ST. GEORGE, N.B. - Moments before their fishing boat capsized and he later died, the father of a 10-year-old New Brunswick boy dropped his son close to shore on a rocky island in the Bay of Fundy, allowing him to seek shelter at a relative's house, police said Monday.

The RCMP said 45-year-old Norman Parker of Back Bay, N.B., and his son were forced to abandon their boat Saturday afternoon after experiencing engine problems off the shore of L'Etang, N.B.

Const. Adam Caissie of the St. George RCMP said Parker managed to get the boy as close to the shore of Frye Island as he could before his boat flipped.

"The son told me that he jumped on to the rocks of the shore," Caissie said Monday, adding that the waters were rough and choppy due to high winds.

Caissie said Parker somehow became unconscious and the boy helped his father onto the rocky shores. He said the boy was wearing a life-jacket but Parker wasn't.

After the tides were low, the boy then walked about five kilometres across the island and onto the mainland before reaching his aunt's house, Caissie said.

Parker's body drifted from the shores and was later recovered by local fishermen. Police said he drowned.

Caissie said the boy and his father were camping the night before and on their way home when the boat sank.

Chief Sean Morton of the St. George Fire Department said four boats were on the scene Saturday, including one U.S. Coast Guard vessel, and the body was found within 10 minutes of searching.

Morton said fuel cans, boxes, wood and other debris could be seen floating in the area.

The Transportation Safety Board is investigating.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version said the boy swam about 100 metres and that it was not known if he had a life-jacket on.