This epic 14-day race, known as the west coast's wildest challenge, will take us over 600 nautical miles to sail around the Vancouver Island.
Adventure abounds as we sail away from city life and into the real west coast wilderness. Conditions are challenging the whole way around as we'll face some of the strongest tidal currents in the world, days of transiting narrow passes, variable winds and the wild waves of the open Pacific ocean.
The race is split into 9 legs, allowing race crews the opportunity to see many different parts of BC's beautiful Vancouver Island. The race starts in Nanaimo before we race counter clockwise around the island, stopping every night in different towns on the east coast, but racing 2-3 days straight during the legs on the west coast. We finish in Nanaimo two weeks later.
The 'Inside' legs feature incredibly beautiful scenery, highly challenging narrow waterways, and tightly competitive fleet racing each day. The 'Outside' legs provide a tough offshore racing experience on the open Pacific Ocean, with stops in some of the most beautiful and remote areas of the west coast.
The VanIsle 360 is not to be entered lightly. It is a major time commitment and a test of each crew member's sailing skills and stamina, and most importantly of our teamwork overall.
It is truly the adventure of a lifetime!
We are taking a year off from the VanIsle 360 in order to train more crew to be prepared for this level of adventure. We’ll be back on track for the next event in 2025!
Sea to Sky Sailing Crew
Traditionally, we take a team of up to 8 sailors around Vancouver Island in June on odd-numbered years, supported by a dedicated shore crew the entire way. Our professional skipper and watch captain will coach our crew safely around the island, honing our teamwork, sailing skills and thirst for adventure along the way.
In the past, we have always had 3 Core Crew on board for the duration of the race, with Student Crew joining for select Stages, each lasting 3-5 days. For reference, the crew criteria from previous campaigns is below:
Student Crew
Student Crew are able to join the Sea to Sky Sailing campaign for any of the 4 stages of the trip around Vancouver Island. These positions are open to ages 19+. See details below on requirements, the available stages, and registration information.
Required pre-requisites:
Competent Crew certificate, equivalent experience or higher standard.
Participation in at least one Racing Event with Sea to Sky Sailing.
Spinnaker School workshop or equivalent experience.
Sea to Sky Sailing Race Team membership.
Recommended pre-requisites:
Spinnaker University and/or Spinnaker Graduate or equivalent experience
Safety at Sea certification (2-day course from BC Sailing)
Day Skipper certificate, equivalent or higher standard
Stage 1
Vancouver to Campbell River
Day 0-2. Set sail right from Vancouver, delivering the boat to the start line (and starting party!) in Nanaimo. We then launch into the first two days of intense racing heading north up the Georgia Strait towards Campbell River and the end of Stage 1.
Stage 2
Campbell River to Port Hardy
Day 3-6. Join the crew in Campbell River, ready to brave the infamous tides of Seymour Narrows, Discovery Passage and Johnstone Strait as we fight our way to the top end of the island.
Stage 3
Port Hardy to Ucluelet
Day 7-11. Welcome to the Outside! This Stage sees us stretch our legs around Cape Scott at the northern tip of Vancouver Island and experience sailing on the vast open Pacific as we race towards Ucluelet. Includes a stopover in Winter Harbour between legs of the race.
Stage 4
Ucluelet to Nanaimo
Day 12-15. This is the home stretch, combining our last glimpse of the open ocean before entering the challenging waters of the Juan de Fuca Strait, stopping in Victoria, and then weaving through the Gulf Islands on our way to the finish in Nanaimo.
Core Crew
Core Crew commit to the entire 14-day race, delivering the boat to and from Nanaimo before and after the race, as well as at least one Qualifying Event (see section at bottom of this page). Core Crew positions are available by application only.
Required Minimum Pre-Requisites:
Day Skipper certificate, equivalent experience or higher standard.
Racing experience with Sea to Sky Sailing, must include a minimum of 2 Racing Events
Spinnaker University and/or Spinnaker Graduate or equivalent experience
Considerable additional sailing experience, with preference given to race crew experience.
Safety at Sea certification (2-day course from BC Sailing, World Sailing recognized).
Sea to Sky Sailing Race Team membership.
Included in Registration
You will receive hands-on training from our experienced skipper/instructor and watch captain throughout the race. You will be a valuable part of an enthusiastic team where the primary goal is to have safe, fantastic sailing experiences each and every day.
You also get to live on a boat for the duration of your crew commitment! You can expect a lot of fun and new experiences with a rustic level of comfort. Showers are limited to some of the overnight stops during the race. We will be living in close quarters with each other. Our wonderful shore crew will be supplying us with groceries and other crucial support, and we work as a team to prepare all our meals and keep the boat ship shape throughout the race.
Registration includes all food and beverages on board (you are responsible for your own food and drink costs on shore). Also included: accommodation on board or on land depending on the race leg, race fees, top of the line safety equipment, fuel, shore support, and all other costs associated with the race. You are responsible for your own transportation to and from the boat, your own travel insurance, etc.
