Power cruising BC – NW Explorations expands to Canada

May 9, 2019

NW Explorations, a Bellingham, Washington-based yacht charter, brokerage, and marine services company is anchoring  in the Canadian market this spring.  

Owned by Canadians Ross and Evelyn Tennant, the 16-year-old company is expanding and will provide on-site and mobile maintenance service at their new base in Canoe Cove; and a second facility at Port of Sidney Marina on Vancouver Island, British Columbia 

Serving the growing Pacific Northwest yachting industry with on-demand maintenance and repairs as well as charter opportunities, NWE supports a healthy marine economy. In BC, recreational boating has grown by 30 percent in the past five years and a 2017 study, conducted by National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) Canada, found that recreational boating injected $1.3 billion into BC’s economy in 2016, generating $2.2 billion in revenue. Becoming a North American-wide company just makes sense for NW Explorations.  

True Blue Chatterbox Falls on BC’s Sunshine Coast

“Our yachting customers sail in these waters regularly exploring the Pacific Northwest, all the way up to Alaska,” says Tennant. 

Beginning this spring, NWE will provide yacht maintenance from its facility in Canoe Cove and will service Vancouver Island with two state-of-the-art mobile service vans. Yachts can dock at one of the locations for service or be attended to in any port on Vancouver Island or the Gulf Islands. Additionally, boaters will find NW Explorations home base at the Port of Sidney where they have a ‘store front’ and additional slips available to their charter and brokerage guests. 

“Our team in Bellingham has established an incredible level of expertise and protocol that keeps customers returning again and again. We are duplicating that model here,” explains NW Explorations General Manager, John Nassichuk.

Also at the new B.C. location, NW Explorations has formed a strategic alliance with Arbutus Coast Yachts—a local Sidney-based yacht brokerage company—to aid in the buying and selling of yachts at NW Exploration’s Canoe Cove location.  

Founded in 2003 by Brian Pemberton then purchased by Ross and Evelyn Tennant in 2017, NWE also provides 3-day powerboating courses, including women-only courses. NWE specializes in Grand Banks, and similar vessels.

Flotilla en route to Klaskish

Their long-running 1-3 week long flotillas explore spectacular destinations in the Pacific Northwest including Alaska, Desolation Sound and the Gulf Islands. “Mother Goose” flotillas (since 2004) include a lead boat with a skipper, a technician, and a naturalist on board to enhance experiences.

For more information, please visit www.nwexplorations.com.