You know...
half the joy of this trip was the long anticipation of a chance to sail aboard
Western Grace as well as the planning that went into making it happen. We had
followed the construction process when John and Joanne were building her at the
Christensen Yachts and knew right away that someday we were going to sail aboard
this boat. It was quite an unbelievable experience yet again to have actually
realized this dream to sail aboard her.
Trite as it may sound, every moment
was like living a dream. For the most part we went island hoping (gunkholing as
we say back east) and explored a new anchorage and port every day as we worked
our way like seasoned cruisers from Campbell River over to Desolation Sound and
then South toward Nanaimo and finally Sidney. Joanne and John were outstanding
hosts, making us feel like just part of the family. The food was delicious and
gourmet. Joanne seemed to know just when to serve a hungry crew. Most of the time
we were having so much fun that food was the last thing on our minds.
The
weather was perfect every day for sailing, affording us a chance to experience
Western Grace in many sailing conditions, including some fog on the last day near
Sidney. The fog gave us a chance to see how John could expertly use the electronic
charts and radar to skillfully maneuver us across a busy shipping channel and
safely into the docks at Sidney. One might say that Western Grace, wrapped in
fog, evoked a peaceful, spiritual feeling that day...a perfect ending to a successful
voyage.
In summary, I would have to say it was truly a once in a lifetime
experience and a beautiful way to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. We are
forever grateful to have had the opportunity to sail aboard this vessel. She and
her crew have definitely influenced our lives.
We look forward to going
again - soon!
Sincerely, Jim and Sue B. NC, USA - BC Canada, September 2007
-----------
Everyone
had a great time. John and Joanne did an excellent job. Please feel free to use
me as a reference if you like. Thanks again, Brant D., CA - Family charter in
BC Canada, August 2007
-----------
"The
weather and location on this trip were exceeded only by John and Joanne’s
hospitality. Western Grace was the perfect fit with our itinerary. John was flexible
to the point of indulging my desire to run her 80% of the time in waters you know
need the skipper’s full attention. John is an excellent host and a patient
instructor in all that I indicated an interest in learning. He cheerfully let
us do as much or as little as we desired. Both John and Joanne could not have
been more accommodating and customer focused. We definitely would charter this
vessel again. I give this my highest possible recommendation. Thank you for putting
us on Western Grace." - Hank M. NY, NY, June 2006, Brougton Archipelago
-----------
"The
charter was fantastic and a great success. It is a great boat and was very comfortable
for a family of six. One of the highlights of the trip was a day spent chasing
a pod of whales and finally catching up with them in the afternoon." - August
2005 in Desolation
Sound, family from England
-----------
"We had
an absolutely fantastic time on our charter. Everything about the trip exceeded
our expectations. The boat was bigger and better than any of us had imagined,
the food was excellent and plentiful, the scenery was gorgeous and both of you
were really nice to be around. Thank you very much for not only putting up with
our kids, but for taking such good care of them and even babysitting so that we
could enjoy some time to ourselves. Both of you are not only expert and professional
charter crew, but great people to hang out with for a week! We really appreciated
your flexibility with our itinerary. We felt like you gave us great guidance on
where to go, but were willing to change the route to suit our desires. We were
all impressed with how much of the Desolation
Sound area we were able to explore. We will not hesitate to tell our friends
about our experience and I think that some of them might decide to try it for
themselves. Of course, we have every intention of coming back!" - Ron, Jacque,
Ian, Shauna, Gregory, September 2005.
-----------
"Thank
you for a wonderful week. You were hospitable, easy to be with, flexible and responsive
to our desires to do different things, and a wonderful cook & crew! I thought
we had a wonderful blend of boat time, shore time, dinghy time, fishing, sailing,
swimming, sightseeing and shopping. We all were all very happy with the week,
and to have that from 2 teenaged boys as well as their parents is no small feat." Family, 2004
-----------
"I couldn't say enough
about John and Joanne - they were just great. Only got keel hauled once in 10
days. Really, they were fantastic and the boat was great. Would love to do it
again." - Dennis, Alaska
