Capt Mac's School Of Seamanship

Highly recommended!! Did my first lessons and will definitely be going back for more! The endless knowledge, experienced teachings, hands on experience living aboard a beautiful custom ship, the sights and of course the food! The total value of this is priceless! Thank you Captain Mac! Look forward to more sailing with you on Kinohi!

Signed up as a single and took the Basic Cruising Standard course in June 2022. Had one of the most fun and educational experiences of my life. Everything from the views, sailing/boating exercises & lessons, the accommodation, meals and banter, all exceeded expectations!

Will definitely be back to further develop my seamanship with Capt Mac.

Side note: Make sure to read through the books and other information he sends you prior to beginning your course. Should go without saying but you will get much more out of it that way.

We did our Basic Cruise Standard last year , and returned for a tune up and to practice the basic skills again . It was an amazing week , a little more relaxed knowing we weren't going to be writing an exam this time but an outstanding learning experience again . We lucked out with the weather and wind this time , food was fantastic again . I was able participate in some basic boat maintenance this time. All part of learning what is going to be involved in eventually owning our own sailboat. Dabbled in basic navigation as well. We'll be back for more of the follow up courses. Thanks again Captain Mac !

We had such an amazing time during our Basic Cruising Standard course. Hard to believe just how much you can learn in just 5 days. We now feel confident going out in our own sailboat and have since taken on some sizeable trips.

Captain Mac is an excellent instructor and took the time to answer an endless stream of questions. He was super focused on helping us to understand the real world value of what we were learning - things that can't be taught by just a book. Immediately after taking his course we were able to take our sailboat on some substantial trips. Not only that but we're able to get our boat fixed up and into better working condition based on his advice. He even took extra care and attention in helping us to understand how certain things would work on our new boat (25' Tanzer) vs his boat, which helped a ton in understanding our own sailboat. It's all the little things he teaches that are invaluable. Even after the course he's gone above and beyond in helping us through various issues we've run into.

Outside of Capt Mac's teaching style, he's also just a really awesome character. Good sense of humour, fun to be around. When you're stuck on a boat for 5 days, this becomes super important!

The food was great, the boat was beautiful, and the whole experience was something we won't forget. Would definitely highly recommend this to anyone who is serious about learning how to sail. You changed our lives Captain Mac! We're sailors now!
-Travis & Julie

Captain Mac is the real deal! We did his basic sailing course and my expectations were exceeded. With 40+ years of experience it is no surprise that I learned more in 5 days than I ever thought I would.

We had such an amazing time during our Basic Cruising Standard course. Hard to believe how much you can learn in just 5 days. We now feel confident going out in our own sailboat. Captain Mac is an excellent instructor and took the time to answer an endless stream of questions. Would definitely recommend this to anyone who is serious about learning how to sail. You changed our lives Captain Mac! 
-Travis & Julie

I took the Basic Cruising sailing course and it was a great experience. Learnt a lot, had a good time, and enjoyed a lot of great scenery. Captain Mac knows his stuff. Strongly considering taking the Coastal Navigation course next summer. Highly recommend Captain Mac for your sailing lessons.

Did a weeklong cruising course with Captain Mac this summer. The entire trip was really fun and a great learning experience.

The instruction was really hands on and everything is explained in simple and easy to understand ways with lots of time to practice everything that's learned.

The locations we visited were nicely chosen and some of them were relatively off the beaten track compared to most. The food was great and the Captain did a good job of keeping us all entertained in the evenings.

I would highly recommend Capt Mac for your sailing instruction. His sailing vessel is pristine and comes with tremendous pride of ownership. This was my first time sailing on the ocean and the practical common sense lessons learned were valuable. Excellent cook as well. Our 5 day live aboard cruise was educational, even though we motored 50% of the time we still learned valuable lessons while motoring. Thanks Capt Mac!

I had a really great time on the Intermediate Cruising course with Capt Mac. He is a really great instructor with a tonne of knowledge. The boat, food and locale were all amazing! Thank you and looking forward to the next class!

I recently completed the 5 day Basic Cruising Standard course with Captain Mac and enjoyed it immensely. The atmosphere is both friendly and relaxed while providing an environment that feels safe. The instructions and hands on experience were well worth the price. The other students on board were great and learning something that you enjoy with other like minded individuals doesn't get any better. Glen's method for teaching the basic's along with his stories and knowledge of the area and it's history made for a most enjoyable week, not to mention his sense of humor and his cooking skills. Do I recommend Capt. Mac's, Yes, even if you never plan to charter or own your own boat. This makes a great 5 day vacation while actually experiencing and learning what's involved to sail a cruising sailboat, a win win. I look forward to taking future cruise and learn courses with Capt. Mac.

I did a cruise and learn with Captain Mac to get my Basic Cruising Standard. I looked for a school that prioritized things that were important to me:

1) I wanted someone with a lot of real world experience: someone who's sailed and knew sailing inside and from a practical approach as well as technical know-how. I learn best from hands-on experience, and the whole course was hands-on!
2)I wanted someone with the technical knowledge from whom I could get a certification, and ask any question out there even though I knew nothing when I started.
3)I wanted someone who was personable, fun to hang out with, and the learning environment was flexible to adapt to how I learned best.

Captain Mac's school exceeded my expectations. The learning was as hands on and intense as I wanted it to be, and when I got tired, we were able to take it easy and relax and learn on my own time. The food was super delicious and plentiful, and the captain cooked it all up while I took the helm or did some evening reading!

His boat is a good size to be comfortable but still very nimble - I was surprised at how easy it was to sail. It is very clean, and has all the safety and amenities you need to focus on learning and fun.

The added value that I get from taking this course with Captn Mac is that he wants you to do well, and he wants to support you as you make your way in the sailing world. He's since advised me on sailboats I've been looking at purchasing, and has always made himself available to answer questions.

I'm looking forward to taking more lessons with him as my sailing progresses. It's a great feeling knowing you've got a sailing teacher with such passion who wants to see you do well!

Experience was great and really enjoyed the company. I have been sailing my own boat for 15 years and bought a boat about the same size as Captain Macs (Glen). I took the basic 5 day course (March Hardy one) as I wanted some pointers on sailing a boat of that size. I acquired that experience and a lot more. Course plotting, fixes, navigation aids and their importance all in real time. The safety aspect of knowing all this stuff was brought home much better than learning it in a classroom. He took us to places where we had to know/learn the navigation aids, course plotting, etc, that or run aground. Of course he wouldn't let us do that as its a pretty fine boat. A quite exciting trip all round. I recommend it.

October, 2017. Had an amazing 5 day live aboard sail and learn in the Gulf Islands with Captain Mac. We had winds light to high(!) and lots of rain, but this just added to the overall experience. Captain Mac (Glen) knows his boat, knows the waters and knows his stuff. There was(is) so much to learn and we covered a ton of sailing theory and on the water skills. Captain Mac is a good teacher!

Working on getting my captains license and did a cruise and learn with Glen at Captain Mac's. Glen is very knowledgable and really knows what he is doing. he makes it easy to learn and a really good time, and his boat is easy to sail. If your looking to get your license then i highly recommend Captain Macs, you won't be disappointed.

Our trip was great. Glen is a great teacher with lots of experience. The food was fantastic. We got to sail through some amazing places with tons of laughs along the way. I highly recommend Capt. Mac's and look forward to my next trip with Glen. Thanks for the great trip.

My wife and I did basic cruise and learn. The morning study classes were very informative, the hands on learning was very experience building. We would recommend glen to anyone who wants to learn to sail. Within 2 months of doing glens course we bought our own sailboat and sailed the Georgia strait alone. A very good experience and just what we were looking for.

Capt' Mac ,

First of all, I had the best time of my life this past week ! You have an amazing talent in bringing the best out of your students by creating such a positive learning atmosphere!
Your preparation and follow through of this weeks course made it so enjoyable, even for an old guy like me (67)!
The sense of achievement after the completion of the Basic course is uplifting and has given me the confidence to spend more time on the water and continue learning and move on to the Intermediate course in the future !

In closing, I would highly recommend Capt.Mac's School of Seamanship !

Sincerely , Rick Lloyd

ps. The food and accommodation was five stars all the way!!

Captain Mac has loads of experience and knowledge of sailing and the sea. The experience was excellent and well worth the time and money. I would recommend to anyone that wants to learn how to sail. Looking forward to the next time.

Was recommended Captain Mac to get my basic cruising standard but his expertise, patience and the overall scope of learning well exceeded my expectations. Easily one of the most beautiful locations to sail in the world on the equally beautiful 42' Kinohi.