Hydraulicjump
Senior Member
I thought I would post this to our Marinas, etc. forum. We did our annual visit to Ladysmith, BC for a great restaurant and amazing bakery. In every single conversation with folks I had after our visit they always started with "I thought the marina had closed." No, it is under new management, but there was some significant controversy involved. Here is my (overly long) post to ActiveCaptain that makes a lame attempt to explain what is going on. Apologies to those who never cruise this area, but this is a cute little town that some of us visiting the Gulf Islands like to frequent. Oh, and a reminder, don't believe everything you read on the internet about this issue. Including this post!
"As veterans of visits to this marina and town will note, some things have changed. And it is too early to tell whether the changes are for the better or worse for us, the cruiser community. To simplify (and I am sure to get some of this wrong), the marina is technically owned by the BC Province and leased to the Town of Ladysmith, which, in turn, subleased it to the Ladysmith Maritime Society (LMS) to manage. As part of reconciliation efforts with indigenous peoples, the Province and the town ended the sublease with LMS and transferred the marina and adjacent land to the Stz’uminus First Nation which, in turn has renamed the marina Oyster Bay Marina and hired a new management team. This process has been very tough, with lots of strained relationships between some members of the town and the marina. We spent a fair amount of time on our recent visit listening to folk’s views on this, both in town and on the dock. The new management is here to stay—with strong support from local government, the Province and the courts, and they have grand plans.
From the point of view of us, the cruiser community, the Oyster Bay Marina will have little in common with the one run by LMS. The plans can be found here:
www.oysterbaymarina.ca
It is very impressive and they have funding for clean up work and initial improvements to the docks. But a 1200 slip marina with houseboats and a large condo complex, including a new restaurant, is a big change and will take many years to complete. We cruisers know how often grand plans get derailed, so this is all a wait and see. The good news is that they plan to clear out all the derelict boats next to the marina (a perpetual eyesore). But for now, the docks are pretty empty. No worries about getting space on the transient dock which used to be pretty crowded in the summer. The showers and laundry are the same. The facilities are sparse and clean. I found the management polite and engaging—and very enthusiastic about the development plans—but the staffing is minimal. And of course, the wonderful little town of Ladysmith is at the top of the hill with Maya Norte—our favorite tapas restaurant—and Old Town Bakery with cinnamon buns bigger than your head, an amazing meat market, good provisioning, and good hiking to work it all off. Just don’t visit on Sundays when they roll up the streets. We will come back next year and report on progress."
"As veterans of visits to this marina and town will note, some things have changed. And it is too early to tell whether the changes are for the better or worse for us, the cruiser community. To simplify (and I am sure to get some of this wrong), the marina is technically owned by the BC Province and leased to the Town of Ladysmith, which, in turn, subleased it to the Ladysmith Maritime Society (LMS) to manage. As part of reconciliation efforts with indigenous peoples, the Province and the town ended the sublease with LMS and transferred the marina and adjacent land to the Stz’uminus First Nation which, in turn has renamed the marina Oyster Bay Marina and hired a new management team. This process has been very tough, with lots of strained relationships between some members of the town and the marina. We spent a fair amount of time on our recent visit listening to folk’s views on this, both in town and on the dock. The new management is here to stay—with strong support from local government, the Province and the courts, and they have grand plans.
From the point of view of us, the cruiser community, the Oyster Bay Marina will have little in common with the one run by LMS. The plans can be found here:
Book Now | Oyster Bay Marina | Ladysmith, BC
With picturesque views of Ladysmith Harbour, Oyster Bay Marina offers a relaxing place to moor. Nestled on the shores of the charming small Town of Ladysmith on Vancouver Island’s spectacular east coast, the marina is set in the perfect location to explore the gulf islands.
www.oysterbaymarina.ca
It is very impressive and they have funding for clean up work and initial improvements to the docks. But a 1200 slip marina with houseboats and a large condo complex, including a new restaurant, is a big change and will take many years to complete. We cruisers know how often grand plans get derailed, so this is all a wait and see. The good news is that they plan to clear out all the derelict boats next to the marina (a perpetual eyesore). But for now, the docks are pretty empty. No worries about getting space on the transient dock which used to be pretty crowded in the summer. The showers and laundry are the same. The facilities are sparse and clean. I found the management polite and engaging—and very enthusiastic about the development plans—but the staffing is minimal. And of course, the wonderful little town of Ladysmith is at the top of the hill with Maya Norte—our favorite tapas restaurant—and Old Town Bakery with cinnamon buns bigger than your head, an amazing meat market, good provisioning, and good hiking to work it all off. Just don’t visit on Sundays when they roll up the streets. We will come back next year and report on progress."
