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West Kelowna  

Storm hits yacht club hard

The West Kelowna Yacht Club took a beating during Tuesday's windstorm.

Gusts reaching 90 km/h hammered the marina, causing extensive damage to boats and infrastructure, according to rear commodore Pat Pope.

Only a few of the 30 boats moored at the club over the winter survived unscathed.

"Two boats are written off, for sure," said Pope.

"Probably half a dozen others have suffered various amounts of damage. Anything from minor scuffs, to two boats that got ripped out of their moorings and drifted out in the lake."

One of those vessels, an old tugboat now used as a fishing boat, went aground on some rocks in Gellatly Bay.

The storm also took a toll on the club's docks. Most, said Pope, suffered damage.

"Some got ripped out. Some are broken apart. The damage was quite extensive to the whole marina basin.

"I was just meeting with the insurance guys. Until we have someone come and take a look at it, we have no idea on a dollar value."

Pope admitted replacement costs will be high.

Tuesday's storm was one of the worst to hit the yacht club since the massive storm of 1997.



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