Welcome to the West Vancouver Yacht Club website

Adult Programs

Sailing is a lifelong sport that is unique in its ability to both exhilarate and relax at the same time.

Our goal in offering these courses is to educate boaters and in so doing make our waters safer. We would also like to help members get the most out of our local waters while enjoying the benefits of membership.


  • Private Lessons
    • Have a specific skill you want to master? Looking for individual attention? Maybe it's been a while since you sailed and you just want to brush up on your technique. Maybe you want someone to show you around the local waters. WVYC offers private lessons aboard our fleet of J22s. Let us know what your goals are and we'll tailor a program to get you there. Our experienced instructors will help you get there.

      Lessons are available based on instructor availability. 

      Rates

      WVYC Members: $50 an hour, Price includes boat and instructor and up to 3 adults or 2 adults and 2 children under 13. For usage without an instructor see the Boat sharing page.

      Non-members: $60 an hour, Price Includes boat and instructor and up to 3 adults or 2 adults and 2 children under 13

      Lessons are booked in 3 hour blocks and are payable in advance.

      Blocks run from:

      9:00 am to 12:00 pm, 1 pm to 4:00 pm on Saturdays and Sundays based on instructor availability.

      To register for Private Lessons click here and select the number of hours you would like to pay for. We will then assign an instructor to you and they will contact you to schedule your lesson(s).

      Please contact the Sailing Director to discuss a package that best suits your needs and your schedule.

  • Basic Cruising
    • The next session for 2023 will start Monday Sep 11th!

      WVYC will be continuing its very successful “Flexible Basic Cruising Course”. There are a total of 8 places available for the course. This is a Sail Canada course and the first step on the ladder towards owning your own boat. You will learn to sail a keelboat in light to moderate winds in the waters around West Vancouver. The course includes anchoring, mooring, docking, crew overboard, motoring and all the points of sail plus loads more.

      You need to attend the classroom sessions and the on water sessions. Classroom sessions usually run at WVYC from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm or at the instructor's premises. Each week your instructor will email you with the options for sailing that weekend (weather dependent). The first 3-4 of 8 students to respond positively will sail that weekend (usually only one day of the two). If you can’t make it – don’t worry, there will be plenty of opportunities.

      Each student will spend at least 3 days in the classroom and at least 3 days on the water and on the last day you will be tested for your “afloat” skills. There is also a written test to take when you feel ready. If necessary we will run a classroom teaching session to review the topics for the test. The cost of the Sail Canada Basic Cruising course will be available when registration opens plus the cost of the PCOC registration. It will include a set of PowerPoint slides to help you with the Basic Cruising test, the PCOC test if you don’t already have it, the sail Canada logbook, on water time, classroom time, and the PCOC registration if you don’t have it.

      Our program is designed to introduce you to the world of sailboats, wind, and water in the scenic waters of Howe Sound. Our courses are ideal for beginners or those who wish to improve their skills. You will be sailing as part of a group on a stable keelboat.

      This course can be used as the prerequisite for joining the Boat-2-go program, or if you are a WVYC member, accessing the J22 sailboats.

      All of our instructors are certified by the Canadian Yachting Association and are committed to providing you with the most professional, positive, and proactive sailing experience possible. Select the programs below for more great options:

      Rates

      WVYC Members: $775, Non-members $885

      Register Now for Fall 2023
      Starts Monday Sep 11
  • Coastal Navigation
    • Once you know how to sail in local waters within sight of your home port, you should take the Coastal Navigation course and learn how to navigate around the beautiful BC coast - up to Desolation Sound, over to the Gulf Islands or down to the Orcas Islands. Coastal Navigation is a six evening classroom course which teaches you how to use charts, how to plot a course or check your drift, the meaning of all the symbols in Chart 1, detailed understanding of all the safety and informational buoys at sea and using tide and current tables for passage planning and anchoring.

      This course is required by most charter companies to charter boats for overnights. The course requires several hours of homework each week to build your charting skills up to the necessary level and is quite numbers based. The exam on the last night involves written and chart work.

      Course Name 2020 Dates Times
      Coastal Navigation
      Six evenings TBA 6:30 - 9:00


      Fee

      Non-Members and Members $495.00

      For additional course information, please contact [email protected]

  • Dinghy Divas & Hot Boaters
    • Following the momentum of the past two years, we are excited to grow the Hot-Boating program in 2023!  

      This year, the Club will offer Mixed Hot-Boating for adults and teen sailors (12 years and over) and a new Women’s Hot-Boating Group called the "Dinghy Divas” for female adults and teen sailors. 




      Schedule
       (Subject to change depending on attendance).
       
      Spring Session:
      Combined Dinghy Divas & Hot Boaters 10 am to 1 pm
      May 14 to Jun 18




      If there are sufficient numbers of each group we will split into Dinghy Divas 10-1, Hot Boaters 2-5

      Hot Boaters - Summer Session, Jul 9 to Aug 20, excl Aug 6 
      Dinghy Divas - - Summer Session, Jul 9 to Aug 20, excl Aug 6 

      Hot Boaters - Fall Session, Sep 10 to Oct 8
      Dinghy Divas - Fall Session, Sep 10 to Oct 8

       The Dinghy Divas will rig the boats at the start of the day and the Mixed Group will de-rig them at the end.  Debriefs will be held after each session, over lunch for the Dinghy Divas and a “wet debrief after the Mixed Group session.  The Mixed Group and any “shore crew” are very welcome to join the Dinghy Divas for lunch if they so desire.  Lunch will be available through the club’s normal lunch service. 

      The aim is for all Hot Boaters to have fun, make friends, and develop new skills in a safe and supportive environment.  We expect the groups will have a diverse array of skills and we will do our best to ensure everyone has an opportunity to learn at their own pace so all may thrive.   

      Hot Boating (like “hot-desking”) will be done in the FJ’s.  There may be the opportunity to try a Laser, if one of the participants is willing to make their Laser available.  We may also plan for a day racing the J22’s (the club will have four this year) for additional healthy fun competition. 

      In addition to the Hot Boating sessions, like the past couple of years, those who want to (no pressure!) can join the group competing in the Whistler and/or Pumpkin Bowl regattas later in the year.  

      Join the latest and hottest craze in the Club and register to join Hot Boating via the below link: 

      Click here to register

      For more information please contact the Sailing Director at [email protected].


  • Safety at Sea
    • The BC Sailing Offshore Personal Survival Course (Safety at Sea - Sea Survival) is for experienced sailors who are participating in distance and offshore races and passages. The course includes classroom and practical sessions. Topics covered include safety equipment, storm sails, weather forecasts, heavy weather, man overboard, emergency signals and communications.

      Practical sessions include inflating and using lifejackets, life rafts and other safety equipment in a pool environment. The course is Sail Canada - ISAF Approved. Participants who successfully complete the course receive an Offshore Personal Survival Course certificate, valid for five years. The International Sailing Federation (ISAF) specifies personal survival training requirements in section 6 of the Offshore Special Regulations, and outlines a model course in Appendix G of those regulations.

      Watch here for additional information and upcoming course dates.  

Site Scripts
Hide Click to Edits:
FED Scripts
CWS & Content Load