Bad buoys, bad buoys, whatcha gonna do?
Descending from the jagged cliffs into the tiny hamlet north of Naramata, unofficially known as Indian Rock, is one of those “wow” moments. It’s all about erosion out here — erosion, a twisty ribbon of road, and, of course, that enormous lake.
Near the northern edge of the village, right on the shore, you’ll find the modernistic, self-built home of Bryan Wevers and family. It’s a seasonal home right now, but Wevers says he’ll eventually leave his construction business in Richmond and retire to this idyllic settlement perched at the end of the road.
Except it isn’t quite the end of the road. Indeed, there’s one more privately owned property just to the north, the very last address before the road truly does end.
And what a property. At 600-plus acres, it’s an enormous spread that incorporates hills and gorges and a waterfront that seems to go on forever. Known for decades as Paradise Ranch and the setting for the 1985 movie “My American Cousin,” it’s also steeped in history.
But it was Paradise Ranch’s grapes that attracted a new owner in 2002. That was the year Mission Hill Winery and owner Anthony Von Mandl purchased Paradise Ranch and started growing their own.
In the years since, Von Mandl, who also founded Mike’s Hard Lemonade, has seemingly ingratiated himself into the little community. Residents call him a “great Canadian,” a “wonderful philanthropist.”
“Anthony does so much for the community,” says Wevers. “From what I hear, he’s helped with the new fire hall. And he hired his own crew to go up with a helicopter to fight (forest) fires.”
There’s just one little problem, says Wevers. Approximately three weeks ago, a series of 20 buoys appeared in the bay that runs alongside the property.
They seem to form a boundary along the westernmost perimeter of the bay — an area several hundred metres long and perhaps half that wide — essentially separating it from the rest of the lake.
The buoys are white and marked “NO BOATS” and “SWIM AREA.” In keeping with regulations, they’re also marked with a contact telephone number and “PRIV” to indicate they’re privately owned.
Granted, there’s certainly enough room between the individually anchored buoys for boats to cross in and out. And, said Wevers, they were moved slightly inland just a few days after the original install.
Nevertheless, said Wevers, “The purpose of the buoys, and it says so right on each one, is to restrict boats, that this is a swim area. And that’s not right.”
The buoys are some distance away from Wevers’ home and do not impact his water access.
“We can’t even see each other’s houses,” he says, “but that’s not what this is about.”
“For one, it’s against the law what he’s doing. You’re allowed to put buoys into the water with certain stipulations. One of the rules is that when you put in buoys to restrict access, you must get local and or federal approval, which they didn’t.”
Wevers’ points to the “paddlers that come through here from Naramata, and the boaters that come through here all the time.” He believes the buoys will prevent them from entering what appears to be an off-limits zone.
“Technically, properties start on the lake at the high water mark. The water itself is public domain.”
“There’s only three or four bays on this run up the lake from here where boats can get protection from storms in the soft (calm) water. I’ve been caught in those storms myself. So for boaters, it’s probably not too safe. If you’re not familiar, you might not go in there during a storm.
“It takes away enjoyment for boaters all through here, and takes away safety.”
Wevers said he hasn’t yet approached authorities because he hopes the matter will resolve itself amicably.
But he did call the number on the buoys, and was assured they were installed by the property owner. Wevers added, “They feel they don’t impede flow traffic. We disagree.”
The Herald also called the number on the buoys and was referred to a media liaison who didn’t return a request for comment.
The B.C. Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, which regulates buoys, said it wasn’t aware of the situation.
The ministry also noted in a statement that “buoys fall under the jurisdiction of Transport Canada and, potentially, the local regional district,” and that potentially problematic buoys can be reported to the Report All Poachers and Polluters hotline at 1-877-952-7277.
Finally, the ministry forwarded a link to a Transport Canada brochure on private buoys. The most relevant parts of that brochure include the following:
“Requests for buoys used to restrict navigation must be sent to Transport Canada’s Office of Boating Safety for final review and publication in the regulations.”
And, “Do not place a private buoy that will/may interfere with the navigation of any vessel, or that will/may mislead any boater.”
But do these particular buoys in this particular situation interfere? Do they mislead? That’s the big question, and Wevers seems destined to find the answer.
“We’re not in any disputes with (Von Mandl) in any other way,” he said.
“But we’re all following rules, and we’d like to see the same.”