It would have been difficult to find a more perfect day for the Conestoga Sailing Club to open its new dock here.
Commodore Ben Harrison of Kitchener said in an interview the dock building project was spread over two years. He said the club, now 51 years old, had probably not replaced the dock for about 40 years.
With the upgrade came modern amenities. The dock is now wheelchair accessible and it has bumpers built right into it so boats do not have to carry them for docking protection.
The club has 25 family members and 25 youth members and owns a fleet of 25 boats. It recently obtained four new catamarans. That ownership allows members to sail without the expense of owning their own boat. It also allows them to try different boats before they make a purchase of their own, Harrison said.
The objective of the club is to promote a dual focus on racing and recreational sailing. Some members participate in provincial, national and international regattas. Others organize and take part in recreational sailing adventures, at home and on bodies of water around the province. The club is barrier-free and has programs for people of all capabilities.
Harrison said the new dock was a major capital project and it is now 168 feet long. He noted that it came in easy-to-assemble pieces and club members did the volunteer work to put it together, just as they do volunteer maintenance, including mowing the lawn.
Harrison said the Kitchener-Waterloo Community Foundation provided a grant of $5,000 and the K-W Sports association provided another $3,500. The club qualified for the grants because it was making the dock accessible.
“The rest of the donations came from past and present members,” Harrison said, adding the club also holds fundraisers such as charity bingos to buy its boats and run its sailing school.
That school is used to promote sailing and also train people in boating techniques, rules and safety.
Harrison said there are about 130 students every summer at the lake, and the club runs a bus from the K-W area through Elmira and St. Jacobs to bring interested students to the school. There is also an evening school that teaches about 40 adults to sail.
The club has about 325 members per season, Harrison said, noting school attendees are part of that.
For more information, visit www.kwsailing.org.
