SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - The sound of a tiny terrier named Duke skittering down the wooden dock welcomed visitors to the new and improved Prelude Lake Marina on Tuesday.

The Prelude Lake marina crew consists of Rick Barry, self-described deckhand Michelle Jacobs and Barry's daughter Jennifer, right, who he deems the boss. - Guy Quenneville/NNSL photo

Together with her companion Jazz, a large black shar pei, Duke anxiously kept watch over the site, her tail wagging furiously.

Further down the dock, a woman named Michelle Jacobs, wearing jean shorts and a dark tan, tidied up a boat while her boss, Jennifer Barry, tended to a young couple renting a 16-foot boat for a short afternoon fishing trip.

The last member of the marina's merry staff, Jennifer's father Rick, arrived and placed a pack of insulin in the freezer sitting outside the marina's headquarters and convenience store, The Dragonfly Concession. The meds are for one of the dogs, he explained.

It was just another day at the Prelude Lake marina, which, after several year's absence, opened last summer. But the place has really taken off this year, with Jennifer and Rick expanding the business's scope beyond just boat rentals.

First there's the new concession stand - the front door is crowned by a life preserver Jennifer found in the lake - offering everything from food to fishing supplies.

"She's pretty much got everything covered - oil, fuel, women's accessories, chocolate bars, ice cream," said Rick of his daughter, who also runs another business, Jumping Jenny's Janitorial Services ("You Call, I Jump.")

Then there are the three 28-foot long trailers the Barrys rent out to customers who book a camp site, whether at Prelude Lake Park or its sister parks Fred Henne and Reid Lake.

"It was a little slow to start, but we're finding that we're getting more and more inquiries," said Rick. "I had one rental where I delivered it to their house and parked it in their yard because they had family members coming up but no room for them to stay.

"That was kind of an aspect that I didn't anticipate."

As for the marina itself, despite several weeks in which the sun was conspicuously absent during the weekend, business has been good.

"It's really picked up in late July and early August," said Rick.

Nadia Drisdelle, the female half of the young couple renting the boat on Tuesday, said spending a quiet afternoon on Prelude Lake was a nice change of scenery for her and her boyfriend, Gord Cooling.

"We usually just go fishing off Yellowknife River, but it gets kind of boring," she said. "Sometimes you just want to get out on the water."

We welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.