July 1, 2023 Canada Day, Boat Down

I set out in the morning full of optimism, undercut with a jagged edge of nerves. The wind was brisk and the trees shook in the morning breeze. I had a tour of the lake with a group of girls celebrating a stagette party. Then it was off to Peachland for the fireworks.

Captain Rob had a bigger day yet, he was on two tours of the lake and his last one was a trip up the lake to pick up people at McKinley Beach a thirty-minute boat ride from downtown Kelowna. The tour would consist of a pick up at 8:30, going by boat to the fireworks in front of Kelowna then returning at 11:00 pm after the show.

But the wind had other ideas.

I picked up my crew of girls from the dock in downtown Kelowna on Serendipity 2 and headed out. The water churned and the wind howled around us. My boating skills were put to the test as I had to keep the right speed to make sure the bow was up out of the waves and the girls were comfortable. As long as we went with the wind, the weather was excellent and the girls enjoyed the heat.

We kept riding the lake with the wind. That’s when we saw the smoke billowing into the sky. Fire! Knox Mountain was ablaze a short distance from downtown. There were no lightning strikes so how did the fire start? It added to the ominous feeling I had inside. But everything felt good as long as we went with the wind.

Eventually, we would have to go back against the wind. 

I held a secret hope inside that the wind would die down and we would have a nice ride back. But we could only go north with the stiff breeze for so long. We cruised along until we found a nice sheltered bay where we could tie off to a bouy and relax. It gave me a chance to breathe easy and watch the beautiful women enjoy the water and each other’s company. I put the tube into the lake and they floated in paradise. 

We watched the whitecaps of the lake settle down. It looked like I might get my wish. 

It was Canada’s Birthday after all and I hoped that I would get a nice present from mother nature.

It was not to be.

We set out from our hiding spot and cruised across the lake. Tube and three girls in tow. They laughed and screamed as we rolled across the waves. With every moment the wind picked back up. I hid my nervous tension from the ladies and watched the water churn around us.

The girls caught big air on a wave and sailed high. The tube went up. It went sideways. I held my breath and hoped it wouldn’t flip. Then it dropped back down and I slowed the boat to a crawl. A howl of laughter filled the air. But I could hear the nervous tension in the wails. 

It was time to bring the tube in and bring the girls home. 

Into a now blistering wind.

There was more white on the water than blue as the lake brought itself up with the full fury of the wind. I steered the boat back across the lake to search for a calmer ride home. I turned and twisted the boat to keep the ride as smooth s possible. My stomach leaped along with the three-foot swells we rushed over. I brought my crew into the back of the boat and closed the window so they were out of the wind.

Our nice relaxing cruise was over.

Now it was time to just get back to the dock.

We watched the flames and the smoke pour into the sky as we approached downtown Kelowna. It gave us an apocalyptic feeling cruising in the raging waters with smoke streaming into the sky.  

Thirty minutes of steering across the tops of the rushing water and I pulled into downtown Kelowna. My crew of eight bikini-clad beauties beamed with the excitement of it all. We said goodbye and they thanked me for their four hours on the lake. 

I had a chance to go grab a piece of pizza and relax for a moment before the next part of my day. My next venture was to take the boat to Peachland for the fireworks. Both Kelowna and Peachland had a fireworks display scheduled for Canada Day. Captain Rob doubted Kelwona would go ahead with theirs with the wind howling and a fire raging. So he canceled his next tours and headed for shelter.

But there was a family of tourists who booked to go out at 5:00 pm. And I was there at the dock. Did they want to go? They’d already agreed to go in the morning. But they were all there and keen. When we sat at the dock it didn’t feel too bad. Still part of me was worried it would be a rough ride. So we chose to pull the pin and meet in West Keloanw in the morning when they were on the way home.

I set out back into the teeth of the increasing breeze. On the north side of the bridge, it wasn’t too bad. But I could see the churning whitecaps on the other side. I wasn’t worried my boat was very stable in the wind and I was alone, with no one else to worry about. I pointed the bow into the waves after I passed under the bridge. As usual, idiots were going fast through the bridge. It always amazes me how people ignore the speed limit under the bridge. But when the lake is rolling hard from the winds it makes it even more treacherous going under the bridge.

I settled in for my forty-minute ride to Peachland. The hull bounced and rolled and I steered my vessel into the oncoming onslaught of wind and waves.

Until the boat wouldn’t steer anymore.

My stomach twisted and rolled and my hands clenched in fear. I turned the steering wheel and looked at the engine. Nothing. There was no control.

I was in the middle of the lake headed into a strong wind and I’d lost control of my vessel.

My Evinrude was letting me down. Again.

I called Captain Rob. And tried to keep the panic from my voice. We discussed options. There was a boat launch at Casa Loma, but there was nowhere to leave the boat while I went to get the trailer. And we had no idea how good the launch worked because we’d never used it.

I would keep going toward West Kelowna. And try to keep the nose in the wind. I searched the boat and found some steering fluid and topped it up. That helped a bit and I regained some control.

I kept heading into the wind and the waves. My stomach rocked along with my tossing vessel. I could feel the sweat crawl out of my palms and I concentrated my energy on getting home.

Twenty minutes later I eased up to the dock and tied off. I’d called my wife and thankfully she was able to drive from Peachland to pick me up. We pulled the boat home. My hopes of a successful summer on Serendipity 2 were dashed.

Now what to do about the Peachland fireworks?

We had eight people booked to join us but the wind was still howling. Would it die down? I held out a faint hope inside. But I was ready to call the whole thing off and stay home. 

Safe.

I needed gas for the next day though and there was a chance that someone would be at the gas dock to fill up the pontoon boat if we went right away. I knew early the next morning there wouldn’t be any chance for gas.

So we decided to venture back out. 

We called the Blind Angler and begged for a spot on their deck before they closed down. Thankfully they welcomed us to come. So I got fuel while Honey waited with a glass of wine and a beautiful view.

The wind was calming down and so were my nerves. I decided we could still go watch the fireworks. And let the passengers know. The evening went on and we met everyone on the dock. Their excitement was palpable and it brought up my mood. They didn’t care if the boat wasn’t fancy or didn’t have a bathroom They were too excited to be on the lake under the fireworks to care about anything like a bathroom or fancy lights.

It was about the connection with the lake, and the fireworks display.

We were not disappointed.

Colours lit the night air and we were almost a part of the display. Oohs, aahs, and wahoos filled the air between the booms of the flying pyrotechnics. There is something special about being right under the fireworks, it’s like you’re part of the show. It was a celebration of everything Canadian. And I was very glad we pushed through and shared the moment. A moment in time that was special for everyone.