B2B Q&A
1. What is the B2B?
It refers to Bellingham to the Broughtons and back, a flotilla transiting the protected “inside passage” from the southern to the northern ends of 300 mile long Vancouver Island.
2. What is special about this trip?
Several things: 1) It’s a rare opportunity for a one way charter or cruise. 2) It has the safety and camaraderie of a flotilla 3) It covers some of the most spectacular cruising grounds available, period.
3. What makes the scenery so spectacular?
Forested islands accessed only by boat. Tiny meandering mysterious coves. Orcas, Dahl’s porpoises, and bald eagles. Salmon, Dungeness crab, and prawns straight from the sea. Oysters and mussels plucked from the rocks into your dinghy. Glacier topped mountain peaks with waterfalls cascading down sheer cliffs into the water. Exploring the frontier of civilized cruising, where few boats venture, with nature unparalleled in grandeur.
4. What is the length of the cruise?
Most people will cruise for two weeks. The entire cruise consists of 3 two week legs. Leg #1 is Bellingham to the Broughton Islands (archipelago near the top of Vancouver Island), Leg #2 explores solely within the Broughton Island Group, Leg #3 cruises from the Broughtons back to Bellingham.
5. Are Leg #1 and #3 just “getting there”?
Far from it. We describe it as a “dream cruise”, as it courses through some of the most spectacular variety of scenery anywhere. After leaving Bellingham, we cruise through the northern San Juan Islands, through the eastern Canadian Gulf Islands to Nanaimo (Vancouver Island), then cross Georgia Strait back to the mainland’s Sunshine Coast, then up to the glaciers and coves of Desolation Sound. After a few days exploring there, we transit the narrower waterways to the unspoiled wild Broughton Island Group, where we sample its delights for several days. Leg #3 reverses the process en route back to Bellingham, except that we expect to explore the western Gulf Islands and the central San Juans before returning to Bellingham.
6. What are the advantages of the flotilla?
In addition to safety and camaraderie, we provide history and naturalist briefings on each area we cruise. For example, each day’s cruise begins at 8am. We’ll have a weather briefing and a chart briefing. We’ll review our destination and course and highlight both hazards and special natural scenes en route. We’ll talk about the original peoples, and the Spanish and English explorations of the region, and even anchor in the same coves as George Vancouver.
The flotilla concept gives you as much privacy or togetherness as you like. Each day you can cruise together or separate. You are welcome to raft to other boats as we anchor in a cove, or you can seek solitude on your own. You can elect to join with your cruise mates for evening hors d’oeuvres after exploring shore-side trails, poking your dinghy or kayak into tiny inlets, or enjoy a relaxing quiet evening watching the shadows of the evergreens stretch into the water.
In other words, it’s the best of both worlds as we help one another moor, point out bears along the shore, avoid rocks and reefs, and share prawns straight from the prawn boat.
7. How many boats will be going?
A maximum of seven.
8. Is this for bareboat charter only?
There are a number of ways you can join the B2B:
- bareboat charter a specific boat
- book a cabin on one of the boats
- get bareboat charter captain certification through training on one of the two week Learn-N-Cruises offered during the flotilla.
- get advanced training certification on one of the two week Learn-N-Cruises offered during the flotilla.
- if there is room, join the flotilla with your private boat.
9. Is this powerboats or sailboats?
Both.
10. What are the dates of the cruise?
- Leg #1 departs Bellingham on Saturday, May 3 and arrives at Campbell River on Friday, May 9.
- Leg #2 departs Campbell River on Saturday, May 10 and arrives Port McNeill on Friday, May 16.
- Leg #3 departs Port McNeill on Monday, May 19 and returns to Port McNeill on Wednesday, May 28..
- Leg #4 departs Port McNeill on Saturday, May 31 and arrives at Campbell River on Friday, June 6.
- Leg #5 departs Campbell River on Saturday, June 7 and arrives at Bellingham on Friday, June 13.
11. How to I get to or from Port McNeill?
There are regular reasonably priced flights from Vancouver International Airport, south terminal, to Port Hardy, a short distance from Port McNeill. Vancouver Airport and Bellingham airport are connected by a shuttle service. Our office (and free parking) is just 10 minutes from the Bellingham airport. Please call us for more precise details on airlines, schedules, and rates.
12. What is the cost of the cruise?
For bareboat charter, the normal costs of bareboat charter, plus a $250/wk flotilla fee. (Standard industry flotilla fees are around $500. We’ve cut that in half for this introductory special.) This is further offset by a 10% discount on the second week of the charter. There is no “one way” premium charge. Of course, normal bareboat expenses like food, beverages and fuel will still apply. And each of us will clean our own boats on Legs #1 and #2 in preparation for the turnaround.
For Basic to Bareboat Learn-N-Cruise, Advanced Learn-N-Cruise, Coastal Navigation, and booking by the cabin, please call the office at 1-800-677-7245 for rates and conditions. For private boats, or for owners of the charter boats who may join for a leg or two, the flotilla fee is $250 per week.
13. Who will lead the cruise?
San Juan Sailing and Yachting owner Roger Van Dyken will lead the flotilla aboard the Jeanneau 45 “Esprit de Mer”.
14. How do I reserve?
Call us at 1-800-677-7245. The normal 30% reservation deposit applies.
Other details…
1. Are we “out of touch” by telephone?
Some of the cruising areas are remote, especially Desolation Sound and points north. There is some cell phone coverage (Verizon partners give best reception), and the lead boat will have a satellite phone aboard for your convenience. We cover the phone rental and you pay for any time used. We will give you the phone number prior to departure for emergency contact.
2. What about maintenance and repairs in these “remote areas”?
In addition to being required to complete San Juan Sailing and Yachting’s extensive preventive maintenance procedures prior to departure, each boat in the flotilla is also required to carry additional “long voyage” spares. These include spare bilge pump, spare float switch, spare alternator, spare starter, spare domestic water pump, portable VHF radio. This is in addition to the standard requirements of spare flashlight batteries, extra filters, spare engine belts, and spare light bulbs and fuses.
In addition, the lead boat will carry additional spares, tools, generator, jumper cables, etc.
3. What about medical equipment?
In addition to the standard first aid kits aboard each boat, the lead boat will carry a defibrillator. In addition to the cell phones and satellite phone, we will always be in the coverage area of the emergency VHF channel 16, which of course all boats have.
4. Will there be adequate access to domestic water?
In remote areas, water use will need to be restricted. The lead boat is equipped with a watermaker and pumping system for replenishing flotilla boats if necessary.
5. Will there be diesel fuel available?
Yes. Refueling locations include Nanaimo, Westview (Sunshine Coast), Refuge Cove (Desolation Sound) and Echo Bay (Broughton Island Group), in addition to Port McNeill.
Water is available at the refueling locations, normally without charge.
6. What about groceries?
Bellingham and Port McNeill both have excellent supermarkets. Supplementary groceries, especially for produce and fresh items, are available at the refueling points noted above.
7. Will we stay primarily in marinas or in coves?
We will stay in a few marinas, but mostly we will be anchored out, either singly (if preferred) or rafted in groups of 4 or less (unless well-protected with good weather forecasts). Along the way there will be opportunities for you to choose to stay in a number of marinas, should you prefer.
8. Because there are three legs, is my booking guaranteed?
We must reserve the right to move you to another boat if absolutely necessary. A particular boat will be guaranteed when two of the three legs are booked. And because the per-cabin and Learn-N-Cruise rates are kept as low as possible, there is a minimum of 3 students or two cabins. Please contact us before reserving airline tickets to confirm the status of your charter or cabin.