The Nanaimo Yacht Services @ Stones Boatyard management team comes from more than 35 years of managing boat service-related businesses in various locations before settling in Nanaimo on Vancouver Island.
Ian, a licensed diesel and gas mechanic, and Shari built and launched an Endurance 40 ketch and then spent ten years cruising, traveling as far as the Caribbean where from 1983 Shari ran a day-charter boat operation and Ian managed Sunsail’s Caribbean operations including 250 yachts spread around 7 islands. In 1993 Sunsail enticed the couple, with their four young daughters, to Greece where they were responsible for 370 yachts, 5 watersports club hotels and hundreds of staff. Ian at this time wrote and developed the maintenance manual for Sunsail’s Mediterranean fleet.
At the turn of the millennium on leaving Europe, Ian and Shari opened Sunsail’s charter base in Vancouver and then in 2007 decided to branch out on their own with the purchase of Nanaimo Yacht Charters & Sailing School, bringing with them a new range of sailboats (Beneteau, Dufour, Catalina and Bavaria yachts). They immediately saw an opportunity to utilize Ian’s training, experience, and skills in boat maintenance on Vancouver Island and started Nanaimo Yacht Services.
At the beginning of 2010, they purchased Stones Boatyard from Stones Marina and have continued to develop the business, expanding the yard space, taking on an inflatable repair shop and opening a very well stocked Marine Store on site in 2016.
Ian is on the board of BoatingBC as Vice President and is an Instructor for CRYA (Canadian Recreational Yachting Association) Yachtmaster Offshore, Yachtmaster Ocean, and a CRYA Instructor Evaluator, as well as an Instructor Evaluator for ISPA (International Sail & Power Academy) and an instructor for IYT (International Yacht Training Worldwide) Yacht Master Ocean
Shari is the General Manager of both Nanaimo Yacht Charters and Stones Boatyard, overseeing the business aspects, finance and development of both companies.
Nick Webster has spent his entire career associated with the sea and boats initially as a naval officer in the Royal Navy and the Sultan of Oman’s Navy. In 1986 he became a senior manager and later a director of Sunsail where he managed and developed yacht charter areas and watersports facilities around the world. He also set-up and ran a shipping operation to transport Sunsail yachts between the Mediterranean and the Caribbean.
Between 1999 and 2005 he was Commercial Director of a UK based boat shipping company, Peters & May, a world leader in this niche global market. At this time Nick used various specialist boat cleaning services to renovate boats stained during shipping and in the summer of 2005 he emigrated from southern England to B.C. to operate his own boat cleaning business, Pro Boat Clean in Western Canada. He joined his old colleagues, Ian and Shari MacPherson, at Nanaimo Yacht Services @ Stones Boatyard in the summer of 2010. He is a Certified Marine Service Manager.
Rob joined us in 2018 to lead our technical team and ensure we deliver service excellence to our customers. Originally trained in Ontario as an auto mechanic, Rob soon decided that the marine world and somewhere warm was for him. After five years as a sourcing agent for marine equipment, Rob worked as an engineer on and around superyachts and cruising yachts for another 12 years, mostly in the Caribbean and the east coast of North America. He holds an MCA Approved Engineering Certificate, and he’s sailed the Atlantic to the Mediterranean as a chief engineer and refitted large yachts in the US, Morocco, England and Spain. Whilst in Antigua he volunteered with Antigua Barbuda Search and Rescue, was a marine salvage diver, and crewed on classic sailing yachts, particularly in the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta. He became a Certified Marine Service Manager in 2019.
On joining us in the Spring of 2019, Michael enrolled in the Marine Mechanical Technician course, and he became fully qualified at the beginning of 2021. He is also a trained welder and fabricator. Michael is an avid fisherman and together with his young family, enjoys spending as much time as possible on the water. Michael and his family now own and live on a boat!
Pavel is a Red Seal Electrician with 15 years experience, who for the past 5 years worked as a marine electrician and chargehand at CME in Port Alberni, building new vessels and repairing others. He also completed the Vancouver Island University Motorcycle Mechanic and Marine Technician Programme, and worked a a motorcycle mechanic for 18 months. Pavel joined Stones Boatyard in April 2022.
Brett is both a Journeyman Red Seal Structural Ironworker and a Journeyman Red Seal Construction & Maintenance Electrician with 20 years experience. He has also worked as a Rigger and Millwright, and is now turning his hand to fixing boats! Brett joined Stones Boatyard in June 2022.
Brock worked for Stones Boatyard from 2013-15 prior to a move to the Yukon. He returned to Vancouver Island and the boatyard in April 2023. He is a certified Marine Mechanical Technician
From Alberta, Mitch worked as a mechanic fabricator, professional driver, and spray foam installer before moving to Nanaimo and Stones Boatyard in 2018. He quickly progressed to become our senior travelift operator and Boatyard Supervisor, and qualified as a Marine Service Technician in 2022. He also owns a boat!
Daniel has been repairing inflatables since 2019, initially under the tutelage of a Master Technician, Richard Corona, and has completed the Zodiac MILPRO training course. He too owns a sailboat and is a keen sailor and kayak enthusiast.
Catherine joined us in February 2020 after several years in retail. She has a marine science background with experience around the Southern Gulf Islands and Northern Vancouver Island. She has always loved working on and around the ocean and excited to be back working in the marine industry.
Once a commercial fisherman, James was for several years a boat captain and scuba instructor in Australia, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Nanaimo. He joined us to open the Marine Store @ Stones Boatyard in 2016.
