When the renovations and extensions are completed at the Deep Bay Marina in the spring, harbour manager Robert Neal is confident he’ll have no problem filling it.
After more than three years of going through the regulatory hoops, Neal said hands-on work began in earnest in September on the renovation, which will see approximately 500 linear feet of additional dock space added to the facility.
“There will be room for about 60 new boats,” Neal said. “I have enough people on the list to fill them easily. There’s a huge demand, because there hasn’t been any new marina space built for a long time. There are a lot of people retiring to this area from the Lower Mainland and Victoria and they want to be close to their boats.”
He said one dock is being disconnected and turned, while three others will be extended to make four very long fingers.
In addition to the new docks, which are scheduled to be completed in March, he said some additional dock space has been recently freed up.
“We got rid of our sinkers and potential sinkers,” he said. “We had five old wooden boats and three of them sank and cost the harbour $25,000 and we kicked two others out and they sank within months.”
• Military trainers got more than they bargained for on Monday when they took their vessel, Black Duck, on a training exercise out of Powell River.
The Black Duck ran aground on some rocks on Vivian Island just before noon.
The nine occupants of the vessel had to be rescued by the Coast Guard when their boat began to tilt as the tide lowered. A Cormorant helicopter from 19 Wing Comox was also on the scene.
• Emergency staff raced to the rescue on Sunday when a man slipped off his boat while checking his boat anchor off the coast of Gabriola Island.
The action took place at about 5 p.m. when resident Marti Robinson heard a man yelling for help from the waters of Descanso Bay near the ferry terminal.
She called 911 and the Nanaimo Harbour Patrol, Gabriola Fire Rescue, BC Ambulance and the Gabriola RCMP scrambled to the scene, along with a rescue boat from BC Ferries.
Even as they converged, the man yelled that he couldn’t hold on much longer. Fortunately, the BC Ferries crew was able to get to him after he had been in the water for 15 to 20 minutes.
The man was rushed to NRGH, where he was treated for hypothermia.
Constable Ed DeJong of the Gabriola RCMP said a life was saved, but it wouldn’t have happened without the quick actions of Ms. Robinson.
• Being crackerjack rescuers can be vital to saving lives on the water, but it doesn’t come easily, or without a lot of practice.
That’s why residents are being advised that Cormorant helicopters will be flying betwen 5 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. from Dec. 4 to 7 as crews conduct exercises to train new flight engineers in night time conditions.
The majority of the training will take place away from populated areas.
• Want to combine your love of things maritime with love of a good, scary mystery? The Maritime Museum in Victoria could have just the thing for you.
On Dec. 14 the museum will once again hold a ghost hunt in the museum, which is deemd one of the most haunted buildings in the province.
The event, which kicks off at 10 p.m. and runs until 3 a.m. will see former UK-based clairvoyant and medium Dawn Kirkham leading an investigation of the building, which used to be the provincial court building.
The cost is $55 per person, plus HST and pre-registration is required.
Call 250-385-4222 for more information.
