Readers write - - Boat launch sense.

As a teen I worked in many capacities at a self-contained large marina which serviced a year-round clientele on an ocean straight. There was plenty of parking, no immediate neighbours and an infinite ocean in which boaters would disperse.

There was no carnival-like sense of chaos or disruption to the small community such as we are subjected to given our finite lake and short recreational season.

What we have is a community boat launch nestled between houses on a quiet lane near one of the few accessible beaches. This pocket boat launch is expected by some to function as smoothly as a
large marina on a vast body of water.

On any day you can see residents using our streets to recreate: from running, walking, biking to horse-back riding. A busy boat launch is not compatible with those environmentally compatible activities.

For those of us who remember Coldstream as a laidback community it is sad to see the degradation of the quality of our lives little by little. Opportunities for peaceful afternoons, spent at the beach, strolls down our roads and lanes are met by those who seem not to value natural beauty and the sound of silence.

Trying to read a book or or simply wanting to sit quietly at the beach is an exercise in frustration given the assault of noisy "pleasure boats". Note to power-boaters: what prevents you from recreating away from the beaches and leaving us in peace? One might assume there is a certain gratification in having an audience to witness you demonstrate your nautical prowess and mastery of the wake.

Re. Ms. Strangward's letter to the Morning Star: the arguments presented by those who have a vested interest in expanding boat launch facilities clearly demonstrate a lack of consideration and empathy for those whose only wish is to preserve the safety and order of their neighbourhood.

Given that the expansion of the Kalavista boat would diminish the aesthetics and quality of life we in Coldstream enjoy, one must assume that those advocating for expansion are not interested in what people in Coldstream value and wish to preserve. One can hardly believe that they would accept the same noise and congestion in their own neighbourhood or community. It is a rare person that would willingly foul their own nest.

FYI The City of Vernon has A Good Neighbour Bylaw:4980 2005, which has a section pertaining to boat noise and the nuisance thereby created :

4.6 Boat Noise:

(a) No person shall launch a motor boat from any lands in the City if that motor boat is equipped with an exhaust system that permits the exhaust gases from the engine to be expelled directly into the air without first passing through the water unless the boat motor is equipped with a muffling device that ensures the exhaust gases from the engine are cooled and expelled without excessive noise;

(b) No person shall operate a motor boat in the City if that motor boat is equipped with an exhaust system that permits the exhaust gases from the engine to be expelled directly into the air without first passing through the water unless the boat motor is equipped with a muffling device that ensures the exhaust gases from the engine are cooled and expelled without excessive noise;

(c) No person shall operate a motor boat powered by an engine equipped with the exhausting devices commonly described as dry stacks or dry headers;

(d) No person shall operate a motor boat powered by an engine equipped with all exhausting devices commonly described as water injected headers unless a properly operating muffler is installed thereto;

(e) No person shall operate a motor boat powered by an engine equipped with exhausting devices commonly described as overtransom water cooled exhaust unless a properly operating muffler is installed thereto; and

(f) No person shall operate a motor boat so as to cause noise which disturbs the peace, rest, enjoyment, comfort or convenience of the neighbourhood or of persons in the vicinity.

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