Contact

You can contact me, Robert Ouimet, by email skipper@madsumarine.com

I do transmit on AIS when underway. Find Madsu on this page, or search for Madsu on an AIS app like VesselFinder or Marine Traffic to see where I am.
Shipboard MMSI is 316 012 804.

About SV Madsu

Madsu is a Catalina 22, swing keel, Hull # 8253. I purchased her in May of 2007 and set about making her a proper pocket cruiser for exploring the South Coast of British Columbia and the Gulf Islands.

She is based at Thunderbird Marina in Fisherman’s Cove, West Vancouver.
N  49 21.451   W 123 16.252

You can also find Madsu on Flickr.

In the last few years I’ve switched to electric auxiliary propulsion for both the boat and dinghy. I charge both engines and the house batteries with solar panels. When I have to motor, at least it’s quiet.

Madsu is named after my sister Madeleine and my friend Susan. Both of them loved sailing, and both of them died of cancer much too soon in their lives.  I think of them every time I take Madsu out.

Skipper

Born on the prairie, I fell in love with salt water sailing after taking a keel boat Cruise and Learn course in Vancouver.  I had an exceptional instructor, Byron Caine, who taught us how to sail, but more importantly, how to be a sailor.

I went back to Manitoba and sailed a Laser 1 on my local lake and put together groups of friends to charter on the west coast.  After moving to Vancouver in 1987, I certified as a CYA Learn to Cruise Instructor and taught for Cooper-Blue Orca sailing on Granville Island.

I enjoyed that work, taking novices out on lovely 30 foot keel boats and watching them ‘get it’ over the course of a few weeks.  By far the best experiences came when sailing with the Morse brothers aboard their 51 foot Spencer Feel Free.  I can’t even begin to thank them for all the incredible times we had, my love of night sailing, and particularly full moon overnighters, is all their fault.  “Humour, heavy at times”.

More recently I’ve worked as a Zodiac skipper giving tours of Vancouver from the water, and as yacht broker. I have Transport Canada certifications: SVOP,SDV-BS,MBFA,ROC(M)