Heavy Winds Cause Damage at Kelowna Yacht Club

As many as 300 boats moored at the Kelowna Yacht Club were damaged in a freak windstorm on the evening of Sunday, August 21, 2016. The club’s docks also sustained significant damage.

The winds created massive waves which tossed about both docks and boats within the club’s marina. Some of the damage incurred included:

– Docks broken up and mooring cleats torn out
– Boats broken free and damage caused to other boats nearby
– Boats moored too close to the docks
– Failure of hardware used in mooring

Some of the boats which were tied too close to the docks received damage to swim grids as the docks rose and fell in the waves. Others were damaged at the bow as bow‐mounted anchors pounded into the docks themselves.

Other boats did not have adequate mooring lines. An absence of spring lines permitted some boats to ride forward into, or under, the docks. Others simply broke their lines as a result of the lines themselves being too small for the load, or were too frayed to hold the weight.

So, what does this experience tell us? Well, let’s make a list:
• Tie your boat far enough from the dock so that no part of the boat overhangs the dock, or is able to ride
• under the dock
• Secure your boat carefully at the bow and stern. Use fore and aft spring lines
• Use docking lines of adequate size and load‐bearing strength
• Purchase only quality ‘marine grade’ hardware
• Inspect your mooring lines frequently. Replace frayed and damaged lines immediately

Courtesy of: Okanagan Power and Sail Squadron – Okanagan News September, 2016