Frequently Asked Questions

Despite Captain George Vancouver infamously naming this area “Desolation Sound” while exploring it in 1792, today it is renowned for its natural beauty, abundant wildlife and many opportunities for recreation. Desolation Sound Marine Provincial Park, one of the most spectacular boating destinations in British Columbia, lies just to the east of Cortes Island. With three additional marine provincial parks, Desolation Sound with its abundance of islets, bays and coves is an ideal place to explore by sailboat. The bays in Desolation Sound can have waters with temperatures reaching 20 degrees Celsius in the summertime, making this area the warmest part of the Pacific Ocean north of Baja California. Desolation Sound is therefore the most pleasurable and interesting location for boating and sailing in BC.

Our tours and courses are designed for people who are interested in sailing, enjoy being surrounded by beautiful nature, and appreciate the calmer way of traveling by sailboat. Our guests are adventurous and open-minded individuals, respectful of the environment, who love to travel, learn, and experience new things.

The Sailing Tours are perfect for those who want to experience sailing for the first time and for those with some sailing experience who want to explore a new area and improve their skills with an experienced skipper and a provisioned boat. The Sail Canada Courses are intended for those seeking certification at the ‘day skipper’ or ‘competent crew’ level and do not require any previous experience. Our sailing tours and courses are not luxury cruises or fishing charters; instead, they are focused on sailing and experiencing life on a sailboat in a way that is representative of what sailboat cruisers experience in British Columbia. At times, we’ll have great winds and sun, while at other times, we’ll have less wind and rain, allowing us to enjoy the classic majestic scenery of Desolation Sound at a slower pace. While sailing may not offer the same level of comfort as a five-star hotel stay, rest assured that it promises to be an unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime experience.

We take a maximum of four guests per trip on our 40-foot sailboat, complete with two washrooms and two private cabins, and strangers will not be sharing a single private cabin accommodation. We prioritize quality over quantity. Despite this, you’ll find that our costs are not much higher than those of a bareboat charter, which does not include high-quality meals and provisions or the peace of mind provided by a full-time experienced skipper onboard.

We believe sailing is the ultimate expression of freedom. Come and join us to begin your sailing adventure.

July and August are the warmest months, when the weather is stable, and when one can easily go for a swim in the many bays and coves. These months are also the busiest and we’ll be sharing anchorages with other like-minded boaters. The fringe months can also be very pleasant to be on the water, with September having lakes still warm from the summer heat, and with June offering much quieter anchorages. April and May are great months to really feel like an explorer while sharing the area’s natural serenity with only a handful of other adventurous boaters. These months, with September, are also a great time to obtain your sailing certificates, ahead of your bareboat charter in the summer season, or once you’ve caught the sailing bug in the summer and wish to pursue your sailing dream.

Both Tours and Courses are based on experiencing sailing. Tours focus on experiencing the natural aspects of this area through sailing and obtaining customized sailing instructions at your desired pace and level. Courses are based on Sail Canada’s structured programs and this national organization’s tests and recognized certifications. Sailing Tours are private, they offer a higher level of service in terms of food, and you will be provided with complete bedding and towels. During a live-aboard Sail Canada Course you are a part of the crew and share in all the sailing duties to really experience life at sea. On an overnight Course you will be provided with your own private cabin to share with your partner or friend, but others might join you for the trip in the second private cabin if the course is not fully booked by your group. For live-aboard Courses you will be asked to provide your own sleeping bag and towels, while we will be providing sheets and pillows.

Our time during the day in a Sail Canada course is spent mostly on the training as there are many curriculum items that need to be covered for certification. For the 5-Day Basic Cruising or Crew course, this includes a minimum of 30 hours of instructions (Please have a look at the Sail Canada links on the course pages that explain each Standard in detail). Additionally, you will be receiving a Sail Canada textbook ahead of the course and will be asked to read the theoretical parts or the “ashore knowledge” chapters before we meet, on which there will be a written 2-hour test on the last day of the course. Once on the boat we will cover these theoretical parts combined with the practical aspects of sailing. The evaluation of your practical “afloat skills” will be done by the instructor as we sail and learn throughout the course. Successful completion of the Basic Cruising course also provides the candidate with the optional PCOC certification.

If you do not require Sail Canada/PCOC certification or this level of instruction, and instead want more time to casually enjoy and learn how to sail, then the Sailing Tour format is an option. Sailing Tours are also focused around an “instructional sailing trip” where you will have ample hands-on experience and where we’ll cover many of the items in the Basic Cruising course, but you will receive the training at your desired pace with no pressure of a final test or specific certification. The sailing lessons can be tailored more to the needs and the requirements of the group or individual. The Sailing Tour format allows for more time to relax versus a Sail Canada Course, with more time to calmly absorb what natural Desolation Sound has to offer.

Below is a short description for each of our sailing offers – Click on the webpage links in bold for more information:

5-Day Sail Canada Basic Cruising Skipper or Crew course – This Sail Canada-accredited course is offered in a live-aboard format as well as in a day-sailing format. In the live-aboard format, you learn while exploring the waters of Desolation Sound over five days and four nights. The day-sailing format is a great economical option for single participants and those with accommodation on Cortes Island, including campgrounds and many B&Bs. This course does not require any previous experience and is intended for those wanting to attain certification of Day Skipper or Competent Crew.

5-Day and 7-Day Sailing Tours (Sailing Expedition) – These private sailing trips are great for those wanting to experience sailing, with plenty of hands-on participation, but without the pressure of tests and certifications, allowing for more time to absorb what beautiful Desolation Sound has to offer and in the exclusive company of your group. These trips are perfect for those wanting to learn at their own pace, and for sailors with experience who prefer the peace of mind and a more relaxing time sailing by having an experienced skipper aboard. This sailing trip can also be combined with the Basic Cruising course (see above) to earn a Sail Canada certificate at the skipper or crew level.

3-Day Sailing Tour (Sailing Adventure) – This is a shorter version of the 5-Day/7-Day Sailing Tour having the same attributes while still allowing you to fully experience the beauty of sailing in the unique natural surroundings of Desolation Sound. This sailing trip can also be combined with the Start Keelboat Sailing course (see below) to attain a Sail Canada certificate at the crew level.

2-Day/3-Day Start Keelboat Sailing course – This Sail Canada-accredited course is perfect for beginners wanting to attain Crew-level certification. It is offered in a day-sailing format over two days, or it can be combined with the 3-Day Sailing Tour (see above) to effectively become a 3-day long, live-aboard style course, with all the perks of the Sailing Tour style.

Our 1-Day sailing trips and courses offer the chance to experience a few hours of sailing, complete with hands-on sailing instructions, on our 40-foot sailboat Mariah, either complete with a vegetarian lunch (1-Day Sailing Experience), or a Sail Canada certificate instead (Introduction to Boating).

Also, have a look at the Getting Here page for travel suggestions and options, and Our Sailboat page to see what the sailboat you will be on is like. On each tour and course webpage, please scroll down to the sections titled “Things to Know” for quick additional information specific to each offer and read our Terms of Service page for the complete details.

Live-aboard Sail Canada Courses and Sailing Tours include food. All meals are prepared with care from mostly organic and local, high-quality products, centred on a vegan, vegetarian, and seafood cuisine, which will also be a highlight of the trip. Sailing Tours will have a few additional items like quality desserts and salads. Breakfasts will have a choice of sweet or savory options, including vegan choices but also an option of eggs and cheese. For lunches we will have soups, salads and sandwiches, and snacks. Dinners will be meatless but very creative, composed of hearty vegan-based meals, as well as with local seafood.

Products are almost all organic and sourced locally as much as is possible. We can accommodate some guest allergies.

Sample Menu from a live-aboard Sail Canada Course sailing trip:

Breakfast: Locally roasted coffee, tea, granola with raspberries and oat milk, toasts or bagel, soft-boiled egg, avocado, hummus, tomatoes, peppers and other veggies, peanut butter, honey, strawberry jam, and vegan or dairy-based cheeses.
Lunch: Day 1: Potato salad with radishes, peas, capers, parsley, and red onion in a French-dressing, served with sandwiches with a green lentil spread with cranberries and basil. Day 2: Harira soup, a traditional Moroccan soup with red lentils, green lentils, and chickpeas, served with dates and lemon.
Dinner: Day 1: Chili sin-carne with sweet potatoes, green lentils, chocolate, and cinnamon, served over quinoa with tortillas and avocado. Day 2: Spaghetti with Manila clams in a tomato-wine-vegan butter sauce. Day 3: Home-made perogies with a red lentil filling, served with sautéed onions, and a vinegarette cabbage salad. Organic chocolate for dessert. 

Sample Menu from a Sailing Tour trip:

Breakfast: Locally roasted coffee, decaf coffee, tea, juice, granola with raspberries and oat milk, toasts or bagel, soft-boiled egg, avocado, hummus, tomatoes, peppers and other veggies, peanut butter, honey, salmonberry jam, and vegan or dairy-based cheeses.
Lunch: Day 1: Tortilla wrap with maple syrup glazed shitake mushrooms, homemade smoked chipotle mayo, roasted almonds and local greens. Served with a potato salad with beans, capers, and arugula with French-dressing. Day 2: Corn chowder made of oat milk with smoked salmon, served with rain-coast rosemary crackers. Day 3: Red Thai curry with oysters and wild BC prawns, with jasmine rice.
Dinner: Day 1: Maple-syrup glazed coho salmon with brown basmati rice and green garden salad with vinegarette. Caramelized plums in rum syrup topped with a nut caramel crunch for dessert. Day 2: Linguine with Manila clams in a tomato-wine-vegan butter sauce, and a chocolate cashew mousse topped with salal berries for dessert.  

As skipper and instructor, I will be the only person joining you. My wife Ania is responsible for the ashore logistics and will be provisioning the boat with the food we will enjoy. On private tours you will have the sailboat entirely to yourself with me as your skipper. On non-private courses other participants may join for a maximum of four people besides myself. We keep our group small for maximum enjoyment and for the effectiveness of courses.

On overnight trips, we will sleep at anchor in safe and protected bays or docked at a marina as planned in the trip itinerary. The sailboat has two private double-cabins each with one double bed. You will be provided with your own private double cabin to share with your partner or friend, or by yourself if you booked a private cabin just for you. The skipper will sleep in the aft cabin if vacant or in the salon if both private cabins are booked.

Our sailboat, for the duration of our trip, is a self-sufficient craft which carries limited fresh-water and energy resources that we will learn to use in an efficient manner. On the 5-day and 7-day overnight tours and courses (May 25th to September), we will stop overnight at a marina with hot-shower facilities on the second or third day of the trip. If required, you will be able to take a warm shower on the boat while being very efficient with the water usage.

Our sailboat has two washrooms or heads. The sink has pressurized fresh water, which can be warmed if required for an occasional quick shower. The toilet relies on sea-water for flushing and is designed to accept only human waste. Waste bins and onetime-use bio-degradable baggies will be provided to dispose of used toilet paper and hygiene products.

All our tours and courses normally start and end on Cortes Island, either at the Gorge Harbour Marina Resort or Squirrel Cove. We offer complimentary pickup for ferry foot-passengers from the Whaletown ferry terminal on Cortes Island. Optionally, for private overnight tours and private live-aboard courses, we can pickup our guests/participants and start/end the trip from Quadra Island, located a 10-minute ferry ride from Campbell River, or from Lund on the mainland easily accessible from the Sunshine Coast, for an additional fee of $600 CAD. The pickup/drop-off location on Quadra Island will be at the Heriot Bay Inn docks. Our single-day tours and daytime courses depart and end at Cortes Island unless a special arrangement was made with us ahead of time.

Yes, there are USB outlets located in the salon for charging small items such as phones and cameras, and we can also provide AC power for small appliances such as laptops if required.

For groups of more than four people, we collaborate with our friends Maxime and Stephanie from Beyond Sailing, based out of Campbell River. Beyond Sailing is also a Sail Canada accredited sailing school specializing in courses and trips in the Desolation Sound area. We can work together to arrange a Sail Canada course or a sailing trip for larger groups, which can be accommodated by combining both of our vessels, Mariah and Harmony. Please don’t hesitate to contact either of us to discuss such an arrangement.