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It’s been a topsy turvy spring for most everyone in the Okanagan Valley, including a staple of the season in Kelowna.
The Kelowna Yacht Club, which is still finishing repairs to its docks and breakwater from last August’s devastating windstorm, is feeling the effects of the high water in Okanagan Lake.
Sally Howard, the general manager of the club, says the unusual lake levels have had a “fairly significant” impact on the number of people frequenting the club.
“Usually at this time of year if you walked out onto the docks you’d see 20-30 people on most sunny afternoons, now you’d be lucky if you met four or five,” she says.
Geoff Gowe points out that there’s virtually no boat launches in Kelowna open right now, which means the yacht club has anywhere from 100-200 fewer boats in the basin than normal.
Even the boats that are in, he says, aren’t really getting used.
That has lead to a problem for the yacht club similar to one many Kelowna businesses are facing this year.
“If they’re not here, they’re not coming in to eat,” Gowe says.
Howard says the club’s private dining area is seeing far fewer people come through than it normally would, which is a big deal, because revenue from the club’s food service is “pretty significant.”
But Howard says the hardest part of the slowdown is keeping people employed.
Since the club isn’t serving nearly as many people, they just can’t keep as many employees working as normal. That means some staff aren’t making the summer money they need, and others have begun looking for new jobs where they can get more hours.
But while things have been pretty slow so far this year, Howard is optimistic about the rest of the season.
She explains that many of the club’s members are out-of-towners who come for a few weeks in the summer. She thinks many of them who would normally come in July are simply waiting until things are a little more normal to make their summer excursion to Kelowna.
That should means the tail end of the season should be extra busy, as people who would normally show up in June or July arrive in August instead.
“I’m really hoping that it will pick up and we will generate that lost business throughout the month of August,” Howard says.
Meanwhile, the club has been keeping its membership well-informed with all the latest news about water levels, closures, conditions and the weather.
Howard has been sending detailed newsletters containing all this information, and more, taking special care to remind people that it’s still OK to go out on the lake, so long as they are careful not to create wakes.
Gowe says the lackluster spring hasn’t really affected membership, and the club continues to run as normally as possible.
Not long ago it celebrated “Sailpast” with an “entirely on land” ceremony and celebration with 175 members.
The clubhouse and kitchen also remain fully open.
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