Owners Ian and Shari MacPherson have served thousands of charterers from around the globe. Allow us to share our depth of experience and beautiful B.C. with you. Enjoy world-class cruising from the moment you leave the docks. Poised at the head of the Gulf Islands, a mere day away from Desolation Sound and the Sunshine Coast, we are the closest charter company to Princess Louisa Inlet Marine Provincial Park.
Sail with us, we're already here. Find all the brands you wish to charter - from 27'-56' - Lagoon, Bavaria, Dufour, Beneteau, Jeanneau, Hanse, Catalina and Hunter and Bayliner. Learn to sail or powerboat in the Gulf Islands, Sunshine Coast, or around Vancouver Island BC. We teach courses from Crew to Yachtmaster for individuals, couples or families.
Sail with us, we're already here. Find all the brands you wish to charter - from 27'-56' - Lagoon, Bavaria, Dufour, Beneteau, Jeanneau, Hanse, Catalina and Hunter and Bayliner. Learn to sail or powerboat in the Gulf Islands, Sunshine Coast, or around Vancouver Island BC. We teach courses from Crew to Yachtmaster for individuals, couples or families.
Services
With more than 30 years of experience, our management team delivers memorable charter holidays on a fleet of highly maintained sail and power yachts. We are the only Charter Company with a full-service yacht repairs and yacht-maintenance division, boatyard with a Travelift, and Marine Store on site.
Start your journey in the heart of the Gulf Islands - where numerous anchorages and delightful islands await. Reach prime cruising grounds on your first day when you set your course for the Sunshine Coast and Desolation Sound. Visit one of National Geographic's top-10 destinations in the world, Princess Louisa Marine Provincial Park.
Much has been written about Grand Banks and about the Grand Banks 49 Classic over the years. Grand Banks built 125 of GB49s between 1980 and 1997. The first impression is that the classic Grand Banks tri cabin is a truly "Dependable Motoryacht". Her popularity is due, in no small part, to the continuous upgrades and maintenance invested by her current owners who want all of her charterers to return yeear over year.
Successful achievement of our Floatilla Skipper Certification permits you charter a boat as part of a flotilla. Flotilla skippers plan their itinerary with the lead skipper, who then leads your group of boats throughout the journey. Lead skippers conduct itinerary briefings with you throughout the day and assist with anchoring and docking guidance.
Go beyond the ordinary "sequence" of courses and enjoy a personalized approach that focuses on building your resume and helping you achieve your dreams. Let us teach, coach, and guide you by matching you with the right instructors and certifications to meet your goals. Located at the head of the Gulf Islands, your education begins the moment you leave the docks.
Reviews (17)
Leonard Legault
Nov 25, 2021
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Tracy, Ian, and crew and of course our instructor Phil Foster made our Day Skipper Cruise and Learn in August an outstanding experience. From finding an excellent replacement Skipper at the last moment to stocking our galley with wonderful food and even giving us great weather too! We highly recommend Nanaimo Yacht Charters and Sailing School to anyone considering a charter or improving their boating skills.
Adam Cywinski
Oct 31, 2021
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Greatest private sailing course experience ever! First, the sailing is incredible. I can't think of more picturesque waters where you get first hand experience with tides, currents, anchoring and avoiding crab traps! The NYCSS staff were amazing to work with and extremely responsive, and committed to meeting our unique objectives. The boat was awesome. Very comfortable, clean, well maintained and a dream to sail. We cannot say enough about our instructor. He was experienced, patient, a great instructor and most importantly wonderful company! He showed us many of his favorite places to sail and
Trevor Pacholok
Oct 28, 2021
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Tracy was great to work with in arranging a private sailing week for our two couples. Boats all looked to be well maintained and as described; we took advantage to jump on a couple others to look at for our next possible trip. We sailed with Captain Mike, who provided great instruction then allowed each of us to sail the boat. Would highly recommend both Nanaimo Yacht Charters and having Captain Mike to anyone interested in learning how to sail or just taking a week vacation.
Eric Sinclair
Sep 15, 2021
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In Aug of 2021 I booked my 3rd bareboat charter with Nanaimo Yacht Charters. They are great people to work with. They made every step of the charter easy. The only complaint on this trip was the boat itself which I was told was damaged by the previous charterer. A missing handrail at the companion way and an overflowing windlass. The boat performed beautifully though and we thoroughly enjoyed our trip. I would book with these folks yet again.
Reg Speers
Sep 14, 2021
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Bernard Kowalski
Sep 10, 2021
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While initial communication was very difficult, the rest of the experience was fantastic and smooth. As this was my first charter, I really appreciated all the preparatory material being offered online. The boat was very clean and tidy and all systems worked as expected. We did have a minor issue with the engine but this was the result of poor design rather than anything to do with the charter company. It was easily sorted and didn't cost us any time. Ian was very reasonable and a pleasure to deal with. I wouldn't hesitate at all to charter with this company again.
Cameron Walker
Sep 09, 2021
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I have chartered from many of the local yacht charter companies and Nanaimo Yacht Charters was terrific! They were very organized with pre-boarding details and providing the briefing details by video, so lots of time is not wasted before departing. They were very responsive to all issues and helpful in providing guidance and advice on planning etc.
Michael Keane
Aug 15, 2021
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Ask for Andy… My wife and I just finished our IYT day skipper certification and were onboard with Andy Deotter for 4 days.
The material is normally covered in 5 days but due to COVID and some constraining timelines Andy was able to certify us in 4 days… he kept a great pace of material and is hands down a great teacher and navigator. He explains the material well, is very calm and uses fun ways to help us understand the lesson. On top of that we also needed to bring our kids (5 & 9) and Andy was great with them too.
We am hoping to move on to the Yachtmaster course next and will ask for Andy
The material is normally covered in 5 days but due to COVID and some constraining timelines Andy was able to certify us in 4 days… he kept a great pace of material and is hands down a great teacher and navigator. He explains the material well, is very calm and uses fun ways to help us understand the lesson. On top of that we also needed to bring our kids (5 & 9) and Andy was great with them too.
We am hoping to move on to the Yachtmaster course next and will ask for Andy
Tom
Jul 21, 2021
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We had a great trip with Nanaimo Yacht Charters. The team were great, from initial inquiry to us returning the boat, and special thanks must go to Tracy and Bruno for helping make our trip run smoothly. The boat was really well maintained and the check in and out was nice and straightforward. We would have no hesitation recommending this charter base to all. Hopefully we are lucky enough to return!
Toni Lepore
Oct 09, 2020
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Ian Flett
Jul 22, 2020
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Ian,Beth and every employee we spoke with had a great big smile on his or her face.Beth was always prompt to return my emails.I got the feeling they where more interested in me having a great time than making a profit.we are already discussing which boat we will be chartering next year.no discussion on which company to go with.
Stephanie Mathyssek
Sep 05, 2019
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Thank you NYC for helping to make our dreams come true! We ticked a huge item off our Bucket List in July 2019. Stargazer, a beautiful Bavaria 43' was our home for 10 days. These are just a few of the squillions of photos! She was comfortable, clean, and very well appointed and maintained.
A big thank you to Ian and his team. This was our first charter and we could not have been happier with the kind and courteous service. After a warm welcome we were briefed on the sailing area, received charts/books and plenty of tips to help us on our adventure. We were given a very thorough brief aboard Stargazer
A big thank you to Ian and his team. This was our first charter and we could not have been happier with the kind and courteous service. After a warm welcome we were briefed on the sailing area, received charts/books and plenty of tips to help us on our adventure. We were given a very thorough brief aboard Stargazer
Asger Hansen
Jun 19, 2019
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Marc Julier
Jul 24, 2017
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Andy Den Otter
Jun 14, 2017
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Kathleen K. Reuther
Sep 15, 2016
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Scott Armstrong
Aug 29, 2016
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