Be careful. Sold a…read moreboat and motor through this stores consignment sale process. I had given them sole small items to sell and was informed they charged 20% commission. I asked about selling my boat and motor and they said the commission was 10%. I took the boat and motor to the store we agreed on a listing price and it sold in one week. ONE MONTH LATER I got a check from them and they had charged 20%. I called them and they said it was 10% on "bigger boats". Mine was only 12' with a 10hp motor that sold for about $3,000. So, I was told, they were firm at 20%. Pretty nice commission for 1 weeks work. Yes, my bad for not nailing this down specifically when I took them the boat. I thought they'd do the right thing. I'd been a good customer spending over $1,000 in the previous month.

I have consigned many items with Spencers - some expensive - some not so. Every transaction has…read morebeen handled with care and attention. Jeff keeps very good records of every item - he prices items fairly and displayed well. I could not be more pleased. I have consigned to just about every used boat supply shop in Seattle, Vancouver and Victoria and Spencers is by far the best. I have also purchased many items here and found the pricing very competitive in their well stocked shop. I have dealt with almost every boat supply shop from San Diego to Victoria in the last 30 years and would rate Spencers at the top.

We had a great time just admiring the beautiful islands, as well as some basking sea lions and a…read morehumpback whale. Captains Nate and Ben were awesome and extended our excursion to make sure we saw whales. Highly recommended!

What an amazing time and fun experience!!! First, my mother was hesitant to go due to her thinking…read moreshe would get sea sick and the driver reassured her she would be fine and she was. Our Guide took us out with a small group of people and had so much knowledge about Orcas and sea life around. This tour went beyond my expectations and definitely was a trip of a lifetime. Thank you Darrion for the amazing experience!!

I've done several whale watching, but this one was by far the most incredible of all! They only…read moretake maximum 12 passengers and we were a small group of 8 (6 of us plus a other couple) Captain Jackie made sure to find the orcas and would always have the best spot of the other boats to watch them! Best of all we stayed longer than planned on the tour so every other boat were leaving and we were then the only one to observe the huge pod of orcas. That is when one of them decided to breach and say hello to us... magic!!!! Captain Jackie was very fun and stopped on the way back so we could see eagles even though she already extended the tour on her personal time. Just amazing. If you ever wonder who to choose, you'll have the best tour with Seeking Adventure.

With the abundance of whale watching tours available in Victoria it gets overwhelming and confusing…read moretrying to determine which is best. I had started with an online search prior to my arrival in Victoria but then decided not to book ahead and instead search a place out on foot while touring the city. This ended up being a great decision as I had not come across SeaKing Adventures in my google searches... or perhaps it just didn't stand out enough which may be largely due to the small company that it is. When I walked into their office in Fisherman's Warf I was greeted by Ron and had a good impression of him straight away. Very friendly and very informative. What I liked most is that he's the owner operator. Supporting small business is very important to me. He also has a small boat and you're never with more than 10 people (big bonus for us as we didn't want to be fighting for a view of the whales). I had pretty much decided that this was our guy but didn't want to book as I wanted to chat with the rest of my group first. I also took the time to search out reviews online where I found just two negative reviews. I must admit, after reading the reviews I had second thoughts about going with them but we decided as a group to stick with my initial impression and book the tour (I might also add that their tour is the cheapest I found and offers basically the same package the other companies offer). When we had visited the office earlier in the day it was indicated that they had room on both departures yet when I called to make the reservation I was told the morning departure was full. No problem - was my fault for waiting to book.... however, we ended up walking down to Fisherman's Warf a few hours before our departure (and during the time that the morning tour would have been out on the water) and found Ron at the dock seemingly preparing his boat for what would be our 2pm departure. I would have respected them telling me there's a minimum # of people required to get a boat out (we were just 3) and felt it was a bit shifty to tell me the boat was full. Anyway, the tour itself was awesome. Ron is fantastic and we saw everything that you would see with the other tours but with a more small business feel, which I really appreciate. Ron was informative and had a good sense of the whales and how they move in the water. He did his best to get us as close to the action as possible.

We took the tour yesterday, with Simon as our skipper/guide. Although this tour cost about twice as…read moremuch as the "cattle boat" tours in some other places, it is 10 times the experience! My mind is still reeling from all that we saw. We followed a gathering of 19 orcas for more than an hour. Exceeded every bucket list dream I ever had, for seeing these animals! Simon is very, very knowledgeable; he also collects data for Canada Fisheries, so he knew the pods and individuals we were watching. And that wasn't all. We were guided to view a Humpback whale, 2 kinds of sea lion, seals, bald eagles, and even an island which had been stocked as an exotic game preserve, and still has wild animals from other parts of the world roaming around it. There were only 9 people, plus the skipper, so everybody had a great view of everything. And the boats are really fast, so they can go quite a distance in the search for those ever-moving orcas. An experience of a lifetime...even if (like me) you've taken many other whale-watching excursions.

Such a fun way to learn about the Orcas and to see them hunting and feeding from your small group…read moreof 10 on a Zodiac. Don't hesitate, just do it. You will not regret this amazing experience. Great for kids too. These boats are fast, you will see so much and cover incredible distances. Don't worry there is a WC on board for emergencies! Sign your paperwork, get your sunscreen on, and suit up in your warm floatation suit/life vest. Keep your phone handy as you will see all sorts of wildlife along the way, seals, eagles, eagle nests, then the killer whales. It's amazing how you can check the binder and identify each pod by name with their offspring. On our way back as we returned to dock we even had a bonus viewing of some whales right in Cowichan bay.

We charter with Island Cruising for many years, the best in BC, Canada. The boats are meticulously…read moremaintained and have never had our vacation spoilt with a breakdowns. The Captain is expected to present a good navigation plan, be sure these guys have a high standard, prepare and present good seamanship and you will fly through the orientation. The yachts have many features, well worth the cost to chartering great vessels and enjoying the vacation.

I recently chartered a Jeanneau 440 through Island Cruising--a stunning yacht with sleek lines and…read moresuperb sailing performance. Having owned a similar vessel and chartered more times than I can count, I know what separates a top-tier charter company from a floating headache. Island Cruising, unfortunately, falls squarely into the latter. Let's start with the good: the boat itself was excellent. Well-equipped, comfortable, and ideal for a couple--or two. The twin rudders do have a knack for attracting kelp, but that's a minor quirk in an otherwise delightful sailing experience. Now, the company. Island Cruising's operations are a masterclass in how not to run a charter business. I won't echo the more colorful reviews suggesting Larry, the owner, return to South Africa--but I will say he's one of the most combative individuals I've encountered in the boating world. I understand being protective of an $800,000 yacht, but Larry's approach is less "professional caution" and more "ego on parade." When I submitted a perfectly reasonable sail plan, he pounced on the fact that it crossed ferry lanes--as if I'd never sailed from Sidney to Salt Spring before. Spoiler: you have to cross ferry lanes. His critique felt more like a self-aggrandizing performance than a concern. Ironically, in Larry's own marina, there's a submerged buoy that becomes a stealth hazard at high tide. When I asked why it hadn't been fixed, he shrugged and said he'd get to it "someday." Apparently, safety is negotiable. Our charter began with half a tank of fuel. Larry's solution? "Fill it up and I'll sort it out later." Famous last words. I trusted him and set sail. Things went smoothly until we headed from South Pender to Port Friday in the U.S.--where I discovered the boat's registration was missing. The manual said it should be in the chart table. It wasn't. I called Larry and he insisted I wasn't looking hard enough (I was). Eventually, he sent me the bill of sale, which U.S. Customs obviously deemed useless - Obviously, Larry didn't seem to know the difference between a bill or sale and a boat's registration. I had to pay a fee to enter and exit the country. Larry's response? Indifference. Would I charter from Island Cruising again? Only if I could bypass Larry entirely. His communication style is transactional at best--emails only get answered when money's involved. He charged us for linens that turned out to be torn sleeping bags, and one storage compartment was a science experiment of leaking beer cans and slime. We paid for a 4 p.m. pre-board, but Larry was still pressure-washing the deck at 5. Larry's goal is to sell the company and retire. Based on my experience, he'll need more than a mop and a smile to clean up his reputation. As of today, I've received no compensation for the fuel or customs fees, despite multiple follow-ups. In short: the boat was a dream, but the charter experience was a headache. If you value professionalism, steer clear of Island Cruising--unless you enjoy navigating bureaucracy more than the open sea.

I had my trailer swapped from electric drum brakes to electric over hydraulic disc brakes.They did…read morea good job and fast,I love the job they did, the brakes work fantastic. Chuck B.

Took my 4.3 inboard for service after making the appointment several months in advance. Three weeks…read morelater they called and said they aren't going to work on inboard engines any longer and told me to pick up my boat. Classy.

Excellent customer service, efficient and very knowledgeable. The Owner, Nathan, is friendly,…read morerespectful and great to work with.

We worked with Nathan to solve our problem with our port engine and he was analytical in going…read morethrough each step to eliminate things working and finding what wasn't. We will be using Bayside for our annual maintenance, even though we are U.S. and the boat is stored in Anacortes, we bring it to Sidney before going north

Chartered a 36' sailboat out of the Powell River branch and had a fantastic trip. The service and…read moresupport were excellent, and the boat was spotless on arrival and in even better condition that when I had chartered it a few years earlier.

From the owner: Call TODAY to saved your preferred date for you Bareboat Charter, skip the car rental, airbnb, and…read moreget it all in one, with one of our BOATS! Schedule NOW! The experiences our clients have exceed their expectations. This is our reason for being. Whether it is chartering a vessel out of Bellingham, participating in an Alaska group flotilla, attending one of our training classes, purchasing a vessel, having your boat maintained by our exceptional service department or participating as one of our charter boat owners. The goal is simple: We will exceed your expectations. Bareboat yacht charters, flotilla adventures, and in-house brokerage.