Okanagan Lake is about 135 km long and deep and cold below the surface layer. It is a benign place to spend a day and an unforgiving one to be careless on, and the difference is mostly preparation. Here is what actually matters, in the order you will need it.

Before you leave the driveway

You need an operator card

Anyone operating a motorised pleasure craft in Canada must carry proof of competency — in practice a Pleasure Craft Operator Card. It applies to visitors, it applies to short trips, and it applies regardless of the size of the engine. If you are renting, the rental company can instead complete a Rental Boat Safety Checklist with you, which is valid for the length of that rental. Sort this out before you are standing on the dock.

If you are towing a boat into BC, you must stop for inspection

British Columbia inspects watercraft for invasive zebra and quagga mussels, which are not yet established here and would be ruinous if they arrived. Stopping at an open inspection station is mandatory, not a courtesy. Clean, drain and dry everything — hull, live wells, bilge, gear — before you travel between lakes.

What has to be on board

The exact list depends on the length of the boat. For the small runabouts most visitors rent, up to 6 metres, expect to need:

• A Transport Canada-approved lifejacket or PFD of the right size for every person aboard
• A buoyant heaving line at least 15 metres long
• A manual propelling device, or an anchor with at least 15 metres of line
• A bailer or manual bilge pump
• A sound-signalling device
• A watertight flashlight, or approved flares
• A fire extinguisher if the boat carries an engine and fuel
• Navigation lights if there is any chance you are out after sunset

Check it yourself rather than assuming the rental company has. It is your responsibility once you leave the dock.

Launching in Peachland

There are several public access points along the shore. The Beach Avenue boat launch is in Strachan Bay near the yacht club. There is a double concrete launch at Pincushion Bay at the south end, a public launch at the Trepanier Creek inlet just north of the green docks, and access at the “T”, also known locally as Doggy Beach. Launches get busy on July and August weekends; going early is worth an hour of queuing.

On the water

• 10 km/h within 30 metres of shore. This is a legal limit on BC lakes, not a guideline. The narrow exception is for towing a skier or wakeboarder straight out from or back to shore.
• Watch your wake. Keep the big wake out toward the middle of the lake, and slow right down near moored boats, day docks, launches and swimmers. Wake damages shoreline and swamps small craft.
• Know where the swimming areas are. Peachland has marked swim zones at Swim Bay, the Trepanier Creek inlet and Deep Creek at Antlers Beach. Stay outside the buoys.
• Do not drink and drive the boat. The impaired driving laws apply on the water exactly as they do on the road, and sun, glare and motion make alcohol hit harder than it does on shore.

Local conditions worth knowing

Wind can come up fast, and it is directional. Parts of the Peachland shoreline are sheltered from north winds but exposed to a sudden southerly, which can turn a flat morning into a short steep chop within minutes. If the lake ahead of you looks different from the lake behind you, head in.

Rattlesnake Island and Squally Point. The water around them is shallower than it looks, with submerged rock and narrow channels. This is the one stretch of the lake near Peachland where local knowledge genuinely matters — take it slowly, or give it a wide berth.

The water is colder than the air. The surface warms nicely by August but drops away quickly beneath, and cold-water shock is what turns a fall overboard into an emergency. This is the real argument for wearing the lifejacket rather than sitting on it.

If something goes wrong

1. Stay with the boat if you can. It floats, it is visible, and it is far easier to find than a swimmer.
2. Get lifejackets on everyone, including yourself, before doing anything else.
3. Call 911. Mobile coverage is good along this stretch of the lake.
4. Give first aid if you are able, and keep anyone who has been in the water warm and dry.
5. Report the incident if there is injury or significant damage.