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School Programs

A one of a kind classroom setting that encourages growth through observation and participation in the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve.

Nature Provides the Ultimate Lesson Plan

Where Lasting Lessons are Learned

This unconventional classroom offers unlimited possibilities for students to learn enduring lessons from beyond the textbook. Focusing on sailing, wildlife, ecology, sustainability, and marine biology, our school trips are driven by observational learning and students taking on large leadership roles. With the aid of our knowledgeable and expert crew, students are encouraged to fully participate in all aspects of boat life with the belief that the best learning takes place in the most unexpected places.

Trip Outline

Focusing our travels within the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve, groups can anticipate cruising around or visiting Galiano, Saturna, Saltspring, North & South Pender, and potentially Mayne Island.

A Day in the Life

Typically 5 days in length, running during March and April, our school tours are purposefully left flexible to allow our captains the autonomy to cater the trip’s schedule to each group’s specific interests and objectives. While we can’t say for sure exactly where you’ll journey, the flow of the day remains relatively similar.

Groups can choose to arrive the night prior to their trip start date or the morning of their trip departure. All trips begin at Port Sidney Marina, in Sidney, BC. Upon arrival to the boat, the crew (captain, crew and naturalist) will give an orientation of the cabins, bathrooms, and introduce themselves. 

The watch system will be explained, student roles and expectations outlined, and a thorough safety briefing will take place prior to pushing off from the dock.

Each day begins with one of the watch groups making breakfast while the other groups complete boat chores and connect with the naturalist. Depending on the anchorage and weather, kayaking may also be offered. 

After breakfast, participants can expect to engage in a lesson on sailing, keep watch with the naturalist, or support the captain with navigation. Around midday the watch groups will rotate, and one group will be responsible for making lunch.

An activity is typically planned, such as hiking up to a panoramic viewpoint, sailing, scouting for marine mammals on deck, exploring intertidal life, or playing games in the temperate rainforest. 

In the late afternoon, the final watch rotation will occur and one group will start dinner prep while we look for an anchorage for the evening. There may be a chance to kayak once we are at anchor.

After dinner, the group will gather to plot the course from the day on a chart, make a list of species spotted, and perhaps take part in a lesson on sail theory, navigation, or participate in a natural history activity before it’s lights out!

School Trip Takeaways

With a highly knowledgeable crew and an idyllic natural wonderland at your disposal, there is no end to the benefits students can gain from this experience.

We believe that in educating the youth of today, we can create environmentally conscious decision-makers of the future. Focusing on ‘leave no trace,’ visiting with respect, and regenerative travel, we hope these trips spark a lifelong movement in these students’ lives that leads down the path of conservation.

We challenge students on our trips with unique and unknown situations that encourage creative and innovative solutions.

Working within their ‘watch’ groups, students will need to work with and rely on each other to successfully hoist sails, navigate the vessel, and even cook a dinner of spaghetti! Whether it’s in the galley or on deck, the responsibilities and duties of the students onboard are specifically assigned to emphasize the importance of the fundamentals of teamwork.

We ensure participants are made aware of the sensitive environments we explore, the shared living spaces they are in, and the importance of responsibility, as everyone onboard lends a hand in the day-to-day operations of the vessel running smoothly. We hope by instilling a spirit of respect for not only the places we visit but the vessel(s) we visit them on, participants are able to tread intentionally and considerately in all new areas of life.

We believe that the more one puts into these trips, the more one takes away. We strongly encourage all participants to take part in all activities, perhaps even in some that are slightly outside their comfort zone. With our experienced and knowledgeable crew there to ensure a safe and supportive environment, we hope students will take chances and operate slightly out of their comfort zone, where the best learning takes place.

Mandating a no phones policy, we hope this trip allows time for students to disconnect from the business and connectivity of their daily lives and reconnect with themselves and their peers in the serene silence the ocean has to offer. Now more than ever we feel our students deserve time to be wholly in tune with their surroundings, and be completely immersed in their current environment.

Experiential Learning

Not All Classrooms Need Four Walls

By providing the opportunity for students to ‘learn by doing,’ we are creating a space for them to develop their skills whilst building relationships with their peers, themselves, and the world in a broader sense. 

We encourage students to try everything onboard, and under our crew’s expert supervision, we create a space where trying the task is more important than the successful completion of it. We hope that when trying sea kayaking for the first time and getting frustrated but trying again, that lesson in perseverance permeates into other areas of that student’s lived experience.

School Trips: Through the Photo Lens

Snapshots from previous teachers and students on their ocean adventure.

What to Know

Click through the tabs below to get further information on what holding your school trip onboard a Bluewater vessel is all about.

School trip start & ending point

All of our school trips start and finish in Sidney, BC, located a 10-minute drive from the Victoria International Airport. It is the school’s responsibility to book their travel to/from Sidney as well as transportation to/from the airport to Port Sidney Marina. If your group elects to arrive the day your trip starts, you will head straight to the Port Sidney Marina. If your group chooses to arrive the day prior to their trip and overnight on the vessel, there are some options as to how to spend your day in Sidney prior to arriving at the boat at 7pm.

Island Odyssey & Island Roamer

We operate school trips onboard the Island Roamer and Island Odyssey, two similar 68’ sailing ketches which are Ministry of Transport Canada approved. We can accommodate school groups of up to 33 students, plus teachers, in private cabins using both vessels, or smaller groups of 15–18 students, plus teachers, on one vessel.

Outline of payments

We try to reach out to interested schools in the spring/summer prior to the school trip season. With a goal of sending out charter dates to schools before summer break, we collect a deposit with a signed contract with the balance due in December. We ask trip organizers to send in their complete participant forms at least 2 months prior to their trip start date to ensure we address any outstanding needs.

  • 6 – 12 months prior: Program and date requests are sent to the Bluewater office. Information regarding upcoming season schedules sent out to schools. Trip deposits of $1,000 (per vessel) due.
  • 10 months prior: Trip packages are emailed out to trip organizers. Signed contract due back to the Bluewater office.
  •  3 months prior: Final balance of fees due.
  • 2 months prior: All forms completed and sent back to Bluewater office.

Providing guidance to students

Our captain, crew and naturalist are on board to provide the educational, safety, and facilitations pieces of the school trip. It is our expectation of teachers and/or chaperones onboard to provide the group management which allows our crew to focus on delivering the highest quality program content they can. If there are behavioural or social dynamics issues between the students, it is our expectation that the teacher/chaperones onboard be the first to handle those scenarios with our crew available to support if needed.

Option to arrive early

For groups looking to maximize their time on the water, the option to arrive the night prior to their trip start date and overnight on the vessels is an option at an additional cost. This allows the group to push off as soon as possible on Day 1.

    Understand the paperwork

    The trip organizer is responsible for collecting payments, distributing forms, and making sure that the Bluewater office receives all necessary paperwork prior to their trip departure. A handful of forms will need to be completed by the trip leader/organizer, and a few forms need to be completed by each participant. Access to these forms will be given once your trip is confirmed.

      Contact Us

      The Bluewater office is always here to help. Connect with us to receive personal assistance during any step of your trip experience.

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