by Michael Mata
A powerful windstorm ripped across Okanagan Lake in the southern interior of British Columbia last Sunday. In its wake, the storm left behind destroyed docks and breakwaters, as well as about 150 significantly damaged boats at the Kelowna Yacht Club.
Winds started gathering speed at around 10 pm on Sunday and the docks were quickly evacuated for safety reasons. The heavy winds lasted for about an hour before the waters calmed and the marina staff was able to assess the damage.
Volunteers scrambled to locate boats that had broken loose during the storm. “That's one wonderful thing about being a club. We had a lot of volunteers come out of the woodwork as soon as it was safe to go out there, and there was a small army of volunteers pulling boats back in," said yacht club general manager Sally Howard.
Despite the brave efforts of the volunteers, at least one boat is confirmed to have sunk and the precise location of many boats is still unknown. Dozens of boat owners rushed to the Kelowna Yacht Club on Monday to determine if their boats had survived the previous night’s freak storm.
“I estimate [that about] 150-200 boats have been significantly damaged, to the point they will need some repair,” said Howard. The damage to the marina is estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, and divers may need to be called in to locate missing boats.
Members were advised to assess any damages and to meet with their insurance adjusters if necessary. As the marina has yet to be fully secured, members were also advised to take additional safety precautions when visiting the basin.
Insurance adjusters have gone to work assessing the overall damage to the marina and a temporary breakwater was installed on Monday.
