Yacht club ready to expand

Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: March 09, 2011 1:00 AM
The Vernon Yacht Club is constructing 30 new boat slips this spring. Pressure for boat access on Okanagan Lake is being eased.  The Vernon Yacht Club will start work on 30 new boat slips this month and they will be completed by May 1, just in time for a new boating season.

“People are continuing to join the club. We have a wait list of about 50 people wanting slips,” said Tim Amy, commodore.  “Throughout the Okanagan, demand exceeds availability for water moorage.” It’s anticipated another 10 to 12 slips may be added in two or three years.  The current project will cost about $450,000 to complete.  “This is entirely member-funded,” said Amy.  “What people pay for moorage will service that debt.”  The work will be done by Kemp Concrete, Burton Marine Pile Driving and Benchmark Electric.  The wood portion of the existing B dock will be replaced with a concrete dock and fingers and extended beyond its current length to add 14 slips.  “Concrete is far more durable and there’s less maintenance than wood,” said Amy. “It’s more stable and doesn’t move around as much.” Parts of the old B dock will be used to add 16 new slips to the existing C dock.  It will become the last wooden structure at the club.  The club, which started in 1953, is open to members who have their principal residence within a 100-kilometre radius of the club.