A boat that was heavily loaded with construction material capsized in Callander Bay Wednesday and luckily, all three men made it to shore because there were only two lifejackets on board says the OPP.
Police got the call at 5:45 p.m. about a capsized boat in the bay.
"There were three men on board and their vessel was overloaded as they made their way to an island camp," said Constable Phil Young. "They were approximately one kilometer from shore when the boat started to take on water. The combination of strong winds and high waves caused the boat to flip over."
A 34-year-old man was charged with, "Permitting person to operate non-human-powered pleasure craft without personal floatation device or lifejacket of appropriate size for each person."
The OPP reminds boaters that any vessel being underway that has any type of motor, requires the operator to possess a valid Pleasure Craft Operators Card or proof of competency equivalence. And, any vessel on the water (even paddleboats, paddle boards, dinghy's, inflatable floaties, and canoes) require all the necessary safety equipment on board.
The standard equipment includes:
- 15m floating heaving line
- watertight flashlight
- whistle - *must be Pealess* (or some type of sound signaling device, i.e. horn, or portable air horn, etc.)
- bailing bucket
- a paddle or an oar
- lifejackets or Personal Floatation Devices (PFD's) for every person on board (*self-inflating PFD's must be worn*)
- and depending on the size of the vessel and motor being used, it may require proper flares and a fire extinguisher
Horsepower and age restrictions:
- under 12yrs. may operate a boat with up to 10hp
- 12yrs. - 16yrs. may operate a boat with up to 40hp
- under 16 yrs. regardless of supervision shall NOT operate a personal watercraft (sea doo, jet skis)
- 16yrs. and older, there are no horsepower restrictions
