WATCH: Why has the navy arrived on Okanagan Lake?

• Boats with guns on the lake
• Part of remote deployability trials

If you’re enjoying the water over the next few days on Okanagan Lake, you may happen to spot some silver military Defender boats cruising around.

These boats are 30 ft long and have a C9 and C6 machine gun attached to the front and back. But don’t worry, there’s no threat. It’s all part of the Naval Security Team’s tactical and navigation training.

Based at the Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Esquimalt, this is the squad’s first trip to Kelowna.

Approximately 20 Royal Canadian Navy coxswains, crewmembers and support personnel are learning to use their remote deployability to see how well they can perform in other areas of the country, along with getting accustomed to the boat’s capability.

“We’re doing a certain number of tactical movements, coming up with different formations, cycling different boats into different positions and seeing how smoothly we can facilitate those motions,” said Major Sailor Daniel Cramer.

Members are trained to provide land and maritime security called enhanced force protection.

“What we do as a unit is we augment the force protection capability of a friendly unit. If we had a unit anywhere in the world and needed to increase their force protection level, hypothetically we can go, meet them where they are, and make sure our people are protected,” he said.

Cramer added having the practical training for the recruits is the most critical component.

“Theory is great to understand what you might have to do. But a person with no practical experience has no idea if they’d be able to do that if they had to,” he said. “We’re all about doing things, practical experience, building capability so we know we can do what we trained for.”

Along with the training aspect, this also provides an outreach opportunity for The Canadian Armed Forces . An information tent was set up by the marina.

Cramer said given Kelowna’s water landscape, he hopes it might serve as an inspiration for those who want to have a career as a professional sailor.

“There’s no shortage of opportunities in the Canadian Navy and if people have an interest in it, we want them to come talk to us and we can talk about the amount of opportunities and the experiences they can have with their fellow sailors,” he said.

The convoy will return to CFB Esquimalt, before making another stop in Hope, British Columbia on July 9th.