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by Perry Mack
The Okanagan Valley is a premier outdoor playground because of the wonderfully dry, semi-arid climate and because of the many large, fresh water recreational lakes right on our doorstep. At the centre of these pristine, deep water lakes sits Lake Okanagan with its 270 kilometers of shoreline stretching from the City of Penticton at the south to the City of Vernon at the north with six of the major centres in the Okanagan Valley having their own private yacht club situated along its 135 kilometer length.
It truly is difficult to think of a better way for anyone to enjoy what the Okanagan has to offer throughout the year than to be out on the water cruising and exploring the hidden gems accessible from the waters’ edge. Even more intriguing, and with a feeling of being on some exotic voyage to distant ports, is being able to sail into any one of these yacht clubs on Lake Okanagan and feel as though you belong. You can make yourself at home, enjoying the amenities they offer, and then leave your vessel, your floating home, safely at the dock, freeing you to go and explore this new port you have just arrived at from the water.
It’s true, a Regular Member of any one of the six yacht clubs situated on Lake Okanagan are entitled to reciprocal privileges at the other five as if they were a member of that club, with complimentary moorage for up to a few nights, provided they respect those facilities and the other members as if they were of their own club. Just think of it, taking a weekend, a week or even longer cruising the lake to visit some or all of these “ports” for a night or two and then picking up and moving on to the next one while taking in the breathtaking scenery seen from the water. Not only that, there are a number of other yacht clubs throughout the Pacific Northwest and even beyond with whom the Vernon Yacht Club has reciprocal privileges if you were to take your vessel to the coast or perhaps to charter a boat.
The Vernon Yacht Club, established for over 60 years, has plenty to offer the local boating enthusiast; whether it is power boating or sailing that is your passion as both are pretty much equally represented amongst the 285 slips in the marina basin. The Vernon Yacht Club is the owner of its own land fronting onto Lake Okanagan, thereby giving its members control over their future. The welcoming two storey air-conditioned Clubhouse with its full service bar, dance floor, sound and audio systems, games room with pool table, foosball and shuffle board and of course the large wrap-around deck overlooking the lake with a retractable awning is the focal point of the Vernon Yacht Club. Recently updated washroom facilities on both levels and a fully self-contained shower on the lower level are available for those nights you spend at the Club on your boat.
New for this year is their webcam with free access from their new website www.vernonyachtclub.com. The webcam is looks west toward the Forestry Campground on the west side of Lake Okanagan and will be of interest to many watersport enthusiasts including water skiers, wake boarders, sailors and paddle boat users as they will be able to see the conditions on the lake at any time of the day.
Social events throughout the year are plenty at the Vernon Yacht Club, with the usual special occasion dinner parties for Christmas, New Years, Halloween, etc., and there are the weekly Friday Night dinners and Sunday brunches. But during the boating season every year there is the infamous annual Rib-Off every May and the Pig Roast every September, not to mention the Commodores Ball and Sail Past in June as well as various inter-Club “invasions”, organized dinner parties where Members from all the other Clubs are invited to “invade” the hosting Club by water on their boats for the weekend. Numerous Sailing Regattas on Lake Okanagan are also hosted at each of the yacht clubs where skippers and their crew get together for a weekend of camaraderie and a chance to test their skills racing against one another at the host yacht club.
The Vernon Yacht Club is self-managed by the Commodore and Board of Directors who are all volunteer Members with the exception of only a few paid staff. The Vernon Yacht Club provides valuable moorage space free of charge to the Okanagan Volunteer Association for their rescue boat equipped with a water cannon, the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary for their patrol boat and to the Okanagan Quality of Life Society for their pontoon boat “Heaven Can Wait” that their volunteer members use to take the elderly and the infirmed on free excursions on Lake Okanagan.
Joining the Vernon Yacht Club may not be as costly as you might otherwise think. To become a Regular lifetime member with a vote in the affairs of the Club and access to moorage privileges means paying a one-time initiation fee and your annual dues, presently $3,000 and $487 respectively, plus your moorage. You also have the option to join as an Associate Member and enjoy many aspects of the Club but without a vote in the affairs of the Club or moorage privileges. To join as an Associate Member there is no initiation fee, just your annual dues at one-half the annual dues for a Regular Member.
Persons interested in becoming a member of the Vernon Yacht Club, either as a Regular or Associate Member, are invited to speak with any Club Member, Staff or contact the Membership Director by phone (250-545-5518) by email (office@vernonyachtclub.com) or visit our website (www.vernonyachtclub.com)