Nanaimo Yacht Charters & Sailing School

Our group of 5 adults chartered Water Dragon, a magnificient Lagoon 42, from Nanaimo Yacht Charters. The boat was in pristine condition, very clean, and spacious. All charts and equipment required for our proposed sail plan were already aboard when we arrived, and the galley was super well-equipped with a range of cookware, mixing bowls, and bakeware.

The team at Nanaimo Yacht Charters were very helpful and attentive, both before and after the sail. They counselled us on the boat and preparations, and promptly attended to a small leak in one of the hatches when it was noticed just before our departure. It was clear that they genuinely cared that we had a great experience. If we had needed them during our outing, we felt they would have been there for us. We easily recommend Nanaimo Yacht Charters and will charter here again.

1 week charter May 2023 aboard Audrey Rose with Instructor Andy for our IYT Bareboat skipper course and ICC. Andy is a calm instructor capable of simplifying complex materials and adapting instruction to different learning styles within a group. He helped us get the best out of Audrey Rose and moved the needle on our comfort zone in stronger winds. He is a wealth of knowledge on all things sailing and I would highly recommend his services. Audrey Rose is well laid out for people who really want to understand sail performance in a cruising vessel. Nanaimo Yacht Charters was a pleasure to deal with. They even sent their mechanic out to fix a small problem we had en route. We will charter here again.

The NYCSS staff were an absolute pleasure to deal with. They were responsive to our many questions and ultimately to our specifc charter needs. I will definately seek their services again for a future charter!

Just finished a seven day sail through the Gulf Islands. Nanaimo Yacht Charters was very professional and responsive to all our needs.

We chartered "Sun Dance" - a 32 foot Bayliner 3288 for one week in August 2022. From the initial inquiry; to the detailed orientation videos that I was able to watch on youtube; to the onboarding; and then to the actual cruise itself - the entire experience was top-notch. The staff are friendly and knowledgeable and the boat was very well maintained - I did not have a single deficiency to note at the end of the trip. We were able to cruise the southern Gulf Islands and have an amazing trip! Many thanks to everyone at NYCSS and we will most certainly see you again.

Absolutely fantastic organization to charter from. They we so helpful and attentive it made the experience far more comfortable than I would have expected. We chartered the Kinami, a 38' trawler and it was perfectly outfitted and prepared. They had details and manuals for everything and that made the boat so easy to enjoy. I've owned boats, chartered boats and been around boats most of my life and Nanaimo Yacht Charters may been the single best experience to date. We did Desolation Sound and it was simply stunning. Loved the team, loved the boat. Highly recommend.

An excellent charter company committed to giving us a good experience.

Many thanks to the whole crew at Nanaimo yacht charters. Even before arrival, Emily and Claire took extremely good care of us; patiently and promptly answering our many questions whether by phone or email. Upon arrival we felt very welcome and the boat was in excellent shape and ready to go. Isaac provided a thorough briefing on the vessel after we had a little time to go through the boat. During the cruise, when we had a couple of technical questions Trevor always answered the phone and went through the issue quickly. Overall we felt very well taken care of.
Oh… and I forgot the courtesy car, which was a lifesaver in terms of provisioning and also allowed us to have a great dinner in Nanaimo on our last night.

The whole experience and area we covered was remarkable, this has to rank as one of the most beautiful cruising grounds in the world and we highly recommend Nanaimo Yacht Charters as the base from which to start.

This school introduced me to sailing in 1999 with excellent courses and a safety appreciation second to none. Just for fun, I thereafter enrolled in another multi/day bareboat charter class from another school. No comparison to what Nanaimo YCSS offered; Nanaimo did WAY better. Even though I am a Yank, I strongly recommend the Canadian bareboat certification offered by NYCSS because it strongly emphasizes safety in the can-turn-dangerous-quickly Canadian waters with the big tides, stronger currents in narrow passages and more frequent navigational hazards. Since 1999 I have chartered from Nanaimo during those periods when I did not have a boat and been pleased. Once when I had my own boat in Nanaimo passing through and suffered a mechanical issue, the owner of NYCSS helped me find someone to help with the repair. If you become a skipper and have your family and/or guests aboard on a bareboat charter, it is your responsibility to get an education at the level of what NYCSS offers. I have for years been very appreciative of what I was taught. I am a very satisfied customer. Great group to work with. I have chartered in the Caribbean, too - NYCSS compares favorably to my charter experiences there. Recommend strongly.

Had an amazing time on the water with Marla as skipper and instructor. The staff at Nanaimo Yacht Charters is very helpful and friendly. Highly recommend! Great experience, thank you!

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 and our questions were answered professionally and respectfully. We have two teenage boys and this was the perfect family holiday.
We will definitely be chartering again with Nanaimo Yacht Charters as we really felt that they wanted us to have the best experience possible.
Thanks again!
Stephanie, Marcus, Noah and Nicholas

My wife and I chartered a Hunter 38, Never for Ever, from the NYC and sailed her at Sunshine Coast up to Princess Louisa inlet in September of 2018. Great experience from every perspective! The company is very well organized and all processes are thought-through. Attention to details and outstanding business ethics is what makes this company to stand out. Initial communication with Beth was clear and responses were quick and to the point. Ian met us at the ferry terminal. Orientation in Ian’s super-organized classroom was in-depth yet very friendly and without a hint of condensation from a very experienced sailor towards less experienced sailors. We were going to pass through Malibu Rapids on our way to Princess Louisa inlet, so Ian made sure that we understand how to calculate tide slack times. He also pointed out major hazards along the way and provided some recommendations to make our experience more enjoyable. All charts, guides, navigational tools were supplied in a special easy to carry bag. We were given an opportunity to use the company car to do our provisioning run.

The boat was in great shape and well-maintained. Ian conducted a boat systems briefing. Docks team helped us to get out and helped us to dock on our way back. Beth scheduled an inspection by divers on the morning of our departure, so we knew that NYC has no outstanding issues with us. We were also asked to provide a very detailed feedback about our experience pertaining to all aspects of our charter. We would highly recommend the NYC to everyone.

Over the past 5 years I’ve attended the sailing school twice and chartered boats three times. Each experience with NYC has been professional, organized, and enjoyable. Beth and Ian are wonderful to work with. They are warm, knowledgable, courteous, and encouraging. I particularly enjoyed living on a sailboat and receiving instruction for a week while attending the intermediate cruising course. Living on a boat for a week develops a strong appreciation for the maintenance that a boat requires. I greatly admire how NYC services and maintains their fleet. The systems and equipment of each vessel in the expansive fleet is continuously monitored and attended to. The sailing courses helped familiarize me with the Gulf Islands and made me comfortable eventually chartering for myself. NYC offers wonderful itinerary planning for boaters not familiar with Gulf Island, Sunshine Coast, and Desolation Sound areas. My recent charter into Princess Louisa Inlet on the Sunshine Coast will be a life’s highlight. I look forward to many years enjoying and exploring western Canada’s costal waters with Nanaimo Yacht Charters.