To mark 20 years since its inception, the Van Isle Sailing Co-op is holding an open house with a free sail.
The sailing co-op is a community endeavour. Members contribute annual dues and labour to upkeep the co-op's boats, and then take the boats out as they like for hundreds of hours on the water.
The co-op was started in 2005 by a newcomer to Nanaimo, George Doutre, who was said to have been shocked to learn there wasn't one in the community already. To change that, he gathered some friends together in his home in the fall of 2004, and by the spring of 2005, Nanaimo had its first sailing co-op, with Doutre lending out his personal Catalina 27 sailboat named Rhea. Now, 20 years later, the co-op owns five boats and maintains consistent membership levels.
Tim Silbernagel, co-op sailing director, said he became involved during early discussions to form the club.
"I really enjoy sailing and I really enjoy meeting members of the public and teaching them how to sail," he said. "I also like exploring the Gulf Islands. We take our boats out for two, three, four, five, six, seven nights and we go down exploring the Gulf Islands. It's a really cool sport for a very affordable price."
The open house event takes place at Stones Marina on Saturday, June 7, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Silbernagel said the open house is a great way for members of the public to learn a little bit about sailing on a one-hour introductory sail.
People can learn more information online at http://visail.ca.
