Vancouver BC · Pacific Northwest
Sailing Lessons in Vancouver, BC
Not day sailing. Not a classroom. A liveaboard certification experience in some of the most spectacular sailing waters in the world — with one captain, one group, and no shortcuts.
Book a Call with Captain MikeTwo ways to sail with Captain Mike in Vancouver
Liveaboard Certification
The NauticEd Bareboat Charter Master program — seven days liveaboard in the Pacific Northwest. Desolation Sound, the Broughton Archipelago, or the Gulf Islands depending on season and conditions. You leave with full bareboat certification accepted at 40+ charter destinations worldwide. One group per month. Real sailing, real conditions, real certification.
View training details →Private On-Boat Mentorship
Already own a boat or hold a certification? Captain Mike runs private one-on-one coaching sessions in Vancouver and the Pacific Northwest. Passage planning, offshore readiness, docking in challenging conditions, vessel-specific systems. Your boat, your goals, your timeline.
View mentorship details →Why liveaboard beats day sailing
Real conditions
The Pacific Northwest doesn't give you flat water and sunshine every day. You'll sail in the conditions that actually exist — wind, chop, current, tide. That's the point.
Muscle memory
Seven consecutive days on the water builds the kind of confidence a weekend course can't. By day three you stop thinking and start sailing.
Certification that holds up
The NauticEd BBM is the only certification Captain Mike has never seen denied at a charter base. Dream Yachts, Sunsail, and Moorings all accept it at 40+ destinations.
One captain, one group
MOS takes one booking per month. You get Captain Mike's full attention for seven days — not a rotating roster of instructors and not a class of twelve.
Where you’ll sail
MOS operates in the Pacific Northwest from May through October. Depending on the season and conditions, courses cover Desolation Sound, the Broughton Archipelago, the Gulf Islands, and the Salish Sea. These are the same waters Captain Mike sails personally — some of the most technically demanding and visually spectacular cruising grounds in the world.
From the MOS family
“The journey does not get any better than this. Captain Mike ran a tight ship with a relaxed atmosphere — super knowledgeable about all aspects of sailing and everyone was safe. Everybody had a great time and learned a lot.”
“I did a 7-day cruise and learn with Mike and it was the best and only way I'd ever choose to get my sailing certification. Left feeling confident to rent our first boat on our own.”
“Mike made sailing easy, fun, and achievable. His teaching style is inspiring, his knowledge is vast, and his love for sailing is infectious.”
Your Captain
Captain Mike Nyakas
Transport Canada SVOP certified. NauticEd affiliate instructor. ASA Instructor of the Year. Honored Member of the Killer Whale Clan, Gitga’at First Nation, Hartley Bay BC. Captain Mike has sailed the Pacific Northwest, Sea of Cortez, Croatia, Greece, BVI, USVI, Bahamas, Thailand, and Italy. He takes one group per month and gives them everything he knows.
One spot. One captain. Real sailing.
MOS takes one booking per month in Vancouver. If you’re ready to stop thinking about sailing and start doing it, this is where you start.
Book a Call with Captain Mike