Work almost finished on Charlottetown Yacht Club's new 'bulletproof' seawall
$6-million upgrade is the first major repair to the wharf since 1975
Repairs to the seawall around the Charlottetown Yacht Club are almost complete, much to the relief of Island sailors, visitors and business owners in the area.
The old, decaying wood has been replaced by a new concrete seawall, and the entire wharf and yacht club have been raised by about a metre.
Rising sea levels and storms have led to flooding around the club in recent decades, and part of the seawall collapsed during post-tropical storm Fiona in September 2022.
The $6-million improvement project has been aimed at preventing that from happening again any time soon.
"I never say never, but we're pretty much bulletproof now," said Stephen Cudmore, a member of the yacht club's infrastructure committee for the seawall renewal project.
"If you combine a high sea level with a storm and waves, it can just totally wash out the infrastructure…. It would be a shame if they had to look at a seawall that was literally washed into the Charlottetown Harbour, and that's not going to happen anymore."
Work to repair the crumbling seawall around the Charlottetown Yacht Club got underway last September, thanks to $5.5 million in funding from three levels of government, the Charlottetown Area Development Corporation and the yacht club itself.
The repairs were long overdue — before this, the last significant upgrades to the wharf were done 50 years ago, back in 1975.
We are four feet higher in the air, which is very cool, so our view is even better.— Jenna Shinn, Salt & Sol restaurant
The project has meant short-term pain for businesses in and around the club. But they hope it'll mean long-term gain.
Salt & Sol restaurant, which sits on the upper level of the yacht club, opened about a month later than usual this season because of the renovations, but its co-owner said customers have been understanding.
"As a seasonal business, we have obviously been impacted by this, with the late opening, given that this time of year is where we really like to welcome guests," said Jenna Shinn.
"Everybody who comes understands when we explain what's happening. They're still happy to come and support us, so we are very, very thankful for that."
The restaurant has planned several new events to draw more people down to the waterfront now that the work is coming to an end.
"We are four feet higher in the air, which is very cool, so our view is even better," Shinn said. "This is going to bring a lot to both the club and to us."
Neil Webster, who owns Adventures Marine Zodiac Boat Tours, also pushed the opening of his seal-watching tours back by a month.
He said construction delays have to be expected with major projects like this one, and agreed that the changes will lead to more customers in the future.
"It's going to be beautiful and they needed it a long time ago," Webster said. "It may have cost me money as my business, but it's going to be better for next year and better for later this season too."
'Paying off in spades'
The remaining work to the area includes paving the parking lot and doing some landscaping, which Cudmore expects will be happen by mid July.
The club has seen high tides similar to last year's, he said, but the building is managing to stay above water.
"If we were standing here [last year], our feet would actually be underwater," Cudmore said. "This year we had those same high tides and we were well clear and high and dry.
"So it's already paying off in spades."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With files from Connor Lamont