Vancouver Island Chapter

Campbell Good, VI Fleet Coordinator

The VI Fleet April meeting was on the docks; we visited Brent and Pia Perry’s Karma, a Sparkman & Stephens Sunward 48, with a very interesting hybrid propulsion system described as “a serial hybrid electric drive, with a 30kW electric motor powered by a 60kWh Lithium Battery, charged by a 20kW diesel generator, a 400 […]

Campbell Good, VI Fleet Coordinator

An enthusiastic group of 12 attended the March VI Fleet meeting, including a couple of new members.  Following a round of introductions, and an eclectic assortment of “show and tell” that Campbell produced, the wide-ranging discussion ultimately focused on lithium batteries. With spring just around the corner, the Fleet plans to start boat visits next […]

Campbell Good, VI Fleet Coordinator

The February VI Fleet meeting on Sunday Feb 9 was attended by 11 people, and guest Dr Catharine Ascah.  Group conversation focussed on potential medical issues at sea and how to deal with them.  One member shared a personal story about a medical incident – with a happy ending – that happened at sea off […]

The VI Fleet had its second meeting on Sunday, January 12 at the home of VI Fleet Coordinator, Campbell Good and Jennifer Handley.  Thirteen people representing eight of twelve boats were present. Introductions were made and cruising plans shared.  BCA Commodore, David Vincent, who also is this year’s MIST coordinator, was also in attendance. We […]

Scott Crawshaw

It has been a great season so far, with in-person attendance at Club Nights in the mid-thirties and online attendance at around fifteen computers and other devices. The end of 2023 included a pot-luck dinner at the Nanaimo Yacht Club for the Mid-Island group, and a casual appies social and awards night at RVYC. The […]

Campbell Good and Bill Eisenhauer, VI Fleet Coordinators

Everything you ever wanted to know about offshore insurance but were afraid to ask was asked at January’s VI Fleet meeting. And Sean Thompson of Dolphin Insurance had it covered. With detailed tips on how to get the right coverage for your specific cruising needs, Sean detailed options for worldwide coverage or region-specific plans for […]

Campbell Good and Bill Eisenhauer, VI Fleet Coordinators

The VI Fleet wrapped up 2023 with a lively panel discussion featuring returning cruisers who shared insights on their bluewater experiences. Fleet members posed wide ranging questions from what our panel of Doners wished they had known before setting off and their must-have items to how they successfully managed relationships aboard to keeping kids engaged […]

Campbell Good and Bill Eisenhauer, VI Fleet Coordinators

The VI Fleet’s November focus was Provisioning. We had a great presentation by Brent Alley and Sonia Crawshaw, with additional input from Barb Lyall and Jennifer Handley.  Topics included: Who Are You Provisioning For? Fair Trade for Food Factors to Consider When Stocking the Vessel Galley Equipment List Gimbaled Stove & Harness Review Your Cooking […]

Campbell Good and Bill Eisenhauer, VI Fleet Coordinators

The Vancouver Island chapter decided to continue offering a hybrid Fleet in 2023-24 and this has allowed us to invite Calgary chapter members to participate as well.  So far, nine boats have registered this year, including one from Calgary. Our first meeting was at RVYC on Sept 27, with 4 in-person and 4 virtual boats. […]

Al Kitchen – VI Fleet Coordinator

The 2023 V.I. Fleet Rendezvous was a huge success and it all started on Friday, April 21 with the seven vessels able to attend heading for Port Browning on Pender Island. All were given explicit instructions that they were to heave-to en-route. Ever tried herding cats? Not all had the opportunity; Daragh and I did […]

Al Kitchen – VI Fleet Coordinator

The last VI Fleet meeting this year involved some mystery and subterfuge and was well appreciated by the 12 in-person and the 14 Zoom sailors in attendance.  High on the list of announcements was the upcoming V.I.C.E. event and the VI Fleet Rendezvous on April 21-23. This included the announcement of a mystery prize to […]

Al Kitchen – VI Fleet Coordinator

The 2022-23 Fleet season is winding down and Wednesday night, March 15 was the second last evening of the season. One of our new V.I. Fleet Coordinators, Campbell Good joined Daragh Nagle and I to lead our in-person V.I. Fleet Group of 14 sailors in a workshop addressing the use of MBTiles with Open CPN. […]