Stranded at 2 a.m. on Okanagan Lake without a paddle

VERNON – A family was stranded on Okanagan Lake early this morning after they ran out of gas.

Shortly after 2 a.m. emergency crews received a call of a boat in distress. The boaters had been flashing a light to get someone's attention, and their cell phone had reportedly died.

"The boat was adrift on Okanagan Lake in the Ellison Park area, apparently it had no gas, and no oars or paddle," RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk said.

A man, his wife and an eight year old child were on-board. Vernon Search and Rescue and the Vernon Fire Rescue boat were deployed to retrieve them.

Molendyk can't say how long the family was out there, but says this is a good example of why it's important to heed boating regulations.

"(They) didn't have oars, that's an offense," he says.

Under the small vessel regulations, boaters must carry oars, among other safety gear, whenever they are on the water.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infotelnews.ca, call (250)309-5230 or tweet @charhelston