A third boat, a 10-or-so-foot skiff, has gone down in Deep Bay near the shore of Sandy Beach. It was abandoned in the past week or two.
There are now at least three boats under water there; the other two are larger. One of the boats has been there for years and is submerged in such a way that it could pose a danger to anyone boating, swimming or diving in the vicinity.
Long-time islander Bruce Russell has concerns about the boats and a large, seemingly abandoned tug in the waters of Deep Bay. Russell is also concerned about the state of the beach and water and has found debris such as old mattresses, electronic equipment and a syringe. He said items like the syringe could have washed ashore, but others, like the mattresses, may have been left there by live-aboards in the bay. He feels not all the live-aboards are behaving responsibly he believes some aren't maintaining holding tanks and questions why nothing can be done about it.
"Why has it become a free marina where people can drop their boats?" asked Russell who thinks that some of the boats are not owned by Bowen residents.
A group of concerned citizens, at their own cost in effort, time and money, cleaned up the area in April and hauled 10 or so derelict boats away. Russell says the beach is already becoming littered with debris again and the situation requires the correct agency to step up. "Nobody seems to know exactly who to go to with concerns," he said.
Russell has not been able to pin down whether the Coast Guard, the department of fisheries and oceans, or another federal department has jurisdiction.
