About 15 boats on Sylvan Lake were washed ashore by high winds from Friday’s storm and now Sylvan Lake RCMP want people to claim them, or ensure their own boats are secure.
The storm washed the boats ashore on the south shore of the lake, many were strewn on the shoreline along Lakeshore Drive from 40 Street to Petro Beach Saturday.
While some have been tied off, police have made efforts to contact owners with varying success. Several of the boats have taken on a lot of water.
If the wind changes direction some of the unsecured vessels will be washed back out into the lake and become dangerous hazards for other users of the lake and property owners as well.
Police would like to remind people that the owner of a boat that damages other people’s property or the environment may be held liable for damages.
Under the Canada Shipping Act and Small Vessel Regulations it is law to register boats with Transport Canada.
The licence number should appear on either side of the bow of the boat and this number is how police or other enforcement agencies are able track down boat owners.