15 Day VANCOUVER ISLAND ADVENTURE

OFFSHORE/ADVANCED PASSAGE MAKER COURSE & ADVENTURE CRUISE
15 day/800+nm Circumnavigation of Vancouver Island 
Cost -- 15 day Van Isle --- $2998.00 single, $5888,00 couple
 

This is THE must do course for every adventurous sailor -- You should reserve your berth as soon as possible to avoid disappointment - this is a very popular CYA / ISPA course or just one heck of a sail!
If your time is limited we can put together a shorter trip for you -- just drop us an Email

Cruise Format:
Join us on the Vic Maui winner Turicum, an extremely fast, luxurious, C&C 44 and a  along with your experienced (45,000 offshore miles)  skipper/instructor and  6 students/crew on a 800+nm circumnavigation of Vancouver Island.  
A fundamental component of the course is the maintenance of regular watches with a  designated Skipper and Navigator.
The first leg of our adventure will take us North through Georgia Strait to the fantastic little settlement of Refuge Cove.   From here, our navigators will be challenged as we fight through a maze of islands and tidal currents that can run up to 12 knots as we proceed through the tidal rapids of Gillard, Green Point and Whirlpool passes and into Forward Harbour.  Our next day takes us into Johnstone Strait with some great sailing and whale watching opportunities as we explore more coves and bays eventually arriving at Port Hardy.  
At Hardy some of our crew will return to Vancouver while the rest of us get ready to head out and explore the West Coast of Vancouver Island.
The West Coast of the Island provides an entirely different venue -- Blue Water with thousands of miles of open ocean in front of us and hundreds of inlets, bays and coves beside us. 
For 2010 we are going to offer a combination of Blue Water sailing and inlet hopping as we work our way down the outside.  We have extended this trip so that we have enough time to experience both.  In previous years we have been limited to 5-7 days on the West Coast, this year we have 10 with our crew deciding our route.  
 

Knowledge base and skill development will focus on but not be limited to: Navigation - both manual and electronic (Turicum essentially runs off a laptop computer).  Sail selection, sail changes, handling, trimming and re-rigging as a cutter fir heavy weather.  Engine and vessel maintenance.  Provisions -- selection, storage, and preparation.     

Accommodation aboard is setup for both Coastal Cruising with individual/ double bunks or Offshore with lee cloth equipped berths centrally located in the vessel.  
Our galley is designed and equipped for Offshore with a gimbaled stove, a huge refrigerator/deepfreeze unit, hot and cold pressure water as well as Salt water taps.  A watermaker provides us with ample water for our cruise.
Turicum is also equipped with a forward and aft head -- both with showers -- as well as an inflatable dinghy.
Our safety gear is very extensive with inflatable PFD and safety harness for all crew, 2 EPIRBs - one registered to the vessel, and an 8 person liferaft with stored water and provisions.
As mentioned earlier,  Turicum is virtually run off a computer with real-time GPS chart positioning as well a complete data display.  The Radar can be aligned with the chart to provide a total information package.  Navigation in any conditions is safe and simple.  We can also make use of our weather routing program if we are in any doubt as to routing.

Study Materials:
Sailcraft provides both CYA and ISPA course materials -- ISPA course materials are available to the Yachtmaster Ocean level and CYA programmes go up to the Advanced level.  For your safety and enjoyment, all theory work and course modules must be completed prior to departure. 

Equipment:
Advanced students are expected to have their own foul weather gear, knife and small flashlight with a red lens --- a harness and PFD with strobe and whistle will be provided.

Prerequisites:
For certification courses ALL of the specified prerequisites must be completed (or special arrangement made).  For non-certification courses, several years of sailing experience is a must.
This adventure can be very physically and mentally challenging ---- particularly the 4 days Offshore.  
This course very closely duplicates a Vancouver to San Francisco trip.   

Other Destinations

Photos of this cruise