Cruise & Learn Holiday Adventures.....

Our cruises take you to the special places where you can learn, relax and enjoy the simple pleasures of sailing and living aboard a beautiful yacht in British Columbia.

North and South Gulf Islands, British Columbia

As a destination, there are few places in the world that match the beauty of BC’s majestic mountains meeting the sea, quiet coves, quaint ports, pristine marine park anchorages and the abundance of wildlife.

• Vancouver Sailing Club offers five American Sailing Association (ASA) Sail with Confidence courses and two  VSC Advanced  Sailing Endorsements on our Cruise & Learns
•  Already have your sailing certifications ? We offer a refresher and advanced topics based on your needs
• Courses can be taken in sequence up to four at a time in 5, 7 and 14 day C&L formats or separately in 3 day sessions.
• Book a group of 4-6 and get a 10% Friends and Family discount.

Expect our Instructors and Skippers to be knowledgeable, patient, resourceful and happy to engage in your interests.

ASA101 Basic Keelboat Sailing Standard is the first learn-to-sail certification and provides the foundation of sailing information and boat handling skills required to be able to sail alone locally on a 24-30 ft sailboat in moderate wind and sea conditions. Usually completed on the Saturday and Sunday preceding the Cruise& Learn

ASA103 Coastal Cruising Standard certifies the student with skills for cruising safely in local and regional waters as both skipper and crew on an auxiliary sailboat of up to 36 feet in length, in moderate winds and sea conditions. We introduce Coastal navigation, advanced sail trimming, MOB and anchoring techniques are developed.

ASA104 Bareboat Chartering Standard (also called Intermediate Cruising) certifies the students basic navigation skills,  heavy weather boat handling, docking, seamanship, knowledge of sailboat systems and maintenance procedures on sailboats 30-50 feet long sailing by day in coastal waters. Most reputable sailboat chartering agents insist on the skipper having these qualifications and experience logged before bareboat charter reservations can be confirmed.

ASA105 Coastal Navigation certifies that you are able to demonstrate the navigational theory and practices required to safely navigate a sailing vessel in coastal or inland waters. Taking our Sail Plan for each day of our C&L, we will chart our course, estimate set and drift chart danger bearings and develop a list of aids to navigation. On the day of the sail we will use dead reckoning techniques and advanced electronic chart plotting to verify our progress and location.

ASA106 Advanced Coastal Cruising- certifies that you have successfully shown competence as skipper and crew of a sailing vessel about 30 to 50 feet in length in coastal and inland waters, at day and night in all conditions. We explain and/or demonstrate more detail heavy weather strategies including reefing, heave- to, laying- a- hull, running off and  using drogues and sea anchors as the wind builds and  storms. ASA105 is required as pre-requisite or can be taken concurrently.

VSC501 Spinnaker Sailing Endorsement - able to demonstrate crew work of rigging boat, raising , trimming and dousing ( take-down) the spinnaker in moderate conditions, Pre-requisite is ASA101 (or concurrently)

VSC502 Introduction to KeelBoat Racing Endorsement- a fun option to extend  your Cruise & Learn adventure with a weekend race- student is able to identify the elements of a  race course, demonstrate understanding of fundamental Racing Rules, duties of crew positions and demonstrates advanced sail trimming- participation as a contributing member of a racing crew on a weekend race. Prerequisites  are ASA101 and VSC501 (or concurrently). Great way to share speed, beauty, excitement of sailing with family and friends.

Itineraries:

North Gulf Islands Sunday - Vancouver - False Creek yacht orientation and DVD Monday - passage around Bowen Island to Plumper Cove Marine Park anchorage Tuesday - Passage along Sunshine Coast to Secret Cove Marine Park anchorage Wednesday - Passage to Pender Harbor and Garden Bay Marine Park Thursday - Passage Thormanby Island, Half Moon Bay to Gibsons Friday - Passage Island, Point Atkinson, West Vancouver and docking before 4 pm in False Creek, Vancouver

South Gulf Islands Sunday - Vancouver- False Creek yacht orientation and DVD Monday - passage English Bay, Straits of Georgia,  Gabriola Passage, Pirates Cove, Tuesday - Telegraph Harbor, Thetis Island; Montegue Marine Park, Trincomali Channel Wednesday - Prevost Island circumnavigation, Captains Passage, Ganges and Long Harbor, Saltspring Island Thursday - Satellite Channel, Sansun Narrows, Vesuvius, Saltspring Island and Mill Bay Friday - Porlier Pass, Point Grey,  English Bay, Kitsilano Beach, and False Creek docking at 4pm

On the first evening of your Cruise & Learn we welcome you aboard, introduce you to your fellow students, assign cabins, stow your personal gear and conduct an orientation of “ALLONS-Y “ our Beneteau First 36.7.

As a crew we review objectives and create a Sailing Plan based on current weather forecasts, currents and tides. These help to identify the anchorage we will be sailing to each day. To ensure a safe and comfortable passage we consult with the Weather forecast each day and make changes as required.

The course knowledge and skills of the day are posted at 9pm each evening for the next day. ASA examinations are done aboard the afternoon on the last day of courses.

Activities
In addition to a busy sailing schedule of 5+ hours per day you are encouraged to take our RIB dinghy and outboard to shore for seaside hiking, snorkelling and scuba diving (proof of PADI certification required). We also have a 2 man kayak for your use.

Meals
Our meals are designed to be healthy, delicious and light. Safe cooking aboard is taught in our galley complete with oven & refrigeration and deck mounted propane barbeque:

• Breakfast is continental with fresh fruit juices, cereals, fresh muffins, tea and coffee

• Lunch includes soups and sandwiches with variety of soft drinks or milk

• For dinners, students are asked to assist in preparing barbequed fresh turkey, salmon, chicken, lamb or beef served with baby vegetables, pasta and salads. Desert is a sweet surprise.

• We provide vegetarian or restricted diet meals. Please make your request 14 days prior to your Cruise & Learn departure

Sleeping and Living Aboard
Three private cabins are hatch ventilated and have forced air heat. Two salon couches can also be used as berths. We provide fresh laundered color- coded sleeping bags, towels and face cloths for each student. We also provide  non-allergenic soaps and body lotions. Our yacht has hot & cold pressurized water for sinks, toilet and shower to keep the crew comfortable.

Personal Sailing Gear
Fundamental to comfort on- deck and below are foul weather jackets and pants, layered breathable clothing, sailing gloves, sailing knife, jeans, quick drying shorts, T-shirts swimsuit, white soled structured shoes, sandals, long sleeve shirts, billed or bucket cap, sunglasses and 12 oz. of 20+ sunscreen.

It is requested that your personal gear weigh 30 lbs or less and is stowed in one duffle or soft walled bag. We will be stopping at full service marinas equipped with washing machines on the third day of each passage. We recommend that you bring your own personal care products in an easily stored kit

Short of time? Not familiar with these items?
Our SHIPs STOREs can supply quality brand name products at discounted prices. Let us know how we can assist you.

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