Sunshine Houseboat Vacations, which operates on the British Columbia portion of Lake Koocanusa, notes on its website that it is “a thriving and growing tourism business on Lake Koocanusa.”

What about in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic?

“We are currently fully booked till August 31 but we are taking charters for September and into October,” noted Alissa, a Sunshine Houseboat Vacations employee.

Sunshine operates a fleet of 10 houseboats from its full-service marina located on four hectares of land and three hectares of water at Gold Bay, north of Newgate on the west side of Lake Koocanusa, where it has been headquartered since 2006.

While houseboating continues apace during this weird summer, there are new rules to follow for guests and operators.

“There are new rules for vacation rentals in British Columbia, which will limit the maximum number of people allowed to the capacity of the rental plus a maximum of five visitors,” Alissa explained.

“It means we are able to proceed with our charters. We had already implemented stringent COVID procedures including full sanitation, reduced client-staff exposure and specific COVID policies for renters that require them to not mix with other groups or people on the lake. Clients have been very happy and patient with all the changes required make their vacation COVID friendly and still an unforgettable vacation.”

Sunshine’s marina, waterpark )pictured above right)  and small boat rentals are open, with reduced capacity, and can be booked online with excellent cancellation policies. Don’t forget to get an ice cream or nachos at the Dockside Cantina.

Sunshine Houseboat Vacations was founded in 1999 by Brant and Dianne Cullum of Cranbrook.

Lead image: A moored houseboat on Lake Koocanusa. e-KNOW file photo

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