Main Dock Project – Fanshawe Yacht Club & Sailing School

On This Page Below:

Main Dock Project – OTF Grant Recognition Media Release July 2025
Tree Planting on Main Dock
Main Dock Repair Updates
Main Dock Project – We got a Grant!
Analysis for the Future

Main Dock Project - OTF Grant Recognition Ceremony Media Release July 28, 2025

On Saturday, July 26, FYC held a Ceremony to recognize a Grant we received from the Ontario Trillium Foundation last year to repair the north part of the Main Dock. MPP for London-Fanshawe Teresa Armstrong was in attendance along with her granddaughters, and many FYC members, family and friends who all gathered on the newly repaired section of dock.

FYC thanks OTF for their generous support for this project.

Click Here to see the July 28 Media Release

Photos of the event below by Chantalle Cooke

Main Dock Project - Tree Planting along the Main Dock

Updated May 1, 2025

Part of the funding received from the Ontario Trillium Foundation grant was to go toward replacement of trees damaged by the construction. In the slideshow below, you will see FYC and Dragon Boat Club Members planting new trees in April and seeding the surrounding soil. The new trees are native species which grow in our Carolinian forests. (photos by R. Goldt)

Main Dock Project Updates - North End

Project Summary

The 2024 Main Dock (North End) Repair Project was generously supported by a Capital Grant from The Ontario Trillium Foundation. This support allowed for important repairs and structural repairs to this section of the 500′ long Main Dock.

Originally built in 1966, this dock follows the harbour shoreline. It allows Fanshawe Yacht Club members and users of the FYC facilities to access their boats on the moorings, dock their boats during regattas or sailing school events, gather for social events, and safely traverse the shoreline from the stairs from the Clubhouse to the north ramp at the other end.

Fanshawe Yacht Club gratefully thanks The Ontario Trillium Foundation for supporting this vital project.

*Click Here to view more Photos of this Project from Start to Finish*

Updated November 26, 2024

As of November 24, most of the repairs to the North End of the Main Dock are complete! See photos below showing the new asphalt deck, the new sheet wall on the corner.

More work will be done in the spring along the tree line, eg. landscaping, tree replacement, etc. (photos by R. Goldt)

Updated October 22, 2024

The Repairs to the North End of the FYC Main Dock have begun!! Commodore Stacey has met with the contractors and engineers about the progress of the work and has included some photos below with explanations of progress so far. You will note the severely degraded old steel sheet wall which clearly shows that this repair project was sorely needed. You will also see that Fanshawe Lake’s level is down a lot!

The contractor has cleared some brush about 12′ in from the edge of the main dock and covered that brush and debris with dirt, forming a pathway for the machinery to travel along the dockside on the grassy area – not on the dock surface itself.

They have removed the dock surface on the north corner and some dirt to expose the old sheet wall. In the final photo taken from on the water by Club Steward Bob M, you can see some of the new sheet wall sections being installed.

For more information about the Main Dock & Shoreline Project, please Click Here

*Please Note: Though the work on this project is very interesting, FYC Members are asked to please NOT enter the construction area. We will try to keep you updated as often as possible!

Thanks again to the Ontario Trillium Foundation for their support on this much needed project.

*To view photos larger, right click your mouse then click Magnify Image. Photos above by Commodore Stacey V and Bob M.

Main Dock Project - Exciting News for Fanshawe Yacht Club!

September 9, 2024

Fanshawe Yacht Club is thrilled to announce that we have been approved for an Ontario Trillium Foundation Grant to repair a portion of the Main Dock!

This much-needed repair will enhance our sailing experience and ensure that our beloved dock remains safe and sound for all our adventures on the water.

A big thanks to everyone who supported this initiative ( Rick G, Andy T, Peter W, Carleen H and Kate E) and to the Ontario Trillium Foundation for their generous assistance!

Stay tuned for updates as we move forward with the repairs. We can’t wait for you all to enjoy the improved facilities!

Until then, keep your sails up and spirits high!

Commodore Stacey V.

*Note: for more information about the Main Dock & Shoreline Project, please Click Here

Main Dock & Shoreline Repair Project – An Ongoing Analysis for the Future

Update October 24, 2024

Great News! The first phase of this Main Dock repair project has been approved for funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation! Approval was received in late August and the sorely-needed repairs on the north corner of the Main Dock have now begun! See the News Page for continuing Updates and Photos.

Main Dock & Shoreline Repair Project

The FYC Main Dock, which follows the shoreline along the protected harbour for 152.4m (500′), was constructed in 1966. It forms the edge of the harbour where many of the club’s larger sailboats are moored. It has a 1.8m wide (6′) wide asphalt surface with a steel sheet pile wall down into the water. It is key to helping prevent shoreline erosion.

The main dock lines the woods along the protected harbour and is where sailors tow their boats to from their moorings in the harbour or dock their boats during sailing events such as regattas or fun days for visitors. During the sailing season, car tires and carpet remnants are hung along the wall to protect boats as they dock. Most importantly, it provides a level place for our members and many visitors to safely traverse the shoreline from the launch ramp at the south end to the stairs up to the Doug MacKenzie Hall clubhouse at the north end.

Over the years, the dock has required some repairs. The information below catalogues the current and ongoing repairs needed in order for the main dock to exist for sailors for another 50 years!

Update: February 2024

A committee was struck the Fall of 2023 to further advance the dock wall project for which various preparations had been made in prior years. FYC members guiding the project are Andy T, Rick G, John K, and Peter W.

In the Fall of 2023 FYC hired engineering consultant Spriet Associates through a competitive process to undertake surveys, geotechnical investigations, design, and tendering of the previously recommended wall repairs. The project focus is on repairing the wall at the foot of the stairs at the north end of the dock, close by the dragon boat docks, and at the south end of the wall between the launch ramp and a previously repaired section. The project addresses the priority areas for repair noted in the various reports to the membership in prior years. In addition the project investigated repairs to the launch ramp to even the grades, improve the range of ramp use for depths, provide a safer outboard edge, and provide a level area for person transfers to kayaks for AIM (Abilities in Motion).

Request for bids for construction were released in February 2024 and when received later in the month will assist FYC in making an application to the Ontario Trillium Fund (OTF) Capital Program for a financial grant to undertake the project. It is hoped bids are favourable for all the work to be done under the grant if approved beginning as early as October 2024. If the grant is limited, work will focus on priorities and the most feasible aspects of the overall project that could be undertaken.

Click the links below to learn more about this project or members can contact Rick G for more info on his committee’s findings and recommendations.