RCMP detachment.
Local resident and avid paddleboarder Denise Egan has observed ice creeping out from the shoreline, now more than 30 feet out. She estimates that in the next day or so, one may even be able to reach the boat by foot.
“I can’t believe how much more frozen the edges are – there’s probably 30 feet more ice than there was yesterday,” she said.
Egan hopes that her posts on social media will help locate the owner. It’s currently near-impossible to identify the boat, as the name on the side is covered by ice. However Egan says a trained eye could possibly identify the model.
“Maybe the person doesn’t live here, so they wouldn’t know what’s happening,” she said.
The boat is not a new sight, and Egan explained that she has seen it parked there over the years. However, the boat, which she believes is grounded, is currently 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.”
A week ago, Egan was launching her paddleboard off the dock near Trout Creek. Although the cold front has temporarily halted some activities, she said it makes for some great sights.
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