July 21 – August 9 |
Join us in the height of summer as we explore the beautiful Pacific Northwest. We’ll be visiting Canada’s Gulf Islands on our way north to Alaska! We’ll hike, explore some of the beautiful towns of the region, and keep a sharp lookout for wildlife. The last time we were here we saw humpback whales, orcas, porpoises, and seals. We’ll navigate the famed tide rips and channels of the inside passage before crossing Queen Charlotte Sound and explore the Haida Gwaii before arriving in Ketchikan. If you’re interested in sailing but not sure if some of our open ocean voyages might be too intense, this trip is a good fit. We’ll teach you the basics of sailing Sea Dragon while spending almost every night on anchor, day sailing and traveling in relatively flat water.
Ardent Training is offering a significant discount on the RYA Day Skipper Theory online course to anyone signed up for this trip. If you’re interested in taking the course, let us know when you sign up!
- Cost: $4,450
- Date: July 21 – August 9, 2022
- Start: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
- End: Ketchikan, Alaska
- Length: 20 days, 19 nights
- Focus: Coastal Cruising | Introduction to Sailing | Coastal Exploration
While we can’t guarantee that our protocol will 100% prevent a COVID infection onboard, we are hopeful that it will reduce the risk of a serious COVID infection far from advanced medical care.
COVID Protocol:
Everyone on board the vessel for this trip MUST provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination, with the final dose ocurring at least 15 days prior to boarding.
14 days before trip: I agree to take maximum precautions to minimize my risk of infection with COVID-19 by following CDC guidelines.
72 Hours Before Boarding: I agree to take a PCR covid test at my own expense. If a testing site is available that can provide results in less than 72 hours, I agree to get tested as close to the date and time of boarding as is consistent with receiving results before boarding.
Day of Arrival at boat: We will take your temperature and administer a rapid antigen test to you before you come in close contact with the rest of the crew. With proof of a negative PCR result, a temperature of under 100.4 F, and a negative rapid test, you will be able to board Sea Dragon. Once everyone is on board, we will fall into the normal routine for trip operations. We’ll become a “bubble” with no masks required on board. You’ll choose your bunk, we’ll have a group dinner on board and go through safety briefings for departure.
In the event that you test positive on either the PCR test or your pre-boarding rapid test, you will not be allowed aboard the vessel, and we will be happy to transfer your payment to a trip of your choosing at a later date.
Contact UsCall Us: +1 (305) 330-4212 (Pacific Time)
As a first time participant, I really did not know what to expect. I must say, that each aspect of the journey was well thought out and adaptable to maximize developing conditions to enhance the voyage. The ship and the crew were impeccable and made me feel at home. Instruction and safety are obviously paramount to this organization and they do a great job at modeling their respect and love of the environment. I can without reservation recommend this experience to anyone with a love of sailing.
-Jim D.
Click on a heading below to learn more!
Tentative ItineraryTentative Schedule
Day 1: Arrival on Sea Dragon at Victoria International Marina, move in/boat briefings
Day 2: AM Safety Training, Sail to Bedwell Harbor, South Pender Island. Explore ashore.
Day 3: Sail to False Bay, Lasqueti Island
Day 4: Explore Lasqueti Island
Day 5: Sail to Gorge Harbor, Cortes Island, Desolation Sound.
Day 6: Explore ashore. Sail to Thurston Bay Marine Park, Desolation Sound.
Day 7: Explore ashore. Sail to Forward Harbor, Desolation Sound
Day 8: Forward Harbor To Pearse Islands (Resident population of Orcas)
Day 9: Explore Pearse Islands
Day 10: Sail to Clifford Bay, Aristazabal Island, overnight sail
Day 11: Arrive Clifford Bay, explore ashore
Day 12: Sail to Surf Inlet / Penn Harbor (Princess Royal Island)
Day 13: Explore Surf Inlet, common area to see Spirit Bears
Day 14: Sail to Dunn Passage / Weinberg inlet, explore ashore
Day 15: Sail to Patterson Inlet, explore ashore
Day 16: Sail to Connis Cove, area for river otters, explore ashore
Day 17: Sail to Brundige Inlet (Dundas Islands)
Day 18: Explore Dundas Island
Day 19: Dundas to Ketchikan, Alaska, Clear customs/immigration, evening ashore
Day 20: Depart Sea Dragon in Ketchikan
What's Included
Contribution Includes:
– 19 nights accommodation on Sea Dragon
– All meals (vegetarian), snacks, and drinks on board
– Sailing instruction
– Safety equipment and foul weather gear
– Use of inflatable paddle boards
Contribution does not include:
– Transportation to and from Victoria and Ketchikan
– Transportation to and from the boat
– Additional nights spent ashore
– Personal expenses while in port
Packing List
Travel Details
You will join the boat in in Victoria between 1500-1700 on the first day. You will depart the boat in Ketchikan at 0900 on the last day.There are numerous ferries to Victoria and Sydney (about 20 minutes north of Victoria) from Seattle, Port Angeles, Anacortes, Vancouver, and Tsawassen, provided by the Victoria Clipper, Black Ball Line, Washington State Ferries (not currently operating), and BC Ferries. You can also travel via seaplane from Vancouver or Seattle with Kenmore Air & Harbour Air, or fly Air Canada into Victoria International Airport (YYJ), which is about a 20 minute drive north of the city.
The Ketchikan International Airport, KTN, is just across the water from Ketchikan if you want to fly home. If you haven’t had enough boat time, you can board the Alaska Marine Highway Ferry from Ketchikan back to Bellingham.
All crew members will require a passport and visas from their home country that will allow them to travel to/ from the USA and Canada. Please note that many nationalities which can enter the US via cruise ship or airplane on the ESTA waiver program cannot do so on a private vessel. If you are not a citizen of the US, Canada, or Bermuda you will likely need a B1/B2 visa for this voyage. If you do not have a B1/B2, please contact us to discuss further before making any travel arrangements or making a deposit. Please note that if you are not a US or Canadian citizen, you will likely need to complete a Canadian ETA prior to traveling. Please ensure you have the appropriate paperwork completed before joining the vessel, or you will not be allowed to board. Please look into the specific type of visa you need for arriving at these destinations by sea, or contact us directly to discuss.
Boat Tour
Your Crew
ALESSANDRA PEPARINI – Captain
My passion for the ocean started very early… when I was a kid I spent all summers in the water! My activities were from fishing to swimming, from snorkeling to the first freediving, from kayaking to simply playing with the waves. My confidence with the water and my sensitivity towards the ocean and all kinds of creatures in and outside the water started growing during these early years and is what has drove me to my working choices and lifestyle.
I start sailing late, when I was 18yo and I have immediately felt in love with it. At 20yo, together with a friend, I owned a 7m boat which we totally rebuild inside. After some time working at a sail loft specializing in canvas work, I started doing charters and deliveries in the Med as a deckhand, cook, and mate while during the winter I continued working full time as swimming instructor, specializing in working with people affected by disabilities (physical and mental). After several years of doing this and working on custom composites with Carboway I decided something was missing in my life.
So, when my second and last dog had died for old age I have decided to leave for an Atlantic crossing in 2016. Even though I had a ticket back to Europe, I never used it and I kept on sailing until I arrived in the Pacific, where I worked freelance on superyachts and doing deliveries.
I really enjoy long passages and being in remote places, I feel 100% part of the nature around me. And when I am not on a boat I love going up the mountains hiking or climbing, otherwise freediving. I am excited to be working on board Sea Dragon because I enjoy heaps teaching how to swim and be in the water to people, transmitting my passion, I would like to give back to the ocean, which is in need, using Sea Dragon as a way for teaching people how to be respectful and minimize their impact on nature around them.
Alessandra holds her Yachtmaster Offshore with Commercial Endorsement, a CMAS Advanced Diver, an AIDA Advanced Freediver, and holds her STCW endorsed Proficiency in Medical Care at Sea.
LUKE DACOSTA – First Mate
From a young age I’ve surfed along the south coast of England, always wanting more from being on the water. After graduating University in Leeds from a graphics degree I began to want something more.
I began teaching watersports all over Europe, visiting places I fell in love with and meeting people that became good friends and also gaining a partner in life. We both caught the windsurfing bug and are still hooked on the sport today. In the winters we would go to France and run Chalets with me as the Chef of which I have a passion and several years experience under my belt and Harriet as the manager/ host.
Harriet and I returned to the south coast of England to train for our yacht master on the Isle of Wight getting very familiar with the Solent waters. Not long after we found ourselves wanting to maximise our experience and this took us to different corners of the world, Harriet in the Bay of Biscay and myself on a delivery on route to Singapore across the Atlantic and the Pacific which as been my biggest achievement in the sailing world so far. Completing the “Coconut Milk Run” going west got me hooked on ocean sailing and of course wanting to explore more of the Pacific.
Amongst other sports, free diving has become a passion of mine. Exploring what lies beneath in such a natural way is something I want to pursue through my voyages especially in the Pacific.
We both returned to Europe to work as a team through a season as Flotilla skippers in Croatia and doing private skippering in Greece but always wanted to head back to bigger waters. Deepening our need to explore more of the waters around the world we will be on the move for the next few years exploring as much as we can. We have a lot to see and are very happy to be on Sea Dragon to experience a section of the Pacific with a company with great values.
Luke holds his Yachtmaster Offshore with Commercial Endorsement, is an SSI Open Water Diver, and is a windsurfing, dinghy, and powerboat instructor.
HARRIET AVERNS – Watch Leader
Harriet is from Kent in the South East of England and grew up doing a variety of sports and spent a lot of time in the water competing as a club swimmer. She took part in the Tall Ships Race on board a 73ft sail training vessel in the Baltic at the age of 16 and absolutely fell in love with being at sea. After finishing school she went on to train to become a water sports instructor and spend 3 summers in the Mediterranean. She taught windsurfing, dinghy sailing and powerboating as well as progressing to teach Wind foiling and did her open water scuba diving course. During the winters she ran ski chalets in the French Alps alongside her partner Luke. Harriet completed her Yachtmaster Offshore in the Solent in 2020 and went on to volunteer for non-profit marine conservation organisation Sea Shepherd. She took part in their dolphin bycatch campaign in the Bay of Biscay working as a deckhand and rib driver. She then returned to the Med in summer 2021 to run flotilla holidays in Croatia. She has also recently been awarded Yachmaster of the Year for her performance in her Yachtmaster exam. Harriet is really excited to explore the pacific and experience the freedom of ocean sailing.
Harriet holds her Yachtmaster Offshore with a commercial endorsement, is a PADI Open Water Diver, and is a Windsurfing, Dinghy, and Powerboat Instructor.