The Official Magazine of the Bluewater Cruising Association

Vancouver Chapter

Vancouver Fleet Report – April 2025

Cameron McLean, Vancouver Fleet Coordinator

There were 14 participants at the April Vancouver Fleet meeting. Show and Tell featured a visual by Kit on the importance of checking and changing anodes in the raw water system, while Jud offered points on the usefulness of a hard dodger and the process and complications of building one. Lisa MacDonald described the PredictWind […]

Vancouver Fleet Report – March 2025

Cameron McLean, Vancouver Fleet Coordinator

The Vancouver Fleet group met online on March 25.  The group welcomed new member Liam Quinlan and enjoyed a chat with BCA do-ers Alex Kao and Heather Batchelor aboard Inscrutable, at anchor in Hilo, Hawaii. Alex recommends the app No Foreign Land for cruisers. Members Allan Berry and Cindy Wang head to Alaska in April […]

Vancouver Fleet Report – February 2025

Cameron McLean, Vancouver Fleet Coordinator

The Vancouver Fleet met online on February 25 with 10 attendees. Show and Tell: Glen  Wilson shared his insights on an anchor system David Farrow noted that there was a great video on anchoring. Presentation: The Fleet had a great ‘Safety at Sea’ presentation given by long-time sailor Janet McKeown MD, covering remedies and solutions […]

Vancouver Fleet Report – January 2025

Cameron McLean, Vancouver Fleet Coordinator

The Vancouver Fleet group met online on Tuesday, January 28. The meeting opened with the introduction of a new member, and a show and tell presentation of an ACR personal location beacon. The PLB is one safety alternative to EPIRBs. Committee reports included the Program Committee announcing a medical safety at sea presentation in February […]

Vancouver Fleet Report – December 2024

Cameron McLean, Vancouver Fleet Coordinator

The Vancouver Fleet Christmas/Solstice potluck dinner was a great success. There were eight Fleet members there, several members of the Watch and a number of doners, many of whom made encouraging comments sharing their good experiences as former Fleet members. Representing a bit of Fleet potluck history was a visit from Santa – Dale Gebhard.

Vancouver Fleet Report – November 2024

Sixteen people attended November meeting of the joint Vancouver, VI and Calgary Fleets which focused on heavy weather sailing. Presenter Ken Gillstrom did an exceptional presentation, with value for both the beginner and the advanced offshore sailor. Ken has deep experience and a good mind for detail. If you are looking for an offshore experience, […]

Vancouver Fleet Report – October 2024

Cameron McLean, Vancouver Fleet Coordinator

The Vancouver Fleet meeting on October 29 started with Rob Murray’s 5 minute power point presentation on OpenCPN and MBTiles and continued with Preparing Your Boat and Yourselves for Offshore featuring Gio and Julie Capelli, owners of Pelagic Blue Cruising Services. The next meeting will be a Zoom meeting at 1930h on Tuesday, November 26, […]

Vancouver Fleet Report – September Meeting

Cameron McLean, Vancouver Fleet Coordinator

The September meeting of the Vancouver Fleet of 2024-25 on September 24 was a Zoom meeting. The program was a presentation from Heather Marshall. From Oops to Ouch: a Cascade of Calamities On May 17, Heather, while single handing in heavy wind, tore a foresail, wrapped a sheet around her propeller, overfilled her engine oil, almost […]

Vancouver Fleet Report – February and March 2024

Cameron McLean, Vancouver Fleet Coordinator

Since the last update, the Vancouver Fleet has met on February 27 and March 26. The February meeting started with introductions of new Fleet members and guests: Deb Bryant, Alan Crabtree, Kevin Swanson, Sue Chapman, Campbell Good and Doug Ibbot. 
Show and Tell was Campbell Good with an EasyAcc dehumidifier. It is much smaller, has […]

Vancouver Fleet Report – January 2024

Cameron McLean, Vancouver Fleet Coordinator

The Fleet program for January was a meeting aboard Endless Song at the Vancouver International Boat Show hosted by owners Darrell and David Farrow. David reported a great turnout, with 18 folk aboard at one point.  It was cozy, but not overpacked.  There was a great interchange among current voyagers and dreamers and planners, and […]

Vancouver Fleet Report – October and November 2023

Cameron McLean, Vancouver Fleet Coordinator

The Vancouver Fleet has met twice via Zoom since getting underway in September.  
Zoom opened early each meeting at 1900 hours to provide an opportunity for informal chat among members. The October 24 meeting was an interactive ‘ask me anything’ program presented by Rob Murray. Rob gave us a short chronology of  how he and […]

Vancouver Fleet Report September 2023

Cameron McLean, Vancouver Fleet Coordinator

The first meeting of the Vancouver Fleet was a Zoom meeting on September 26. Greg and Lori Bernard were guest presenters, talking about 21 things they learned on their trip to Mexico, emphasizing the joy of the experience together with lots of do’s and don’ts. There was a lot of interest and many questions. Zoom […]