Vancouver Island Yacht Charters

Check one off of your bucket-list with this incredible adventure.  Circumnavigating Vancouver Island is an opportunity few sailors ever experience.  The unmatched beauty, solitary anchorages, complex navigation, and open water sailing is an experience that will take you through some of the most complex and challenging waters found anywhere in the world.

This course is for seasoned sailors, whose accumulated experience presumes an understanding of weather, electronic navigation, vessel systems and maintenance, boat handling  in various weather conditions, and an understanding of coastal navigation and tidal waters.  Our Yachtmaster Instructors will challenge you to master advanced navigation, night passages, and learn how to plan for offshore sailing.  This journey includes the opportunity to learn Celestial Navigation, the oldest form of navigating by sun and stars, the understanding of which provides a vital as an emergency backup in the event of electronic failure and a greater depth of understanding of navigation.

Course includes:

• 14-days/14-nights accommodation in a fully appointed cabin aboard a 40-50′ yacht – see our complete inventory
• Delicious meals prepared as a crew – see our sample menus
• Yachtmaster Instructional Skippers whose local knowledge and advanced skills will teach and encourage you to reach your goals
• Rental of tether and harness, if needed
• Destination:  All the way around the Island, departing and returning from Nanaimo, B.C.

Pre-requisites for Circumnavigating Vancouver Island:

• Achievement of the equivalent of International Crew, Competent Crew/Day Skipper Sail (10+ days liveaboard instruction) and Coastal Navigation
• The equivalent of at least three seasons (minimum 40 days) sailing or 250 nautical miles sailing, ideally on a coastal waterway
• Red Cross or St. John Ambulance Emergency First Aid certificate with CPR
• VHF – ROC radio certificate

Certifications: Students who wish to obtain certifications may pursue Coastal Skipper Advanced, IYT Yachtmaster Coastal or Offshore, and Celestial Navigation, depending on qualifications.  All students will receive the same theory materials – achievement of the various levels of certification depends upon each students prior experience and sea miles (as skipper).  Students who take this course also qualify to achieve IYT Bareboat Skipper with the International Certificate of Competency (for international chartering opportunities).

Minimum Sea Mile/Experience Requirements (to be achieved prior to the time of testing):  

• Coastal Skipper Advanced: 300 nm/at least one season (20 days) sailing, ideally on a coastal waterway
• Yachtmaster Coastal:  500 nm, including 20-days as skipper, and 12 hours on watch at night
• Yachtmaster Offshore:  1,000 nm completed on coastal waters with considerable time of actual vessel handling and at least 50-days as skipper, and at least 12 hours on watch at night with 4 hours as watch

Certification Costs (+tax):

• Coastal Skipper Advanced Sail: $225
• Yachtmaster Coastal or Offshore: $300
• IYT Bareboat Skipper with ICC: $350
• Celestial Navigation: $125
• VHF (IYT): $49.95

Course Materials/Theory: Study materials for the theory portion of this course will be a combination of online and books, depending upon the course.  Celestial Navigation includes a copy of Tom Cunliffe’s Celestial Navigation.  Students wishing to obtain an IYT Bareboat Skipper/ICC certification will complete an eLearning course.  All students will receive access to a folder containing materials to prepare in advance.  Students will also be emailed a folder so that they can review their assigned vessel’s manual so that they are prepared in advance.

Required Equipment: (all available in our store for purchase)

• PFD’s, tether, and harnesses (All of these items can be purchased or rented from us)
• Foul Weather Gear
• Deck Boots
• Rigging knife, flashlight with red lens/head mounted light

*Extra-Person Surcharge:  All group courses provide each student with a cabin.  This cabin may be shared, so long as the participant understand that they are joining this course as a fellow-student who appreciates the nature of the course and it’s demands, whether they join the course for certification or to add sea-miles to their resume. All persons joining the course must be willing to submit to a telephone interview, adhere to all health and equipment requirements, and share in all crew duties as assigned by the skipper while aboard. Anyone who wishes to disembark the vessel early is responsible for the costs and logistics of arranging their own transportation home and will not be refunded any fees for time not spent aboard.