Hello from Beautiful British Columbia

[westcoastliving]

Hello everyone,

I've lived in Victoria, BC my whole life, sailing with my family on various boats we've owned. Currently I'm in nursing school in Ontario, and once I've completed that I have a "grand plan", if you will.

I'm hoping right out of graduation to work at a rural hospital (I can get student loans forgiven this way as well as see more of beautiful BC) and live aboard a small sail boat while I'm at it.

I have some experience with sailing and boats themselves just from the fact of being on many trips with my family, however I don't have much experience single-handing or living on one for a long period of time (which I'm working on).

SO, I'll be posting in forums, researching and asking many many questions over the next long while about these topics, so I'm sure you'll see me all over the place.

Thank you in advance, and I hope to have nice chats with many of you!

-M

[nagrom snoyl]

Welcome to the forum and I'm sure you will find the answers to a lot of your questions here.....

[Steadman Uhlich]

Howdy and Welcome Aboard!

Sounds like you have a good plan. I wish I had lived on a boat soon after graduation.

FYI: If you are a female, as many nurses are (but I have a friend who is a nurse and a male), there is at least one group (forum?) here on this site/forum that consists of female sailors (being members) and I recall there is a similar group on Facebook too. I mention this as the perspective can be different.

I have not sailed in the BC area, but it does look very nice, so I envy your opportunity to live, work, and sail there.

Good luck and may you have smooth sailing ahead!

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, M.

[Prairie Chicken]

Welcome aboard .... from the Right Coast. Good luck with your plans.

[roetter]

There are many remote communities along the coast, specifically from midlle Vancouver Island north. The weather can be pretty bad in winter though. Usually not too cold (above or around freezing) but gray, rainy and windy. Many places are wuite protected as there are just thousands of island. Single handing is doable, as long as you have a very good weather forcast.
You will be sailing very little as you usually get nosely wind. Every turn you take around and island or headland and the wind is still on the nose. You can always turn around and go the other way.

Look up Tuva and Pierre at Echo Bay in the Broughtons. They have been living up there for many years and can porbably give you information as to the work options. The are usually at the Vancouver and Seattle boat show in January and February too with a booth.
Many indian reservations up there too.

Once you get past Cape Caution north it gets really remote with some indian settlements such as Bella Bella and Bella Coola and almost nothing else in between.

The wild life is just breath taking. In a single day you will see more animals in water, on land and in the air, than in a whole year in the Caribbean (in our experience).

[captain58sailin]

Welcome to the forum.

[westcoastliving]

Thank you for the warm welcome everybody!

And yes I am female, so I will see if I can find those women in sailing forums, I'm sure they have plenty of useful tips!

Sailing in BC is very beautiful but yes I'd have to agree sometimes it can be quite difficult due to the direction of the wind, or the lack of wind.

I'll take a look at the communities mentioned, thanks!

M

[s/v Beth]

Welcome to sailing the Salish Sea "M". I think around Victoria can be a great place to sail if you are very aware of the weather and tides. It will just make you a better sailor.

[roetter]

Just north of Victoria in the Gulf Islands is beautiful and easy to sail as long as you do not go through the passes to The Straight of Georgia. Even those passes are easy if you wait for almost slack tide. Other wise they may give you a scare. Tons of beautiful anchorages there. If you are in Victoria/Sidney check out the Sidney North Saanich Yacht Club. There is a lady(Cathy) on a Beneteau 40+. She almost always single hands her boat all the way to the north end of Vancouver Island.


Rolf