Women Centered Training & Coaching
Support - Encouragement - Growth
March 14-15, 2026, Sidney, BC - Women on the Water - WOW! Weekend
Learn from Tracy, Marla, Elizabeth and other expert women at this weekend devoted to skill building and community building with Bluewater Cruising Association. Tickets
March 21, 2026, Sidney BC - Psychology of Voyaging
Presented by Elizabeth Brown Shaw for Bluewater Cruising Association. Tickets
May 7-10, 2026, Sidney, BC - Mother's Day Weekend Flotilla
Add miles to your resume, rest & relax on this cruise through the Gulf Islands. Enjoy fine dining, great conversation and a get-away with friends new and old. Opportunities to gain the following certifications: Intro to Cruising, Competent Crew or Day Skipper.
May 8-16, 2026. Nanaimo, BC - Group Course for Power Boaters
June 21-29, 2026, Nanaimo BC - Group Course for Sail Boaters
Achieve certifications that will help you become a skilleds skipper, a competent crew member or achieve your credentials to bareboat charter. Opportunities to gain the following certifications: Competent Crew/Day Skipper or Bareboat Skipper.
Tracy Sarich
Tracy is the founder and principle of Voyage Makers Coastal Adventures and an advanced instructor known for coaching and training boaters to develop confidence, strong seamanship skills and joy on the water. With nearly 25 years of experience, including offshore deliveries, she strives to create a learning environment that feels elevated, accessible and professional - but never intimidating.
She has worked with hundreds of clients seeking to purchase and become competent on boats of all sizes, power and sail, and become qualified to bareboat charter.
She is a sought-after speaker and active member of the women's recreational boating community in the Pacific Northwest.
Tracy is available for speaking engagements, flotillas, deliveries, coaching and instruction worldwide.
Marla Hedman
Marla is widely recognized as one of the region's most sought-after sail, power and catamaran instructors. She has taught hundreds of students who now sail and power boat on adventures throughout the world.
For more than 20 years, Marla has taught, coached and lead flotillas in B.C., Washington State, Turkey, Corsica, Sardinia, Croatia, British Virgin Islands & the Sea of Cortez. Focusing on creating "conscientious skippers" - her goal is to create a happy & safe mindset for everyone aboard.
Marla is an active member of the women's sailing community, including Women Who Sail, and appears as a frequent speaker and trainer throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Marla is available for speaking engagements, flotillas, deliveries, coaching for teams & new boat owners, & instruction at all levels on sail, power & catamaran.
Elizabeth Brown Shaw
Elizabeth started sailing with her husband Max with RYA while in the UK as a member of the Canadian Armed Forces. After 23 years in the military, they decided it was time to begin an adventure they could share with their two young children. Setting sail from Anacortes, WA to Victoria BC - via the South Pacific - adding a long-awaited third baby to the family along the way. Over the course of their 7-year family adventure - they visited French Polynesia, Fiji, Tonga, the Marshall Islands, and ten other countries, traveling some 36,000 nm together.
As engineers and former cruisers, Elizabeth and Max understand the attention to detail necessary to coach buyers through the selection process, helping to clarify requirements and mitigate risk at each step. With clients in 18 different countries, states, or provinces (and counting) they have a proven track record of helping people get that once in a lifetime boat, at the right price, in the right condition, anywhere in the world.
Today, she and Max focus on helping others turn their sailing dreams into reality. Max is a Certified Professional Yacht Broker and Elizabeth is a popular speaker and seminar leader.
Shirline Wilson
Shirline works closely with our instructor team to ensure that of our programming aligns with best-practice principles of leadership trainings to ensure that our students become confident and competent skippers who bring out the best in their crews.
Shirline leads programs focused on the needs of executives, business owners and others seeking to make long-lasting change within themselves, their businesses and their communities.
Her success in developing strategic thought partnership centers on emotional intelligence research to shape business and policy strategy for corporations and organizations of all sizes.
We welcome inquiries to create a custom program for you and your team at locations throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Shirline is a frequent speaker, conference leader and consultant.