Sailors get police escort out of Makkovik after surprise landing.
Two people aboard a sailboat flying a Norwegian flag landed in Makkovik on Monday, according to Barry Andersen, AngajukKak in Makkovik.
He says “We see a lot of those yachts or sailboats in our harbour every year, I guess, but this year is unusual.”
Unusual, because those boats are banned this summer.
Temporary Federal Rules were brought in June 1st, profiting all pleasure crafts from operating along coastal Labrador as well as coastal Northern Quebec and Canada’s Arctic waters. The restrictions are to last til October 31st, as a way to protect vulnerable communities from the spread of COVID-19.
When the boat arrived, Andersen called the RCMP to investigate. Police told him the crew had sailed from Greenland to Makkovik, the shortest route across that stretch of water to be able to refuel, and as the boat approached Labrador, it ran into trouble.
“The crew advised them that the boat had taken on water off from Makkovik yesterday night and they had to come in here to see what the problem was” he said and added the boat was fairly small estimating it to be 38 to 40 feet long.
Although Andersen says that sailing from Greenland can take up to 10 days, people in the community were still worried about the strangers sudden arrival.
“It was concerning at first but the length of time I guess they had been at sea, I’ve been told they’re not showing any signs of the COVID-19 virus” he told CBC Radio Labrador Morning. Andersen says “We don’t know who else is out there.”
Police escorted the 2 sailors, whose nationality is unknown, by air to Happy Valley- Goose Bay to deal with federal authorities about their unexpected entry into Canada.
While most visitors in a normal summer are tourists, “We don’t know what the intentions is of those individuals were,” said Andersen.
With the sailors now gone and their boat in police custody, Andersen said he’s comfortable with how the situation was handled, although it raises questions about who else may be offshore.
“We don’t know who else is out there, probably in the same situation, that’s sailing around” he said.
“If there are others out there, where did they come from? How long have they been out there? Do they have contact with the virus?”
Transport Canada’s temporary small craft restrictions don’t apply to boats operated by locals and used for essential travel for fishing and hunting.