-excerpt from the Kelowna Yacht Club Website
Today, the City of Kelowna has within its limits a boating organization which is second to none in the entire country. A new handsome clubhouse will soon stand on a site purchased from the City of Kelowna in 2011. Behind it will be situated one of the finest marinas in Western Canada, providing moorage accommodation for approximately 1000 boats of different kind and sizes. The present, successful position of the Kelowna Yacht Club, is an outstanding testimony to the many, many thousands of man hours contributed both in work and interest by many members throughout the years.
During the fall of 1945, a group of power boat owners - and others who were interested in the future of boating in Okanagan Lake - met together to discuss ways and means to form a club and promote boating of all kinds in and around Kelowna. Recognizing the need for some launching facilities, the members (by volunteer labour) provided a launching ramp. A clubhouse was also believed to be a necessity if the club was to function efficiently, and in 1951 this fell into place, when the building that formerly housed the local radio station on Mill Avenue (now Queensway) was purchased, moved and added onto.
As a result of the first discussions, several meetings were held throughout the winter of 1945 – 1946, and action was taken in regards to two objectives. One was the matter of incorporation as a fully functioning boating organization -achieved in September of 1946, and the other was providing protected moorage facilities, completed in 1950.
Some years prior to the Second World War, there had existed a relatively small and inadequate breakwater, built by the Federal Government. Over the years, this had fallen into considerable disrepair and was of very little use in providing any protection for moorage, and lacked any additional facilities behind it. The newly constituted Kelowna Yacht Club - through the work of many individuals - made a plea to the Federal Government, resulting in the removal of the old breakwater and the building of larger, more efficient one. The Kelowna Yacht Club then proceeded to build moorage facilities behind this breakwater.
-The original charter of the Kelowna Yacht Club contained six names: Cecil Newbury, Jack Coops, Harry Mitchell, Dr. Len Panton, George Sutherland and Sidney Hubble. This was the group that met on the upper floor of Harry Mitchell’s store in 1945.
-The old radio station, bought in 1951, was purchased for $150.00 out of a kitty of $245.00. The clubhouse was expanded and renovated in 1965 and again in 1986.
-The moorage in 1951 contained 38 “stalls”, 35 of those were rented. The moorage was expanded and upgraded in 1957, 1979, 1994 and 2004. Upgrades have continued, giving the 2011 marina 900 slips.