Welcome to VICE 2026 — BCA’s Vancouver Island Cruising Experience

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 a great 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

Your VICE Coordinators

Ed Choromanski and Tanya Van Ginkel are thrilled to once again serve as this year’s VICE coordinators. Having participated in VICE in both 2013 and 2025, Tanya and Ed will be taking part in the experience themselves aboard Seadra, their Down Easter 41, and working alongside you every step of the way. Their goal is to help ensure your offshore trial is safe, informative, and enjoyable.

The Plan (so far!)

• Departure Location:
 Port Alberni Yacht Club ^[1]
 (48°53.567’N, 125°07.071’W)
  • Located in Barkley Sound on the east side of Fleming Island, the club offers both moorage and anchorage in a beautiful protected bay. Depending on the number of participating boats, reservations for dock space will be coordinated by Ed and Tanya.
• Target Gathering Date
  • July 22, 2026, conveniently timed with the upcoming full moon.
• Choosing a Weather Window
  • Comfort levels vary among crews, but VICE is not intended to test storm readiness. The goal is to depart in average offshore conditions, generally no stronger than 20–25 knots.
• Pre-Departure Briefing at Port Alberni Yacht Club
  • Radio communications (VHF, SSB, AIS, Starlink email, radar, call signs, etc.)
  • Roll-call schedules and position reporting
  • Boat tours and crew introductions (knowing the voices behind the radio makes a significant difference once offshore)
  • Latest weather reports
• Route Planning
  • The group will agree on a route and offshore waypoint that
    • Keeps vessels within 150 nautical miles
    • Remains north of 48°N
    • Meets typical insurance requirements
  • Ideally, boats will sail offshore on a close reach and return on a broad reach
• Traffic Control Notification
  • Victoria Vessel Traffic (VHF Channel 11) and Tofino Traffic will be notified of our departure plans and the number of participating vessels.
• Fleet Communication
  • A dedicated VHF channel will be assigned for 24-hour fleet communication. Regular roll-call times will be established and vessel positions will be monitored throughout the voyage. Boats equipped with HF/SSB or Starlink will help extend communication range and support fleet coordination.
• Coast Guard Contact
  • If vessels move beyond VHF range from one another, updates may be relayed through the Coast Guard as needed.
• Fleet Directory
  • Before departure, participants will receive a fleet roster including boat names, crew names, and contact information so everyone knows who’s out there and how to reach them.

Want to Join VICE 2026?

Whether you plan to take your own boat offshore or hope to crew aboard another vessel, Ed and Tanya would love to hear from you. To sign up:

• Email Ed and Tanya ^[2]
• Include your boat name, number of crew, and contact information
• If you’re looking to crew rather than bring a boat, please let them know

You can also find excellent resources on the BCA website, including:

• Articles from past participants published in Currents (2024 ^[3], 2023 ^[4], 2017 ^[5], etc); use the “search” function to find other articles
• A comprehensive PowerPoint presentation ^[6] (PDF) by Mike Nolan (updated by Don Hutchison in 2016) about VICE
• Online VICE group pages ^[7] / document library (click on the “join group” icon if you aren’t already a member of the VICE group)

Reflections on VICE 2025

“We really enjoyed the VICE experience, especially the time spent with you and Tanya. The weather could have been better, but that’s all part of the learning experience. Now we know what conditions to avoid! Communication while offshore could also have been better, but that taught us an important lesson—that relying only on VHF doesn’t work well once you’re offshore. Since then, we’ve removed our SSB and installed Starlink. We’ll also remember to activate it before leaving shore!” — Kevin and Leanne Towers, Syntropy

“Yes, we learned the same lesson ourselves: Starlink must be activated while still within internet range in order for the offshore plan to function properly. (And Starlink seems to change their plans almost as quickly as the wind changes direction!)” — Ed Choromanski, Seadra

Stay Connected

If you have questions or would like more information about the Vancouver Island Cruising Experience, feel free to reach out:

📧 Vice Coordinators ^[2]
📻 HAM: VA7ECH
📡 MMSI: 316023583
📞 VHF: Monitoring during the event