Formerly known as the Okanagan Chapter, the Western Canadian chapter of ACBS is located in Kelowna, British Columbia, in the middle of the Okanagan Valley, a four-hours-drive east from the city of Vancouver.
When a small group of classic boat enthusiasts met over 20 years to discuss the concept of an antique and classic boat show, who could have imagined that a casual social gathering of like-minded individuals would evolve into a classic boat owners club. We put on a local boat show on the shores of Lake Okanagan where the local community came to admire the boats on display. The second year more boats were on display at the show and even more spectators showed up.
Interest in classic boating was growing and we felt we needed to broaden our scope. Two members of the executive committee, Vic Spencer and Arnie Brown, headed to Couer d’Alene, Idaho with their boats to spread the word. There they met Dave Lobb, Mike Hutchison, Greg Rudloff, Alan Thomle, Fred Bush and many more all of whom were all invited to come to the next year’s show. And, show up they did with their beautifully restored boats. We were all astonished by the sheer opulence and beauty of the classic boats that arrived— GarWoods, Hackers, Dodges, and Chris-Crafts. The show continued to grow to the point where forty boats, the maximum our show site could accommodate, were featured with over half coming from the U.S.
We also received inspiration from the Toronto Chapter of ACBS. Studying the format of their event, we realized the thread of creating a bond between the boat owners and the public. We also noted the Field of Dreams was the first venue the public experienced as they entered the show and it served to lure and entice the public into the classic boat lifestyle. Importantly, the Toronto Chapter also spoke to us about the benefits of ACBS.
We soon integrated a number of the events I’d noted in my travels: public display of classic boats on the “hard” (our own version of Field of Dreams) which included project boats, vintage sweep rowing boats from the local rowing club, and a collection of vintage 30-foot war canoes that once used to race at local regattas. We also integrated youth events with what we called apple bin races, model boat building, and later mini-punt races.
We also began selecting an Honorary Commodore for the show whose main task was to preside over the Sail Pass. All boats would leave the dock and assemble just north of the hotel. One by one they would slowly approach the docks while their story was being read over the loud speakers so all skippers had their moment in the spotlight. As they motored past, the stern pole/flag of each vessel was lowered in salute to the Commodore.
The success of the show in these early years, plus the growing interest from U.S. boaters caused us to rethink where our club was going and what classic boating was all about. Despite reservations from some of the original founders and old timers we realized the need to explore joining the ACBS and create our own chapter.
With the support of the Toronto and Pacific Northwest Chapters we were accepted into the ACBS as “Chapter 39 Okanagan” on September 30, 1995. Initially our numbers were modest, but when we branched out to include interest from all over Western Canada, the chapter grew.
Today, the chapter is known as Western Canadian and membership covers most of Western Canada with members from as far east as Calgary and as far west as Victoria.
We invite you to our boat show June 20-25, 2025 at the Penticton Yacht Club.
https://www.wcacbs.ca/