Vancouver Island Chapter

Al Kitchen – VI Fleet Coordinator

The final BCA V.I. Fleet meeting of the 2020/21 season was held virtually on April 14. After announcing the cancellations of various BCA events due to the current pandemic conditions, Brent Alley opened a discussion evaluating Mobile Hot Spots. He discussed their purposes, options and the advantages of several of the devices available. We then […]

Al Kitchen – VI Fleet Coordinator

On March 11, the Zoom meeting of the Vancouver Island Fleet group focussed on safety devices with a presentation and discussion lead by Dan Bieller from Pacific Coast Liferaft. Prior to this James Graham presented the Heylo heat retention cooking bag as a Show & Tell item. Dan then discussed the appropriate sizing and style […]

Al Kitchen – VI Fleet Coordinator

Any doubts about the effectiveness of a virtual platform to host a tri-chapter Fleet meeting were thoroughly dispelled Thursday night (January 14). The topic of navigation device choices was addressed with special attention to Open CPN, a mature, open-source Chart Plotter Navigation program. After Daragh Nagle discussed the broader topic of devices and systems available […]

Al Kitchen – VI Fleet Coordinator

Any doubts about the effectiveness of a virtual platform to host a tri-chapter Fleet meeting were thoroughly dispelled Thursday, January 14. The topic of navigation device choices was addressed with special attention to Open CPN, a mature, open-source Chart Plotter Navigation program. After Daragh Nagle discussed the broader topic of devices and systems available to […]

This year has offered us a unique opportunity to take the time to prepare our boats for that offshore adventure. Participating in the Vancouver Island Chapter’s Fleet and Weather group may assist you in gathering the knowledge and experience to confidently set sail on your dream cruise when the pandemic becomes a thing of the […]

Al Kitchen – VI Fleet Coordinator

Due to concerns regarding imminent surgery scheduling, we arranged for Al to lead discussions from March 4-15 with V.I. Fleet members on the topics of Weather Routing and the Paperwork of Clearing In & Out of Foreign Lands. The audience included 3 of the 6 new members who have joined V.I. Fleet recently and we […]

Al Kitchen – VI Fleet Coordinator

If you are a sailor who does not have a fond memory of a dock side Potluck Feast with a crowd of like-minded adventurers, you need to get out more! It seems we all enjoy eating as much as we like sailing and on February 5 twelve members of the Vancouver Island Fleet group heard […]

Al Kitchen – VI Fleet Coordinator

Well apparently, the 2019-20 BCA V.I. Fleet can perform very well without its coordinators! On Wednesday, December 8, with David Mitchell stepping in as moderator, while Daragh and I were warming our bones in southern climes, the group of twelve from eight vessels were schooled in Open CPN by Rudy Witt. Rudy has been a […]

Al Kitchen – VI Fleet Coordinator

Through BCA, we are privileged to have access to a group of very knowledgeable and experienced individuals and on Wednesday night, December 4, our Vancouver Island Fleet group had the opportunity to meet two of these people. The first was Tony Gooch leading a discussion regarding Heavy weather Sailing and the preparations we should be […]

Al Kitchen – VI Fleet Coordinator

There may be no other area more important to prepare for when it comes to offshore sailing than medical issues. Whether the issue is vaccinations prior to departure, medical supplies en-route, the stocking of a first aid kit, or a cascade of related concerns, aspiring offshore sailors are wise to be well informed in advance […]

Jennifer Handley

Notice is hereby given to all BCA members: Annual General Meeting and Election of Directors Date: Wednesday, December 11, 2019 Time: 1930h (doors open at 1900h) Location:  Scottish Cultural Centre, 8886 Hudson Street, Vancouver BC The business of the AGM will include a review of 2019 YE Financial Statements (BCA’s fiscal year ends on June 30), approval […]

Al Kitchen – VI Fleet Coordinator

Twelve sailors from seven boats were in attendance on October 2 to hear about the learning experiences of six seasoned cruisers in the second meeting of the V.I. Fleet this year. Bjarne Hansen and Barb Peck developed a very comprehensive discussion of many crucial topics relevant to our group from their Pacific wanderings. Michael & […]