Local man likely to face charges after unconventional 'dry docking' of vessel
By Kyra Hoggan
A 55-year-old Castlegar man may soon be facing charges after a boating accident on the Arrow Lakes Saturday.
Castlegar RCMP Sgt. Laurel Mathew said police were called just before midnight, by a witness who reported seeing a boat drive up onto dry land at Renata Ferry Road.
It took police about an hour to travel that far up the lake, but they had no difficulty in locating the boat.
“They found the boat owner/driver still sitting in his boat, drinking,” Mathew said. “He said he had been going quite fast, and just didn’t see the shore – and he hit the shore fast enough to pull the entire boat completely out of the water.
“Luckily, there was nobody there when he hit – someone could’ve been badly hurt.”
As it was, there were no serious injuries, but the boat sustained quite a bit of damage.
“We believe alcohol, speed and darkness were all factors,” Mathew said. “We are considering charges at this time.”
