In July 2004, I completed a 5 day cruising course - here are some of the photographs with a brief account of the trip. I'll title and edit as I find time. There were three of us with cameras; here are Jonathan's photos from the cruise.

The Vancouver Power and Sail Squadron teach fine programs for all levels of seamanship - often known as "The Power Squadron Course". Fall-2007 session: Starting mid-September (14 weeks).
The fee is $195 per person, $320 per couple (one set of text material per couple)
To ensure that Squadron have sufficient materials, we request that you register "on-line" as soon as possible.

Here are some photos of the complimentary student cruise to Bowen Island.

If you'd like some practice in following "rules of the road" i.e. Right of Way Under Sail try this link. When you get to the demonstration, wait for it to load and then click "start".

There are many, many Glossaries of Sailing Terms, here are a couple of new ones. Schoonermans is an interesting one from the virtual sport library.

Here is a "self test" for your sailing knowledge (link is be down, replacement to come):

Here's a basic introduction to on Longitude and Latitude from a school district in Calgary, Alberta, Canada (broken link, I'm looking for a replacement).

This is a link to The Office of Boating Safety
If you drive a boat, chances are you are required to have a Pleasure Craft Operator Card regardless of country you're living in.

The Canadian Yachting Association's site is here.
I would encourage you to take the "Squadron Course" first as it takes care of your classroom work allowing you to focus on the practical boat handling skills of the CYA program.

Before you embark on a 5-day live-aboard, ensure you ask for several references. It's important your skipper is empathetic and professional as opposed to autocratic (or worse).

I've discovered a really good resource on the history of Longitude (link is lost - I'll find another).

And here's a link (BBC News March, 2002) to the famous timepiece H4, the marine chronometer that the 18th Century engineer John Harrison constructed to solve the "longitude problem".

Links of interest

• Take a look at Nigel Jones's web page and his boat Rusalka Mist, a 28-ft cutter, in her home port of St Helier, Jersey. He has some excellent crusing advice and his site is a "good read".
• The Voyage of Entr'acte comes to life (yes, I bought the video).
• Cape Horn to Starboard with Lin & Larry Pardey
• The Bristol Channel Cutter - two links below.
- Nor'sea 27 Lyle C. Hess design, is a true blue water pocket cruiser sailing sloop. The Nor'Sea 27 with its 8ft beam 3' 10" ft fixed keel is trailerable - we like to use the word "transportable" because it requires a good size truck to tow it. It's worth knowing that the trailer and boat together are over 10,000 pounds.
- Sam L. Morse Company (has decided to discontinue manufacturing).
Her spiritual aunts are, 24-foot Seraffyn (1969 to 1980) and 29-foot Taleisin (1983 to the present), both from the Hess's board and from similar models, logged many tens of thousands of blue water miles. These included an 11-year circumnavigation for Seraffyn and some 40,000 miles and five passages of the Tasman Sea for Taleisin through 1994.