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The Lake is Always Calling

Growing up in Kelowna, Okanagan Lake was always at the heart of our community. Family festivals in Waterfront Park. Beach days at Gyro or Bertram Creek Park. Sitting dockside at summer camps. Early morning wakeboarding on calm water. Camping at Bear Creek. Sunday strolls on the boardwalk with visiting family members. Hikes along Paul’s Tomb Trail. Special moments were often centered around the lake, framed by its serene views, creating memories that last a lifetime. The lake was always calling.

Whether you are a long-time local, a new resident or a visitor, Okanagan Lake has always been a key draw, setting our region apart. But it’s not just a beautiful backdrop to our lifestyle; it’s a cornerstone of our quality of life, shaping our economy, natural environment, and water supply. We must not take this resource for granted, and need to be stewards of this amazing gift.

Pairing this beautiful lake with our warm climate, boating has been ingrained in our local culture for decades. As a community builder that has grown with this region over the past 20 years, we have woven boating into our strategy of vertical integration — although that wasn’t always the plan.

Learning the business of boat storage.

When Mission Group first purchased the Aqua Waterfront Village lands on Truswell & Capozzi Roads in 2007, we envisioned a signature waterfront community, building off the success of our first project, Mission Shores. At the time we acquired the lands, a dry-land boat storage and valet facility operated on-site. Seeing an opportunity to generate income during the land holding period, we decided to take over the operation ourselves.

As we developed the vision for the future Aqua Waterfront Village and waited for the right moment to bring the residential community to market, we became intimately acquainted with the boat storage and moorage business. Many of our current customers will remember Aqua Boat Club’s humble beginnings in the small blue cabin we affectionately called the “Smurf Shack”.

Gradually, we realized that this was more than just a business opportunity. Boat storage would need to be a fundamental part of the experience for Aqua’s future residents.

Rethinking the typical marina.

Typically, local boats are moored at on-water marinas. While these are common in our region, marinas can conflict with the stewardship of our lake. Building structures over the foreshore can impact fish and wildlife habitats. Fuelling boats in the water presents pollution risks, and marinas can obstruct view corridors across the lake and towards the mountains beyond. For boat lovers, leaving your boat in the water can degrade the hull over time and being outside means exposure to harmful UV rays. Dry-land storage takes up valuable space, and indoor storage has been challenging to make efficient.

Enter the ‘vending machine for boats’, the secret to Aqua Boat Club’s design. While boating is a local story, our roof-mounted stacker crane is truly a global one. The crane’s engineering design was completed in Germany, built and assembled in Argentina, and is the only crane of its kind in Canada.

This technology allows Aqua Boat Club to efficiently and safely store nearly 200 boats. The crane can retrieve boats from its “slip” within the racked storage system in less than a minute. With off-water fueling and maintenance offered, the Club is a special offering for Aqua residents and the greater public. It means we can continue to offer a quintessential Okanagan experience while helping to protect our region’s greatest asset – our lake.

Completed as part of the first phase of Aqua Waterfront Village, we now operate Aqua Boat Club as a state-of-the-art indoor, racked boat storage facility. We’re pretty sure we are the only developer & home builder in Canada that also operates a boat storage facility! The building replaces a typical marina, rethinking what it looks like to have a boat slip. We also pioneered a boat-share program in our region, meaning you don’t have to own your own boat to enjoy the lake. Membership in our boat-share program gives you access to top-of-the-line boats, without the stresses of ownership, offering the boating lifestyle to a broader audience.

Making your own lakeside memories.

I’m sure that many of you have your own memories inspired by the shining waters of Okanagan Lake. Perhaps you will create new ones this summer with loved ones.  Whether you are enjoying a summer afternoon on the water, appreciating the views on a hiking trail, or walking along the future boardwalk at Aqua Waterfront Village, take a moment to appreciate what the lake offers to all of us.  We encourage you to continue to celebrate the Okanagan by enjoying the natural splendour of our region.    

After all, the lake is always calling.