The Graham Clarke Group (GCG) has acquired the Oak Bay Marine Group (OBMG) and its related marinas.
The acquisition includes four Vancouver Island marinas — Oak Bay Marina, North Saanich Marina, Ladysmith Marina and Pedder Bay RV Resorts and Marine, along with Oak Bay Marine Group boathouses and the Marine Dockside Eatery.
“For me, this is deeply personal,” said Graham Clarke, owner of the Graham Clarke Group. “I grew up in Oak Bay and have always admired the legacy of Oak Bay Marine Group. This acquisition is more than an expansion; it’s about honouring a business that has meant so much to the community.”
The Graham Clarke Group owns several marine businesses that operate in the Lower Mainland including Harbour Cruises, the 250 slip Coal Harbour Marina, Western Pacific Marine and the Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre.
“This partnership ensures OBMG’s legacy will carry on while we continue to serve the communities and customers who have supported us over the years,” said OBMG CEO, Brook Castelsky.
This acquisition is more than an expansion.
Graham Clarke
Existing Oak Bay Marine Group staff, including Brook Castelsky, are expected to remain.
The Oak Bay Marine Group was founded in 1962 by entrepreneur Bob Wright, who died in 2013.
The organisation has grown from its initial pleasure-boat moorage to become a sport-fishing and tourism business including floating fishing lodges and three hotels, which have since been sold.
And Graham added that his company intends ‘to be there for the long term’ with lots of plans to improve the marinas.
The company has a five-year lease on the Oak Bay marina site that runs until 2027.
A request for proposals for the site has previously been issued, seeing ideas for redevelopment.
Negotiations had taken place with the Oak Bay Marine Group but these were not taken up by the authorities.
The Oak Bay Marine Group’s plan for the site featured a paddle-sports centre, community space, a boat brokerage and a cycling centre with charging stations for electric bikes.
