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| About the SYC |
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The following is some general information regarding the Summerland Yacht Club HoursClubhouse Hours StoreThe Club store has several items for sale, you can support your club and show your Summerland Yacht Club pride at the same time.
Membership infoSummerland Yacht Club Membership StaffStaff info needs to be place hereVolunteersYour club needs Volunteers! The Summerland Yacht Club is a not for profit organization, and relies on your help to make it the best Club possible. As we can not afford to hire labour to do the menial yet important tasks, we require a bit of your time. If everybody pitches in, we can keep everything in tip top shape without having to increase yearly fees. As a little reminder, every member is entitled to a refund of their $80 fee, if they volunteer 8 hours of time. With that being said, here's a short list of some of the more pressing things for which we could use some help.
HistoryIn1951/1952 Lois Smith and Harry Dracus led the drive to start a yacht club. They prevailed upon the new The present lots were leased to the corporation of Summerland and sublet to the Summerland Yacht Club. Life memberships were sold for twenty five dollars each and the membership drive was on. In 1953/1954 construction of the club house began. In 1956 the federal government promised to build a wharf breakwater. The shoreline was much different then we see today.. High lake levels flooded up to the main gate. A launch ramp was dug out and cribbed. This was located under the present moorage security gate. Many, many truck loads of fill were dumped to build up the lakeshore. Piles were driven to form a headwall - all backfilled to extend further into the lake. The gas storage tank was located at the main gate and pumped to the wooden shack on the headwall. In 1957/1958 the new wooden wharf and breakwater were completed. By 1983 the club was $18,400 in dept. SYC could no longer employee bar or kitchen staff. As a result members no longer patronized the club. Also in 1983 the wharf was deemed unsafe, due to poor condition. In September 1983 the club was closed for restructuring and rebuilding. From crash to recovery
With the full support of council and mayor Rita Hermiston everything was moving that spring. Trucks were working long hours hauling rock from the Matt Henry property west of Summerland. A new rock berm was finished with the old wooden breakwater soon to be removed. The old warf was brought ashore and with the new rock berm in place we still had to contend with the old piles, and a bunch of floating junk moorage. This was removed to facilitate dredging the basin. With the help of some 27 volunteers we commenced building gangways and fingers, poured 700 tire casings full of urethane for floatation, and used 1 ton of bolts and connecting plates to assemble the units. Volunteers worked 6 days a week to meet the our April 15th 1984 deadline. We managed to get the dredging done and the piles to anchor moorage driven at the same time. While new moorage was being placed, the old breakwater was being removed. Deck sections were cut loose and dropped, piles pulled (over 600) and floated ashore. The timber was salvaged and piles were sold to a Kelowna landscaper. Other than the pile driver operator and the dredging crew, all was done by volunteers. The above construction was possible by guarantee loan of $42,000 by the corporation. This was paid in full over the next 5 years. The ensuing years saw the SYC club grow and grow. The debts were paid off, and there was money in the bank. The lack of membership support for the club dictated that the club close after boating season each year and open only for special functions. Many efforts have been made over the years to have club services available on a day to day basis, however none have proven financially viable. Fourteen years later the moorage basin was upgraded and the yacht basin stripped once again making way for more substantial moorage structures. 1999 saw the construction of a new headwall. Club management has greatly improved over the last years and the Summerland Yacht Club continues to grow and prosper. We have the best marina on Okanagan Lake. Many of the original crew have passed over the bar --- enjoy their legacy ---- pass it on. |
premier, W.A.C. Bennett, to grant Summerland Yacht Club use of the available lakeshore property.
The new wharf provided 22 berths at the breakwater. SYC moorage holders were required to build and maintain their own berths, which consisted of oil drums for flotation, logs and rafts, all held in place by old boiler tubes driven into the mud. The boats at the wharf were protected but the yacht basin was exposed to north/south winds, and the catwalk to the wharf from shore was wide open. Wind and waves would break up the moorage. At this time club membership was about 65% social and 35% boating/moorage. There were many ongoing problems as the club borrowed to stay afloat. In 1972 $17,000 was borrowed. The moorage was increased to compensate in 1977. The moorage budget was $150 and we had approximately 30 boats. In 1979 the club borrowed $12,000.
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