Yacht Charters Vancouver Island

Around Vancouver Island Yachtmaster Offshore
14 day circumnavigation of Vancouver Island


Call for spring 2012 dates now! Space is filling up quickly!

Join us for an exciting Yachtmaster Offshore Cruise & Learn around Vancouver Island. The first part of this voyage will take you from Sidney to the northern tip of Vancouver Island via the Inside Passage through a maze of islands with tidal currents running up to 15 knots. On this leg, occasional stops will be made in remote anchorages. After the Inside Passage, students will get a taste of some serious open ocean sailing with occasional landfalls as we make our way back to Sidney via the West Coast of Vancouver Island.

Total mileage on the circumnavigation varies between 500 and 700 nautical miles depending on weather and final route. Weather can range from fog, light winds, steady westerlies of 20-30 knots and storm force south easterlies. This is a serious test of navigational skills, seamanship and your stomach. It will also serve as an excellent catalyst for those contemplating offshore cruising.

The crew will consist of a maximum of six students plus an experienced Offshore Instructor. A watch system will be maintained at all times while at sea. Emphasis will be placed on developing the skills of a serious cruising sailor with constant attention to safety.

The skills covered will include:
• Advanced day and night navigation
• Heavy weather sailing
• Maintenance and repair procedures
• Trip planning and provisioning
• Successful cooking at sea

Prerequisites: Coastal Skipper/Advanced certification or equivalent, Coastal Navigation, VHF and First Aid

Instructor:TBA

Course Level: Completion of the course will lead to ISPA Yachtmaster Offshore cruising certification. Course material and food is supplied. Spinnaker Endorsement not available. Cruising Spinnaker only.

What to bring: Foul Weather Gear, Strobe Light, Safety Harness, Flashlight, Knife, Thermos

Swifsure International Yacht Race
The West Coast's Classic Long Distance Race

We are seeking students to crew!

Date: May 2012 (dates to be confirmed)
Arrive prior to this regatta for tactics training before taking part in the Cape Flattery race of the Swiftsure International Regatta.

Instructors/Skipper: TBA

What’s included: All meals during the race

What’s not included: Shoreside activities

What to bring: Foul Weather Gear, Strobe Light, Safety Harness, Flashlight, Knife, Thermos

Cost: $1395

BE A PART OF THE WINNING TEAM!!!

An adventure of a life time!

Aloha and welcome to the 2012 Victoria to Maui International Yacht Race

$7995.00 Per Person inclusive

Your Committees from the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club and the Lahaina Yacht Club have been preparing for your participation since September 2010. Come and enjoy a fun filled week of pre-race activities in Victoria, the Capital City of British Columbia and one of the most beautiful harbours in the world.

From there we give you a rare ocean race that takes both flat out racing skills and strategic decision-making. The determination of the location of the Pacific High will lead you to the strategic decision of when to turn right, haul on those spinnaker halyards and lay back and enjoy.

The Victoria to Maui International Yacht Race, first contested in 1968, is the pinnacle of Pacific Northwest ocean racing. Vic-Maui runs every second year, starting in June or July off Victoria, British Columbia and finishing near Lahaina, Maui, a distance of approximately 2308 nautical miles.

Vic-Maui challenges navigators to demonstrate their weather routing and navigational skills. Understanding the weather is critical when making decisions on navigating out of the Straits of Juan De Fuca and along the Washington, Oregon and Northern California coasts to get to the trade winds first. Success depends on the navigators skill in predicting where the Pacific High pressure zone will be.

Captain: Allan Poole

Yacht: Sea Biscuit 409 SAGA

What's included: All meals, course manual

Whats not included: Pre qualifying races, air home and shore activities

Maui-Victoria Cruise 'N Learn

Date: July 28-Aug 18, 2012 (dates to be confirmed)

Instructor/Skipper: TBA

What's included: All meals, course manual

Obtain your Yachtmaster Offshore, Yachtmaster Offshore Instructor, or CYA Advanced certification while sailing back from Maui with one of our instructors.

Cost: $4995

*all prices subject to change