COVID-19 Status and Updates

Updates from the Helm

Hello from the Crew at San Juan Sailing and Yachting! While the past two years have been far from normal, we are grateful we were able to continue offereing bareboat charters and sail/power courses through most of it. Like so many, in the early days we spent time working from home, finding ways to stay in contact with the friends/family we couldn’t see in person, tackling house/yard projects, dealing with the frustration of cancelling plans we’d looked forward to, and wondering what the world would look like when we emerged. We are thankful to those who have been on the front lines, taking care of victims of the novel coronavirus, as well as the many essential workers who have delivered us packages, sold us groceries, kept the lights on, etc. Each of us here at San Juan Sailing and Yachting is blessed to have remained safe and healthy and we hope the same for you and your families.

This 2022 season is a busy one and (fingers crossed) with case loads falling we seem to be moving away from the more devastating phases of the pandemic. Following that trend restrictions are loosening and border crossings are becoming easier. If you are considering a sail or power charter vacation this season there is still some good availability (click here). After all, if you, like us, have a bad case of cabin fever, we cannot think of a better, or safer place to spend a week or two than out on the water.

We will continue to monitor and adapt as conditions and recommendations evolve. If you have questions/concerns or we can help you plan some time on the water, please give us a call. Stay safe, be well, and we look forward to seeing you soon!

~ The Crew at San Juan Sailing & Yachting

Temporary Revised Cancellation Policy

We at San Juan Sailing & Yachting truly appreciate our charter guests and students, and understand that this has been a difficult, stressful and confusing time for everyone. Facilitating your learning or enabling your family to spend time exploring these beautiful islands brings us joy. So, we want to make one thing easier. We want you to be able to plan a vacation or course without fear. To do so we are temporarily amending our cancellation policies:

CHARTER

For the 2022 season, if you are unable to go on your charter because you, your crew, or a dependent family member has become sick with, or has recently been exposed to COVID-19, you may reschedule the charter any time during the charter season of your initial booking or the following season with no penalty. This applies even if your charter is within the normal 60-day cancellation window. Please contact us to discuss options if you would like to reschedule. Please note that this policy ammendment will expire at the end of the 2022 season.

SCHOOL

Any student that needs to cancel their course because they, or a dependent family member, have become sick with COVID-19, should contact us immediately and we’ll work out rescheduling for you and help to accommodate a new course date. We highly recommend trip insurance to cover all other illnesses.

Operational Changes for Safety & Social Distancing

We are very aware the coronavirus is not gone, and that continued vigilance is required to maintain your health, our health and the health of the communities around us. To this end, we are continuing with changes to our procedures around cleaning, office interactions, charter check out/in, safety briefings and student greeting. Please bear in mind these are somewhat fluid as we learn more and conditions change, but the list below should give you a feel for our planning:

Cleaning/Disinfecting. We have added procedures to our normal cleaning which will provide additional protection from the virus. We will be disinfecting all interior hard surfaces and exterior high touch-point areas with a QAS germicide and disinfecting all galley items when the boats are doing a quick turnaround. We will also be changing out the comforters and throw pillows.
Office Interaction. All of our regular office staff are vaccinated and because our office is small we’ve traditionally had a policy that any member of the office staff who is sick must stay home. We will continue to be strict about that policy this season and make sure the policy extends beyond the office staff to the cleaning crew, checkout skippers and instructors. All common touch-point areas in our office are disinfected on a daily basis. We are no longer requiring that masks be worn in our office as our local mask mandates have been lifted.
Social Distancing.To avoid large gatherings we have created a YouTube video of our safety briefing and local orientation so you will be able to watch them before you arrive for your charter. We will also be informing you of your checkout time in advance to allow for staggered arrival times. And, unfortunately, we will not be doing our Friday afternoon nature briefings or Friday evening BBQs this season. All of these changes are designed to greatly reduce close contact between groups who are not traveling together. Where possible we will greet arriving and departing guests outdoors, to allow for better social distancing. We will not require that masks be worn during onboard checkouts but your checkout skipper will bring a mask in case that is your preference.

Destinations

The US/Canada border is currently open. Effective 10/1/2022 Canada will no longer require that visitors be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and will suspend the requirement for travelers to use the ArriveCan app. In addition to being fully vaccinated, Canadians traveling southbound to the US will need to provide proof of a negative molecular COVID test, taken within 72 hours of arrival at US customs.

School Updates

Effective September 6, 2021, all students must be fully vaccinated (2 weeks after their 2nd dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, or 2 weeks after the single-dose Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine) for COVID-19 in order to participate in our liveaboard group courses.

On March 12, 2022, the mask directives for most indoor spaces in Washington State were lifted, so students and instructors are no longer required to wear masks during their course. If you still prefer to wear a mask you are welcome to do so, however, please note that other students or instructors are not required to do so. You should still plan to bring a mask with you, as masks may be required for entry to some indoor spaces you may wish to visit during your course (stores, restaurants, etc., may continue to require masks at their discretion).