Cruising into the Oak Bay Marina is the latest business dedicated to getting islanders into boating.
“We’re here to bring people out on the water and get as many people as we can onto the water within the marine industry,” says Freedom Boat Club B.C. owner William Purdon.
Freedom Boat Club started in 1989 in Florida as a small members club for boaters. Flash forward to 2022 and Freedom boasts over 300 clubs around the world.
“In 2015 we launched Freedom Boat here in Canada, we brought it out of the U.S.,” says Purdon.
“We were the first international club and since then over the last six years we were able to bring the growth of Freedom Boat Club from 115 locations to 350 locations.”
Members receive on-the-water training in addition to having their fueling, maintenance and cleaning taken care of by the staff in an effort to streamline the boating experience.
“The ability to just come down and not worry about a dead battery or anything wrong with your boat at the boat launch, we’ll take care of that,” says Purdon.
“You’re simply going to be on the water within five minutes of your arrival.”
During the pandemic, Purdon and his team have seen an increase in interest as well as memberships, with everyone looking for new ways to explore the outdoors.
“I think it’s been a phenomenal growth during this time with the pandemic where we’ve been able to do this and really give some sanity to people,” says Marcial Reyes, Freedom Boat Club B.C.’s membership executive.
“People can make the time because it only takes five minutes to hop on the boat and five minutes to hop off the boat.”
After branching out to Vancouver Island last year with a location in North Saanich, Freedom Boat Club B.C. is launching a new location at the Oak Bay Marina.
“We teamed up with Oak Bay Marine Group and they gave us the ability to grow within their marinas and we plan on opening more and more clubs every year,” says Purdon.
“So next year we will be down towards Ladysmith area, Nanaimo and we’re going to continue to grow every year.”
To learn more about Freedom Boat Club, visit their website.
Cole Sorenson
