— from Jim Burgoyne —
Salish Sea Pilot has released the 2015 editions of their cruising guides to the Gulf Islands, San Juan Islands and Desolation Sound.
The popular guides have been completely updated with many new illustrations and updated information about anchorages and marinas in the Salish Sea off BC and Washington state.
Jim Burgoyne and Lynne Picard launched the little company in 2011 after sailing home from Asia. Their original plan was to build small freely downloadable guides for cruising friends and foreign sailors visiting this part of the world.
But soon the project took over their lives, becoming a full-time obsession.
“It just kept expanding,” said Burgoyne. “There are so many terrific cruising areas, you just don’t know where to stop.”
And free was not really sustainable.
“It wasn’t long before it took over my life,” he said. “Our financial advisor was getting hives. So we agreed ‘almost free’ was a more sensible price. He was relieved.”
The guides are available for download at salishseapilot.com for $5 each. They display on all tablets, laptops, desktops and smartphones, even printed on paper.
Burgoyne says Salish Sea Pilot plans to soon release a guide to Puget Sound, followed by another to the Sunshine Coast.
“We have been studying charts of the west coast of Vancouver Island,” he said with a smile. “Maybe that will be the next one.”
