Welcome to the Barnet Sailing Cooperative!
The Barnet Sailing Cooperative is a non-profit, member-run organization founded in 1987 by a group of sailors who believed that sailing could be a shared, hands-on, and community-driven activity. Instead of owning boats individually, members co-own a fleet of six Catalina sailboats and work together to maintain, care for, and sail them.
At its heart, the co-op is about learning together, working together and sailing together (qualified members also have opportunities to sail with their own friends and families). Members come from all backgrounds and experience levels—from complete beginners to seasoned skippers—and everyone contributes. Whether you’re tracking down a deck leak, sanding a hull, assisting a diesel mechanic, or helping plan a cruise, your participation helps keep the fleet running and the community thriving.
Membership includes access to the boats throughout the season (based on qualifications), as either crew or skipper. To keep things fair and sustainable, we limit the number of annual sailing permits to 75. If all permits are filled, interested applicants can join the waiting list and are welcome to attend meetings and social events in the meantime.
By sharing the work and the costs—like moorage, maintenance supplies, and insurance—and the fun (skippered day sails and multi-day club cruises), we keep sailing more affordable and more accessible. It’s a practical, rewarding way to get on the water and explore BC’s beautiful coastline.
*If you’re not someone who enjoys hands-on work or learning DIY skills, a charter service might be a better fit than a co-op.
To learn more, visit our FAQ or Contact Us.
Our History
Early Years
The Co-op was started in 1987 when George Doutre conducted sailing classes at Barnet Marine Park in Burnaby, B.C. A group from the classes formed the Barnet Sailing Cooperative with the purchase of our first boat, a fourteen-foot Enterprise sailing dingy that was kept in the park boat compound.
The first Executive consisted of Malcolm Fitz-Earle as president, Keiko Fitz-Earle as secretary, Laurie Robson as treasurer and George Doutre as boat captain. Due to time constraints Malcolm stepped down and Rick Boretsky became president. From that time until 2000 Rick, a veterinarian, was kind enough to allow us to use his veterinary office as our booking office for boat scheduling. In 2000 we switched to a professional answering service as the needs of the membership grew.
First Boats
Early on the Co-op purchased a 19-foot Mercury boat, Quick Silver, from George Doutre. This boat was moored at Reed Point Marina on an installment plan. Thus began a longstanding business relationship with Reed Point Marina that continues to this day.
In 1988, Doug Bzowy, a member who later served as president, loaned the club money for the purchase of the first 20-foot O’Day, the Day Off. In 1989, the Co-op bought the second 20-foot O’Day, the Moody Blue, the first boat named by the club.
In the spring of 1990, the Co-op was able to acquire, on a loan basis the 22-foot Roberts called the Karat. Derek Booth and George Doutre set out to Mission and sailed the Karat around to Port Moody with a stopover in New Westminster. It took much TLC to put the Karat into service for the club. At that time the Karat became the pride and joy of the fleet! The next couple of years the Karat was moored at Otter Bay on Pender Island or at Canoe Cove Marina near Swartz Bay for summer cruising in the Gulf Islands.
Fleet Expansion
In early as 1991, the first Long Term Planning Committee was formed to develop a 5-year plan for the Co-op. Issues such as fee levels, how to raise money to buy boats and club size were all considered. The first decision was to focus on paying off the existing loans on the two O’Days before buying more boats. The Co-op achieved this objective by the end of 1992. In 1993, the focus was again on finding the “perfect Co-op boat”. If you ask a dozen members for input as to what is a “must have”, a “need to have” and a “nice to have”, you will get a dozen different ideas. The ultimate decision that satisfied the majority of the Co-op’s requirements was a 27-foot Catalina.
The Honey Bee, the first of several hulled boats in the fleet, was purchased in June 1993 with a loan from 10 members. To finance the loan, members were charged a daily usage fee of $50.00. The loan was repaid in just over two years.
The Co-op was now “boat crazy”. We wanted more! Through some creative sleuthing, another cruising boat was found that could be loaned to the Co-op, a 25-foot racing boat named the Lizzie Bee. While it was nice to have another cruising boat in the fleet, the Lizzie Bee did not meet the Co-op’s purchasing criteria.
The next boat to be purchased was of course, another 27-foot Catalina named Mookie. This occurred in the fall of 1995 and was made possible through a loan from one member, Ron Bryce. The repayment scheme for the Mookie was an annual boat levy on all members of $100.00 until the loan was retired.
In the spring of 1998 with the assistance of George Doutre, we acquired yet another Catalina, the Jinjersnap. With a rapidly growing membership (aided by some television exposure from the Vancouver Boat Show) more vessels were needed to satisfy the needs of members who were enjoying a particularly long and warm sailing season. In March of 1999 the 4th Catalina in the fleet arrived, My Way. 2002 brought the addition of the 5th Catalina, Weekend Pirate. In 2014, the Co-op was gifted a boat for $1.00, and Tinkertoy II joined our fleet. In September 2020, the newest addition, 30 feet Catalina Daze Off was added to the fleet. The Catalina 30 is equipped with a Universal M25 (21 HP) diesel. In November 2021, another 30’ Catalina was purchased.
Since January of 1999, the Cooperative has maintained, improved, and refit our boats with new sails, motors, plumbing and electrical systems. The original gold hulls have been re-coated a clean white. We refurbish and rebuild the woodwork and interiors keeping them in good shape and equip our boats with safety gear exceeding Canadian Coast Guard Standards.
We have a fleet that is safe and fun to sail and that we can be proud of.
Our Future
With a sound fleet and healthy, responsible, debt-free finances for many years, the Co-op is again engaging in Long Term Planning to see where the winds of our membership will take us next. Come join us and be a part of the adventure!
Fair winds, affordable sailing!
