Navigation light removal under review
The timing for removing navigation lights from the water is under review after a fisherman said his boat might not have been destroyed if the lights leading into a harbour had remained in place.
Skipper Dean Offrey and his fishing partner Ed Lawless were aboard the Atlantic Endeavour near Cow Head off Newfoundland's Northern Peninsula Wednesday night when the vessel hit a shoal because of a malfunction with navigational tools, including the GPS on board.
The two used a cellphone to reach the Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre in St. John's, and then got inside a life raft aboard the Atlantic Endeavour while they waited to be rescued. They didn't have to launch the raft because a Cormorant helicopter arrived on the scene around midnight and hoisted them from the boat.
The crew said although the boat did have technical problems, they believe the boat could have safely sailed into port and avoided other problems if navigation light markers hadn't been removed from the harbour a month ago.
"The one [light] on the end of the wharf was the only one we could see — just couldn't find our way in through," Offrey told CBC News.
Offrey said he's been in the water where his boat went ashore many times before, but the navigation lights always guided him safely past rocks and shoals.
Paul Bowering of the Canadian Coast Guard confirmed the navigation lights have been removed from the water, as they are every fall, to avoid winter damage. He said the harbour authority removes the markers in consultation with user groups, and Transport Canada sends out a notice to warn mariners about the removal.
A review of the timing of the removal of navigation aids will take place, Bowering said.
