Sailing in Saskatchewan

Learning to sail in Saskatchewan might seem unconventional at first, given its reputation as a landlocked province.
Saskatchewan offers ideal conditions for sailing, with consistent winds, clear waters, and natural surroundings. Learning to sail in this prairie province provides a unique and tranquil experience, allowing individuals to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life and connect with nature in a way that's both invigorating and peaceful. Sailing in Saskatchewan becomes a gateway to exploring anywhere and fostering a sense of adventure and camaraderie among sailors who seek to embrace the unexpected anywhere.

What are the advantages to learning to sail in Saskatchewan?

Cost:

Not only are the rates for courses lower at LivingSkySailingSchool you don’t have to pay for flights, hotels and other travel costs.

Weather Conditions:

As Prairie people, we know our weather can change very quickly. This is an advantage. We often change sailing direction or the amount of sail exposed because the weather is changing and not just for the sake of practice. We actively watch for thunder clouds and learn to observe the water surface appearance and predict what is coming.

Flexibility:

Currently LivingSkySailingSchool has two boats and four instructors. We can be available most days, so if weather or unpredicted conditions arise, we can move your days around. On the west coast you are usually scheduled into a 5 or 7 day block and there are no raincheck days.

Practice Areas:

Lake Diefenbaker is a fantastic resource for sailing skills. To anchor we have sand, gravel, rocks and weeds to practice (or avoid) anchoring in. There are mooring balls and docks. This gives us all the same conditions as the Ocean floor and we don’t have to worry about damaging a coral bed.

Docking:

Most “accidents” occur while leaving and returning to the dock. This is the highest stressor for most novice crew. Elbow Harbor Marina has plenty of practice dock space at the gas dock, the boat launch and our own slips. The marina is planning an expansion, so this should only increase or docking space.

Docking space in BC is very limited. There are very few public open spaces to do touch and goes. Their gas docks are often busy and many of the boats are VERY large. A windy day on Diefenbaker is a fantastic day to learn to dock. Very few other boats will be moving so marina traffic is low. We will practice docking with the wind, against the wind, backing in. This is a huge advantage over learning to sail in BC.

Sailing Time:

At Lake Diefenbaker, we sail around 80% of our lesson time. The other 20% is either getting to/from the marina or practicing some skills while using the motor. Our plan of the day is to get out on the water, sail where the wind suits our objectives and return to our slip.

In BC we like to get away from our slip and stay in natural bays and marinas each evening. To get to these locations you often must arrive early enough to get a favorable spot, and the wind/current may not be best suited. This has us motor a fair bit more on the Gulf Island trips.

What is not experienced on Lake Diefenbaker compared to BC?

Currents / Tide Experience:

Currents:
Our coastal navigation course covers the paperwork on calculating and planning for currents and tides but experiencing them is fascinating. A tidal gate is generally a narrow channel between two islands. When the tide is flooding the current may increase as high as 12 knots in one direction over a 3 hour period. Six hours later the current will be ebbing in the other direction at a similar velocity. When it changes from one direction to another it is called Slack. This gives us four periods over a 24 hour period to transit the pass.

Tides:
Some locations on the Pacific coast can have tide changes of up to 18’ over a 6 hour period. This affects where one anchors and where you leave your dingy if you go to shore. Again, the coast navigation course we offer teaches how to plan your trip around this, but experiencing it is amazing.

Traffic, collision regulations:

Transport Canada and Intercontinental Maritime organizations have a set standard on the rules of passage on water known as Collision Regulations. On Lake Diefenbaker we practice the rules that apply to our local watercrafts such as self powered vessels, power boats and sailboats. In BC we need to add tugboats, ferries, float planes, commercial freighters and operational fishing vessels.

The overall volume of traffic on the coast is much higher, especially in peak summer season. Finding an anchoring spot that doesn’t cross someone else’s anchor or swing into another watercraft while moored is always a concern.

Weather and wave conditions:

I would consider Lake Diefenbaker potentially riskier for surprise weather than the BC coast. On the Prairie’s we can get pop up thunderstorms, plow winds and other conditions that may be much stronger than forecast in a very short term. If we monitor the sky and our weather apps we may plan to stay close to the marina on unsettled days and avoid high risk events.

In BC the ocean generally produces large weather systems that can be predicted for several days in advance. The challenge this creates is the combination of wind and currents can cause very large or rough waves that can last for an extended time. It is possible that the swell and wind can be from two different directions which makes following a desired route troublesome and bouncy. The storm and swell also can last for several days, so if caught more than a few hours from your desired port for the night, you may be hiding out in a protected bay for a few days before able to travel.

Why did you start a sailing school in Saskatchewan?

After completing my certification to charter and becoming an instructor, I wanted to practice my skills and start to log hours.
My options to practice were:

• Find someone with a sailboat in SK willing to take me on as crew.
• Fly out to BC and rent/charter a boat.
• Purchase my own boat and carry all the costs associated.
• Join online crew finder type websites and join random crews of strangers in various places on the planet.

I spotted a Tanzer 26’ sailboat for sale at Lake Diefenbaker and purchased it as my practice vessel. This boat came with a trailer and no permanent slip in the marina. At the time, Elbow Harbor Marina had a waitlist of over 100 boaters wanting a slip.

After going through these obstacles and working out some solutions, I thought there must be other SK residents that would like to do what I am doing. I wanted to create a way for these people to tryout sailing without flying to BC. I also thought there will be others certified to sail but have no access to practice in SK. I applied to CRYA to set up a school and created the Living Sky Sailing School Corporation.

In the summer of 2020, I was ready to embark on this endeavor…okay, it was the summer of Covid. I decided to put off the official opening and invited friends and family to mask up and come out with me. I would use this season to rehearse my instructional procedures. My finding was everyone I invited was excited and wanted to do more. The big obstacle was having to launch the boat each session. I needed a slip. I was very fortunate a second Tanzer 26’ come up for sale that had a slip associated with it. Now I could be available to teach all summer without the above challenges.

The business officially opened in June of 21. During the next 60 days, I had 107 people try out sailing with me. 104 of them had never been on a sailboat of any kind.

Are you the same as CanSail?

No, CanSail is the Canadian association of Sailing. They have a very extensive training program for all levels including Keelboats. The limit of CanSail, is in SK Dingy training is the only level available.

CanSail and CRYA are the two exclusive Canadian certification training programs. Others programs of certification are the IYT, ISPA and ASA.
• CRYA: Canadian Recreational Yachting Association. Based out of Gabriola, BC. Nationally recognized with Transport Canada. Becoming the Western Canada standard for learning to Cruise.
• IYT: International Yacht Training. Internationally recognized but very limited training available in Canada.
• ASA: American Sailing Assoc: Similar to our CanSail. Available through numerous winter holiday locations in the US and Caribbean

Why did you select CRYA?

I wanted to do my initial cruising/chartering on the West Coast of BC. I found the CRYA curriculum was designed specifically for cruising this area. The two largest charter locations on Vancouver Island (Nanaimo Yacht Charter and Sailing School, Desolation Sound Charters) are associated with CRYA. If I took my training from them, it should be easy to validate my ability to charter. If I take my instructor training and affiliate my school through CRYA, then my students should have an easy path to apply to charter in this region as well.

Nanaimo Yacht Charters fully supports us and they view LivingSkySailingSchool as a feeder to their business.

Who are your clients?

Discover Sailing 3 Hour Experience students:
• Couples and families who want to enjoy a mini trip to feel what sailing is like.
• Sailing veterans who moved or sold their boat years ago and want that feeling of sailing again for old times’ sake.
• An individual who is very eager to sail and wants their significant other to experience sailing.
• Spouses who want to purchase a gift for their significant other to try sailing.
• Generally, anyone who wants to try sailing for the first time before any commitment.

Who sign up for courses?
• Anyone who wants to acquire the certification to apply to charter in the future.
• Viewers of YouTube sailing channels to come take the first step and see what it is really like.
• Snowbirds and vacationers that want to get on as crew or charter when they are at their tropical winter location.
• Adventure seekers who want to qualify to join online crewfinder sites and get onboard vessels in foreign destinations.
• Those that have a boat and want “official” training or had a dangerous situation.
• Our Coastal Navigation class qualifies as a Navigation course for any type of watercraft.

Who are the Mileage builder clients:
• Former LivingSkySailing students who now have training but no boat to practice on.
• Residents who have training with other sailing organizations but no opportunity to practice in Sk.
• Those who moved to the area from Marine locations and had boats and plenty of experience but now have no access to sailing.
• Significant others or friend who wants to cruise but don’t want official certification. They spend a day to learn what the minimum skills so that they can support their friends/family who have boats.

There is no specific demographic on our guests:

We have participants from Cranbrook BC to Carrot River, SK. The ages are from 6 to the 80’s. Some are extremely adventurous and have travelled to very remote, isolated places by themselves. Others want to purchase a sailboat and move on board like YouTube channel producers.

Generally anyone who enjoys the thought of a sailboat with full sails out, no motor and sunny skies comes on and leaves with a smile on their face.

Are your boats in SK the same as what would be used on the Pacific Coast?

At Lake Diefenbaker we have two boats.

Adagio is a 1980 Tanzer 26. 26 feet long, 8 ft wide. It has a displacement of 4200 lbs with 2000 of those pounds being an iron keel under the boat. It has a fin keel, tiller steering, marine head, sleeping accommodations for up to 4 adults. This vessel has a full complement of marine electronics. When not sailing, it uses a 9.9 Four stroke outboard. Adagio is a fantastic boat to learn on. The systems are mostly manual and gives the crew great hands-on experience. This boat handles all weather conditions fine if setup and handled properly.

This boat could be used in BC but it is a bit light and underpowered. Very functional but weather and current conditions must be managed very well.

Eagle Wing is a 1985 C and C 29 Mark II. This boat has a displacement of 6700 lbs, 2700 are in the keel. This boat has a 14hp inboard engine, running water, propane stove, solar support, wheel steering and full complement of marine electronics. Eagle wing is a typical entry level coastal cruising sailboat.

Serenity is a 1977 Catalina 30 sailboat located at Stones Marina in Nanaimo, BC. This boat is 10200 lbs with 4200 lbs in the keel. This boat is very similar to our C and C at Diefenbaker, but with a huskier build. This boat was formerly in the Nanaimo Yacht Charter fleet.

Is there a Safety Standard?

Yes!
Safety requirements for all watercraft in Canada are clearly laid out in Transport Canada Documents. All our vessels meet the requirements and more. Many items are listed as optional or suggested. Our vessels contain all the required and most of the optional items.

We take the extra steps to not only have life jackets on board, but we use top quality pfd’s and require everyone to always wear them.

All vessels are registered, licensed, insured and documented.

CRYA carries bylaws on what is required by instructors and training vessels. All our vessels meet these standards.

Living Sky Sailing School Corp is properly registered and complies will all business regulations.

So in Summary..

Learning to sail in Sask can be compared to someone wanted to learn to snowboard here. We have the conditions and locations to develop this skill. The basics can be acquired, and it is up to the individual how far they want to continue the adventure.