​Squamish Sailing Ventures Is now only operating out of French Polynesia : ) 

 

After 4 years operating as an IYT (International Yacht Training) sailing school based out of Squamish BC Canada.  We now have a new boat and are sailing in the South Pacific.

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Crew & BOAT

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Ben, Julie & Milo are a family who love to play in the ocean and mountains. We spend the winters working in the mountains of Whistler, BC, Canada. Our summers, May to October, are spent sailing, Kitesurfing, wing foiling, hiking, swimming, snorkeling & surfing in the south pacific. We invite you to come and experience the sailing & cruising lifestyle with us. 

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Ben is a commercial RYA Yachtmaster Skipper and has been sailing all his life.

He is passionate about teaching new sailors and helping them work towards their goals. 

Teaching is second nature to him after working as ski & snowboard instructor since 2002 and a sailing instructor since 2014. He also works as a backcountry powder guide. He aims to remain humble and open to learning and adapting his teaching style to suit all crew.

 

Julie is a highly certified & experienced ski instructor, She loves the mountains and in the summer loves to be close to the beach and kitesurfing as much as possible. She is a skilled & experienced kitesurf instructor. 

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In 2019 & 2020 we spent a total of 8 months sailing our previous boat to Canada from England. We sailed south to the Canary Islands via northern France and southern Portugal, then across the Atlantic ocean on a 25 day passage to Guadeloupe. After cruising through the Caribbean we sailed north for 11 days to Virginia, USA and then 7 days to Halifax, Canada. From there we continued around Nova Scotia to the Magdalen islands and up the full length of the St. Lawrence river. Sailing past Quebec and Montreal we reached Lake Ontario and Toronto 8,500nm later. 'Tarka' was then trucked to Vancouver and very satisfyingly sailed up to Squamish!

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After sailing extensively on the BC coast. We decided to head for warmer waters and more consistent opportunities for all wind & watersports. Tahiti made sense as a starting point  as once we've had our fill of French Polynesia, we plan to continue west passing through the south pacific islands towards NZ & Australia. 

 

Bens'​ sailing certifications are as follows:

RYA Yachtmaster Offshore

RYA Yachtmaster Ocean theory

IYT Recreational boating instructor

Sail Canada Intermediate Instructor​

Sail Canada Advanced Cruising standard

ISAF Safety at Sea

 

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sealence  

 

A 1994 Shakti Haka 133 (13.3m) designed by Erik Lerouge & built by Hutcheson Boat Builders Tauranga, New Zealand

 

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