It’s the central feature of the Valley, yet most of us only dabble around the edges of Okanagan Lake. To really appreciate its sheltered coves, boat-only beaches and walk-off-the-dock downtown ports … you need to get on the water. Here are some tips to help you get started.

By David Madison

Aye, mateys – it’s two bells in the forenoon watch, time to cast off all lines and steer a course nor’ by nor’west. Were sailing from Penticton to Vernon – nearly the full length of Okanagan Lake; a voyage that will convince you that life in the Okanagan Valley is not complete without a boat. Power, sail or paddle, each offers the same escape to new adventures in paradise.

Okanagan Lake stretches around 80 nautical miles or 120 kilometres from the semi-desert south to the green fields north of Vernon. For the “navigationally challenged,” the lake is narrow – averaging about 3.5 kilometres in width – so it’s difficult to stray too far off course. The total shoreline with all its bays and points would measure about 300 kilometres and offers lots of opportunity for seclusion.

Although consistently narrow, the lake’s depth can range from a “heavy dew” to 232 metres (761 feet) – with sudden changes. Those with boats drawing more than a few inches of water would be well advised to invest in a chart (#3052 – Okanagan Lake). And while there are no tides or currents to worry salt-water cruisers, the lake does present some challenges, mostly in the form of capricious summer winds and sudden squalls. The warm sun and water can lull boaters into a sense of complacency. Don’t let your guard down or this snake-shaped lake can bite.

Moorage on Okanagan Lake is approaching a crisis with very few berths available. Membership in one of the many yacht clubs is a wise idea. Most clubs have reciprocal agreements to allow access to one another’s facilities. “Our club will keep a list of members who are away on their boats and will allow visiting boaters to use our spaces,” says Jim Forster of the Vernon Yacht Club. “This is usual at other clubs as well, but it’s best to call ahead first.”

Also, be aware that the law requires waste water to be contained and pumped ashore. Grey water from sinks or showers may be allowed into the lake but boaters often use biodegradable soap to be kind to the environment.

Ports ’o Call Big and Small

Penticton to the Knee
Penticton straddles the isthmus separating Okanagan and Skaha Lakes and conveniently offers all the amenities. The Valley’s second largest city is an ideal port for boaters to provision their vessels or just stop for some civilized dining.

The large rock breakwater at the Penticton Yacht and Tennis Club affords ample protection from north winds. Here you can launch a boat, get fuel, pump out the holding tank and stroll up the block to the city’s cultural core. Some limited-time moorage may also be available by the Hooded Merganser restaurant, built over the water at the Penticton Lakeside Resort. This is an excellent choice to give the crew an evening ashore before heading off on your voyage of discovery.

A popular first call after leaving Penticton is the village of Naramata eight kilometres north on the east shore. This small community of almost 2,000 has a surprising number of excellent eateries to provide a welcome change from the weevil-infested sea biscuit you may have been tempted to serve for lunch. The small dock at the Naramata Yacht Club offers berths on the south-facing side of the point. If you dock there or come ashore on one of the sandy beaches and look hungry and thirsty some of the locals may direct you to the Camp Creek Station, a pub with a Kettle Valley Railway theme, or the Cobblestone Wine Bar at the Naramata Heritage Inn.

Okanagan Lake can get some strong and sudden winds from the west after a hot summer day. If this seems likely, you may want to cast off from Naramata and go southwest across the lake to the park marked as Trout Creek on the chart but known in Summerland as Powell Beach. This park will keep you in the lee and also provide a safe anchorage if the wind shifts to the south. Amenities include washrooms, tennis court and children’s playground.

If conditions are good, you might want to continue north from Naramata following the twisting shoreline below the vineyards. Here shallow waters and a mud bottom provide a good anchorage and terrific swimming. Respect private property but also remember that beaches below the high water mark are not privately owned. During periods of low lake water there is plenty of beach available.

By now your crew may be making mutinous mutterings and it could be wise to change course and cross the lake to Summerland. Here you can grant some shore leave and keep those sea biscuits locked away. The Summerland Yacht Club may have some open berths for visiting members, although, for a short stop, the dock at Shaughnessy’s Cove could provide all you need. This is a great lakeside pub and restaurant. The business core of the town is a bit of a hike and if you want to explore this mock-Tudor English village a taxi is available.

From Summerland, a northerly course takes you towards Squally Point where Okanagan Lake makes a sudden right turn. The western shoreline between Summerland and the “knee” of the lake is often steep with the water deepening fairly quickly. Okanagan Lake Provincial Park, about ten kilometres north of Summerland, offers some shelter from southerly and westerly winds along with a boat launch ramp, picnic sites, washrooms and wonderful beaches.

Now for some adventure in the less-trodden places. If you sail east across from Okanagan Lake Park you’ll come to the shore of Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park. The rugged and wrinkled mountain is a volcanic remnant. Above the shoreline, the slopes are beginning their slow recovery from 2003 but it’s still easy to see the destructive power of that devastating fire. The lack of road access gives this part of the shore a wilder, more natural appearance and the many coves provide secluded anchorages.

Almost directly across from Okanagan Lake Park, one such cove, Commando Bay, was the site of commando training during the Second World War. On a quiet night it’s still possible to hear the echoes of machine-gun fire in the darkness; or maybe it’s just the campfire popping.

Squally Point to The Bridge
If there’s a strong south wind brewing, it’s prudent to move further north, rounding Squally Point to find shelter in Reluctant Dragon Cove. I have no idea how this name came to be – but if you have kids on board it might kick off a creative story-telling contest.

Continue a bit further along what is now the south shoreline and you’ll come upon Rattlesnake Island – half of the islands in Okanagan Lake. We’ll get to the other half, Whiskey (a.k.a. Grant), north of Okanagan Centre.

Rattlesnake Island still retains mementoes of earlier aspirations. At one time it was slated to become a Mediterranean theme park developed by Lebanese immigrant Eddy Haymour, who believed this could become a major tourist attraction. When the dust from the ensuing conflict with the BC government settled, Eddy had: spent 11 months in a psyche ward; been released on condition he return immediately to Lebanon; stormed the Canadian embassy (holding 34 people hostage for 14 hours); been granted amnesty; received compensation; and written a book, From Nut House to Castle – whew!

Today you can go ashore and see the foundations of what were to be a pyramid and a giant concrete camel. There’s a small dock on the east shore, but the channel between the island and the mainland is narrow so use caution going through.

If the sky (or stomachs) are beginning to rumble, it may be time to set course for Peachland about three kilometres directly across the lake from Rattlesnake Island. This gem of a village had the foresight to attain rights to the waterfront and make it available for public enjoyment. A government breakwater on the west end of the village offers good moorage in most weather. The yacht club, which may also have space available for members of a reciprocal club, and a secure public harbour allow you to dock right near the main street.

Peachland is protected from the strong southerly winds by Okanagan Mountain but if you’re sailing, remember Squally Point was named for good reason. If you see cat’s paws on the water it’s time to shorten sail.

The next destination is Westbank, eight kilometres northeast of Peachland, where the Westbank Yacht Club is one of the few clubs with a boat for a clubhouse. The Pendozi, (a misspelling of Pandosy, the priest who established the first white settlement in the Okanagan) was a car ferry that served on the lake in the late 1930s. After sinking (a BC tradition with ferries) it was re-floated and sold for a few dollars. The yacht club had it beached and modified to become a clubhouse.

Now we begin to get into crowded waters. Summer weekends, the triangle between Westbank, Okanagan Mission and Kelowna is a bit frantic. Jet skis, wake boards, sail boats, power boats and kayaks all vie for space and not all skippers are as aware of the rules of the road as they should be.

If you select the Mission side you need to be conscious of the depth. A sailboat with a fixed keel may find itself lurching aground while still many metres off shore. That funny sound from your outboard might signal that it’s now plowing a furrow in the mud. Use the chart and stay alert.

The famous Okanagan Lake bridge (is it a “landmark” if it’s on the water?) is now in view – and rag-haulers face a problem. If your mast is too high to make it underneath you have three choices. You can un-step it and lay it on the deck until you’re past the bridge; you can end your journey and leave half the lake unexplored or you can call the bridge operator at 868.3138 and request an opening. This will be done at times when vehicle traffic is lightest, but even then you won’t hear many cheers from people parked along Harvey Avenue waiting for you and your sailboat to clear.

While you wait you can tie up at the marina in Shelter Bay on the west side of the bridge. (At the time of writing, the adjacent pub was closed.) From here you can see the massive construction project underway to build the new crossing, a five-lane bridge with an arch high enough to allow boats to pass beneath without drawing the wrath of motorists.

Kelowna to Vernon
If you want more of the lively Kelowna scene you can continue under the lift span, stay to the east shore by City Park and dock at the Kelowna Marina. Here you can fuel up and be in the heart of downtown in a short walk. Just beyond the marina is the Kelowna Yacht Club with its large marina for members only.

“The moorage issue in Kelowna is becoming critical,” says Tom Heisterman, sales manager for Dockside Marine and chair of the Okanagan Shuswap Marine Advisory Council that promotes safety under the sponsorship of the Canadian Coast Guard. “With the numbers of people wanting to use this lake, the demands for docking, launching and moorage has gone way beyond capacity. We are desperate for more facilities.”

Better move along. On the west shore five kilometres from downtown Kelowna, you should find some buoys placed by the local yacht clubs at Traders Cove. This anchorage provides good shelter and Traders Cove Regional Park has nice beaches, toilets and it’s a good place to turn the kids loose for a while.

After leaving Traders Cove you can choose to continue up the west shore to Okanagan Lake Resort or cross over to Lake Country and Okanagan Centre. If there’s a strong blow from the north or south this stretch can get rough. Okanagan Lake Resort offers a large but unsheltered dock. Dining is available and if you brought your golf clubs, a challenging course is just a short (but steep) walk inland. Okanagan Centre has a government breakwater that can keep you safe during the wildest weather and a small store about one kilometre away for supplies.

The other half of the lake’s compliment of islands is about six kilometres north of Okanagan Centre off the east shore. Whiskey Island is said to have picked up the name because it was sold for a jug of the hard stuff. Waterfront prices have changed since then! The “new” name for this offshore rock is (Jim) Grant Island after a member of the Okanagan Naturalists Club that helped to purchase the important seagull nesting area and dedicate it as a bird sanctuary. You can impress your crew with the additional trivia that the deepest point in Okanagan Lake is just off the island to the west.

Don’t try to pass between the island and the shore, though. During low water it’s possible to walk between the two and many powerboats have supported local propeller shops by taking this “short cut”.

Continuing your Okanagan Lake zigzag, you can cross the three kilometres to Fintry Delta where the new provincial park provides shelter from south winds as well as nice beaches and other park amenities. Or you can stay on the eastern shore and head for Ellison Provincial Park where, like Fintry, there are a few buoys placed by the yacht clubs for short-term public use. Both parks are excellent spots to stop and savor the Okanagan summer. Don’t expect any fine dining though, unless you’re handy in the galley.

Just beyond Ellison the lake divides with one arm going north and the other east. However, the north arm is quite shallow in spots so the choice is to go east around Cameron Point and into Okanagan Landing, which is now part of the City of Vernon. Here you’ll find moorage at the Vernon Yacht Club or one of the commercial docks nearby.

A trip from Penticton to Vernon can take a day or over several weeks. I recommend more time. Okanagan Lake is a magnificent summer experience. Its safe, warm and the people along the shores are welcoming. If you live in the Okanagan but have never explored the lake now is the time to slip those lines, cast off, weigh anchor … you get the picture.

Read more about boating in the Valley in the July/August issue of Okanagan Life - on newstands now!