BAY ESTATES—Following reports of an unmanned boat adrift in the choppy waters off Bay Estates last Tuesday afternoon, an Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) marine rescue unit, accompanied by an overhead search and rescue Hercules aircraft dispatched from CFB Trenton could be seen making passes over the Northeast Town, Strawberry Island, the Strawberry Channel and Sheguiandah Bay.
According to Constable Julian Tonge with the Manitoulin OPP, a concerned Bay Estates resident called in after seeing the 16-foot aluminum craft adrift without a driver on Tuesday, October 7. A launch was immediately dispatched to the region with two other marine units from the Killarney area called in to assist in the search, as well as a search and rescue team from CFB Trenton, whose Hercules could be seen flying in a grid pattern over the Strawberry Channel.
The search was eventually called off and it is reported that a resident from the area called in to report that their boat was missing. This missing craft matched the description of the one found adrift.
Police remind boaters to always be aware of rapidly changing autumn weather conditions and winds and to always let another person know where and when they are going when heading out on the water and also to securely tie their boats to their docks to avoid costly callouts such as the one last week.
