Sailors work around closure
Quick closure of Kelowna’s deep-water launch forces boat owners to find new way to access lake
Following the closure of the Queensway boat launch, local sailors lifted their boats into Okanagan Lake using a large crane at a shallower boat launch nearby in preparation for the upcoming racing season.
The sailboats require seven feet of water to be launched into the lake using a trailer, but the water at the Water Street boat launch is currently only six feet deep.
For the last 25 to 30 years, sailors have been using the boat launch at Queensway Avenue, the only public deep water launch in Kelowna, said boat owner Dick Duggan.
“Our understanding was (the city) wanted to complete the walkway there, and with the launch in the way in between that was not feasible, so they filled in the launchway,” said Duggan.
The Queensway launch was closed without much warning, said Marsha Hales, another boat owner.
“(The city) put a notice out Jan. 31 that they were closing it Feb. 1, but when our friends went to check, it was closed Jan. 31,” she said. “We were very upset, because we needed at least an alternative or some way to help us get our boats in the water.”
There is a private deep water boat launch on the Westside, but using it comes at a cost, said Duggan.
“As we understand it, it’s about $600 to go in and out, and that seems an awful lot when we’ve had a public boat launch for which we all contribute on our taxes,” he said.
With racing season starting next week, sailboat owners were anxious to get their boats in the water.
About 10 sailors joined together to rent a crane to load their boats into the water at the Water Street launch on Saturday. The process took several hours. If no repairs are done to transform the Water Street boat launch into a feasible option for sailboat owners, they will have to rent the crane again to lift the boats out of the water in the fall.
“The ramps are in need of some maintenance work, and the (Yacht) Club would be happy I’m sure to meet with (the city) and give whatever advice or counsel we could with regard to the needs of sailboaters on the lake,” said Duggan.
“Our concern in the boating field is to have a proper facility for launching the boats, as we’ve had for the last 25 or 30 years.”