Ahoy future cruisers!
If you’re dreaming of sailing offshore, the Vancouver Island Cruising Experience (VICE) is your chance to put that dream into motion. Think of VICE as a final exam before you cast off for the big blue. It’s an opportunity to test both your boat’s readiness and your own confidence for offshore passage making.
What Is VICE?
VICE is designed for cruisers—especially Dreamers—who are preparing to become Doers. It’s your opportunity to gain real offshore experience, in the company of others, before setting off on your own journey.
The goal is to gather a fleet of BCA boats on the West Coast of Vancouver Island—ideally in Ucluelet—and wait for a suitable weather window before heading offshore for 2 to 3 days. This is not a race or a test of endurance, but a shared experience that allows you to:
- Test your boat’s offshore systems (Radar, AIS, HF/SSB, Starlink, etc.)
- Practice onboard communication and navigation
- Get into the rhythm of cooking, sleeping, and standing watch at sea
- Build confidence in a real but controlled offshore setting
Ed and Tanya aboard Kohana in Mexico
Your 2025 VICE Coordinators
This year’s coordinators are Ed Choromanski and Tanya Van Ginkel aboard Seadra, their Down Easter 41 Cutter. They’ll participate in the experience and work alongside you every step of the way. Ed and Tanya bring their past VICE experience from 2013 and are coordinating this year’s event under the guidance of BCA’s enthusiastic Vice Commodore, Leslie Hansen. Their role is to help ensure your offshore trial is safe, informative, and enjoyable.
The Plan (So Far)
- Departure Location: Ucluelet. We’ll coordinate moorage at the Public Marina or anchorage in the harbour.
- Target Gathering Date: August 8, 2025 — the second weekend of August, conveniently aligned with the full moon.
- Choosing a Weather Window: We’ll gather and wait for a suitable departure window. While comfort levels vary, VICE is not intended to test storm readiness—we’re aiming for average conditions no stronger than 20–25 knots.
- Pre-Departure Briefing:
Once assembled in Ucluelet, we’ll meet to finalize:
- Latest weather reports
- Radio Communications: VHF, SSB, call signs, AIS, Starlink email, radar, etc.
- Setting the Route: We’ll agree on a waypoint and return route that keeps boats within 150 nautical miles and north of 48°N to meet typical insurance requirements. Ideally, boats sail out on a close reach and return on a broad reach.
- Face-to-face Meetups and Boat Tours: Knowing the voice behind the radio makes a big difference at sea.
- Traffic Control Notification: We’ll notify Victoria Vessel Traffic (VHF 11) and Tofino Traffic of our departure plans and the number of participating vessels.
- Fleet Communication: We’ll assign a VHF channel for 24-hour contact, set roll call times, and monitor boat positions. Vessels with HF/SSB or Starlink will enhance communication range and support boat-to-boat updates.
- Coast Guard Contact: Once we’re out of VHF range from one another, we’ll relay updates to and from the Coast Guard as needed.
- Fleet Directory: Before departure, we’ll distribute a roster of boat names and crew so everyone knows who’s out there and how to reach them.
Want to Join VICE 2025?
Whether you want to take your own boat, or crew aboard someone else’s, Ed and Tanya would love to hear from you. To join VICE 2025, please register online [1]. You can also email [2] Ed and Tanya and provide your contact info, boat name and number of crew. If you’re looking to crew, please let Ed and Tanya know.
Stay Connected
If you have questions or would like more information, feel free to reach out:
📧 Vice Coordinators [2]
📻 HAM: VA7ECH
📡 SIMS: 316023583
📞 VHF: Monitoring during the event