Work almost finished on Charlottetown Yacht Club's new 'bulletproof' seawall
CBC
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The old, decaying wood has been replaced by a new concrete seawall, and the entire wharf and yacht club have been raised by about a metre.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.
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."
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