Staff 

Myles Miller - Facility Manager - facilitymanager@classicboats.org

Born and raised in the Cowichan Valley, Myles grew up wood working with his father in their home shop and has loved all things wood related ever since. After completing the Camosun fine furniture program in 2020 Myles started his own furniture and cabinetry company which he operates to this day.

 When not at the Centre, an avid sailor and surfer, Myles’ love for the ocean is profound and whenever he has a free moment you will probably find him cruising around the bay on his sailboat (or at least working on it). Myles takes care of the facilities at the center as well as organizing all things related to our wood shop such as courses and overseeing shop time for members.

Myles loves to share his knowledge about all things wood working through teaching and also just brainstorming on your ideas. So, if you have any projects big or small come on down and see him today or email him at facilitymanager@classicboats.org

Sylvia Berryman - Executive Director admin@classicboats.org

AHOY! I took over the position of Executive Director as of August 31, 2021.

My first introduction to boating was as a teenager in the waters of Lake Ontario. I competed with my father in weekly races as part of the Burlington Sailing and Boating Club.  The boat I raced on was the “Lorna” and was a 10’ 10” Mirror class sailing dinghy that my father built from a kit.

I left Ontario to pursue forestry in British Columbia. I graduated from BCIT as a forestry technician and was placed in Duncan on a 9-month term with the Ministry of Forests.  I have lived in the Cowichan Valley ever since.

I have now been a resident of Cowichan Bay for the last 15 years. During my tenure living in Cowichan Bay I have owned one sailboat. The “Qualicum” a 31” Cal, built in 1967.  I sailed out of Cowichan Bay in the local waters between Port Townsend and Desolation Sound for several summers, until I sold the boat. 

I love boating whether it is by kayak, sail boat, yacht or canoe (even ferries!).

I owned and operated my own business, Cascade Strata Management, in the Cowichan Valley for 8 years. After attending over 1000 strata council meetings, I chose to close the doors of my business and pass my clients to my ever faithful employee.

Now its time to work in my neighbourhood. I am grateful to work at this amazing and beautiful facility. The staff, volunteers and members here at the centre are incredibly devoted.

I would like to see the rest of the Cowichan Bay community get more involved in one way or another and take advantage of a boat rides, courses, shop rental, or other events that the Centre has to offer.  If you have any suggestions or would like to come down for a visit please email me at admin@classicboats.org

I will leave you with this quote: "Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats." ― Kenneth Grahame.

Daphne Hachey - Programming Coordinator - cwbs@classicboats.org

Daphne has been working with the Maritime Centre since 2019 on and off since 2019 starting her role as a summer student facilitating children’s programs. A deep love and excitement of the Cowichan Wooden Boat Society kept her involved in different capacities and joining the team as a permanent staff in 2023 overseeing the day-to-day going on’s at the centre; planning events, manning the front desk and more.

Daphne is a VIU graduate with education related to supporting people with diverse she has used this education to work in schools, childcare programs. When she is not at the Maritime Centre, Daphne works a restorative justice liaison schools and in community with Cowichan Restorative Justice.

An ocean lover since birth Daphne grew up spending dawn to dusk on the beach in Campbell River a 5 minute walk from her childhood home and still finds ways to spend any free moment at the ocean, playing and working on her sailboat, practicing yoga, paddleboarding and beach combing.

Get in touch with Daphne with inquiries any general inquiries about the CWBS, Children’s activities, events, facility bookings and volunteering! cwbs@classicboats.org

Tony Owen - Outboard Motor Wizard

Tony and his wife Alma live on their converted fish boat, Lasqueti Fisher, in Cowichan Bay. Tony could not be called an "old salt," but he loves the sea and he loves wooden boats. Tony has gained the reputation as the man with magic fingers. He has engineered a renaissance in The British Seagull by expertly and diligently turning non-running motors into reliable outboards. If you hear a Seagull in Cowichan Bay be assured Tony's magic finger's have worked on it.

Of course Tony doesn't confine his expertise only to Seagulls. He has worked his magic on a variety of small outboards, either as repairs or renovations. The donations he's earned for the Centre result from his work on outboards.

Tony says: "I always had a fascination for boats and the water but that had to wait till retirement from 30 odd years behind a camera shooting commercial photography. Now I find the time to play boats with my dear wife Alma. Any good weather will find us slipped from the moorings and in the Gulf Islands.

Once I became a member of CBMC I wanted to find a volunteer niche. A pile of old non-running outboard motors in the basement of the Maritime Centre could not be ignored. One of my diversions in life had been to help my brother in his auto garage prepare race car engines. Applying my knowledge of race engines to fixing up old 7hp outboards was a good fit and has made money for the Maritime Centre."

For information on Tony's small engine repairs at the Maritime Centre click here.

Tony was awarded the ‘Volunteer of The Year’ award at the Cowichan 2023 Black Tie awards for his incredible volunteer work at the Maritime Centre and in the Cowichan Bay Community

Woody - Shop Cat

Woody is a sailor at heart having lived aboard a boat moored in Cowichan Bay for most of his life. After the passing of his owner Woody took up residence in the basement of the Maritime Centre and adopted us as his family.

You will find Woody outside the shop working with Tony, supervising haul outs on the Ways and providing emotional support to campers, staff and volunteers in need of a smile.

Directors

George Karras - President / Boat Acquisitions

As professional seafarer and Master Mariner, I have a lifetime of experience with boats and ships.  I owned and operated commercial fishing vessels, skippered tugs on the BC coast and was captain of deep sea cargo ships around the world.  In the last 15 years I was fortunate to cap my seagoing career by working for Transport Canada Marine Safety. It was my opportunity to give back to the marine industry that I love by helping mariners advance in their careers and boat builders to comply with the regulations, and by promoting good seamanship, safety and protection of our waters. 

 The one constant in my life has been my love for vessels of all types, their design and seaworthiness, no matter what type or size. I have been an amateur shipwright and have owned my present pleasure boat, the MV Falcon Rock, for 23 years during which I have kept her in good shape.  It is with this passion and knowledge that I hope to help the Cowichan Wooden Boat Society as a Director.

Don Feil - Director, Wharfinger, Health and Safety

I have been a volunteer at the Centre for three and a half years and have taken on the role of Wharfinger looking after our fleet of small boats.

My career in boating began with commercial salmon fishing in Washington and Alaska and living aboard my 40’ wood ketch in the Virgin Islands where I worked as a scuba guide and charter sailing captain.

I captained small expedition cruise ships for Exploration Cruise Lines and Clipper Cruise Lines with itineraries in Alaska, Central and South America, the Caribbean and French Polynesia. In my time off I lived aboard my 51’ sloop in Roche Harbor and cruised the San Juan and Gulf islands.

During the last ten years of my nautical career I skippered a 160’ yacht while cruising the Mediterranean and Black Sea, a transit of the Northwest Passage, diving in the Australian Barrier Reef and Coral Triangle of Southeast Asia, and several trips to South Georgia and Antarctica.

I live in Cowichan Bay with my wife, Hilary, where we enjoy sailing our 27’ sloop and getting to know this special community and the people who live here. I look forward to continue working with the many talented members at the Cowichan Bay Maritime Centre.

Estelle Matheson - Director, Secretary

Estelle has lived in a float home in Cowichan Bay since June 2021.  Born and raised in the Lower Mainland, she’s an avid paddler and would make multiple trips to the island every year to paddle and surf, the island always felt like a home away from home for her.  Moving into a marina felt like the perfect place, where she can now paddle off of her dock, and enjoy the marine life that surrounds her home.

Estelle took up outrigger canoe paddling in 2011 and never looked back, the sport quickly became a focus of her life.  She paddled competitively with the Jericho Paddling Club, both as a solo athlete and as part of a team, she has competed in races throughout BC, Washington state, Oregon, New York, Hawaii, and in 2016 she proudly competed with Team Canada at the World Sprint Championships in Australia.  She now paddles with the Maple Bay Racing Canoe Club.  When not paddling outrigger canoe, she enjoys stand-up paddling, paddle-surfing, hiking, coastal backpacking, and competing in the Highland Games in the Heavy Events competitions.  She loves an adventure, and along with her husband Dan, she plans to participate in the Race to Alaska in 2026, together they are building a cedar strip sailing canoe for this 1200 km race.

Estelle has been a lifelong volunteer, starting in highschool when she founded and managed an Amnesty International club at the age of 15.  While raising her children she was a Scouts Canada leader, and sat on the board of directors for the North Langley Football Association.  More recently she spent 6 years on the board of directors for Tabitha Foundation Canada, an organization with several economic development initiatives in Cambodia.  She’s been on teams of volunteers building more than 50 homes in Cambodia, and did one Habitat for Humanity project building a home in Santiago Chile.  She was on the board of directors for the Jericho Paddling Club for several years, and was the Race Director for the Jericho Wavechaser for 5 years, a weekly paddle race series that ran for 20 weeks every summer out of the Jericho Sailing Centre in Vancouver.

Estelle was a professional pastry chef for almost 20 years, she owned and operated a bakery and café in Langley BC for 10 years.  After selling the bakery she went into sales in the food industry, selling chocolate and other specialty ingredients to chefs and chocolatiers across the country.

Estelle quickly fell in love with the Maritime Centre when she moved to the bay, and is looking forward to working with the members, volunteers, staff, and Woody!

Kai Robinson - Director

One afternoon sail was all it took for Kai to develop what would become a lifelong passion for wooden boats, seamanship, and the teaching of traditional sailing and boat building skills.

Kai has lived on the west coast his entire life and began sailing at the age of 12 in Sooke aboard the 27’ Greg Foster-designed traditional Spanish longboats T’Sou-ke and Doña Rosa. He participated as crew and then coxswain at traditional boat sailing and seamanship competitions in Canada and the US including multiple Pacific Challenge and King’s Cup championships. He took particular pleasure in learning and then teaching the skills needed to maintain, rig, and sail traditional wooden boats. In recognition of his support to the longboat program, his training and support to crews and aspiring coxswains, and his leadership as coxswain at major events and festivals, Kai was awarded an honourary lifetime membership in the Sooke Classical Boating Society in 2011.

Eventually, highschool proved too much of a distraction from Kai’s daydreaming of boats and sailing, so he left to participate in the Sail and Life Training Society’s (SALTS) construction of the 138’ schooner Pacific Grace. Each morning he’d ostensibly complete his correspondence school courses in the shipyard’s office (though actually spent that time secretly reading the office’s complete collection of Woodenboat magazines) and in the afternoons would join the shipwrights in the construction and the maintenance of the society’s vessels. Kai worked for SALTS full-time for 7 years as a volunteer and then contractor, including living aboard the 130’ Grand Banks fishing schooner Robertson II as shipkeeper, and serving as Bosun aboard Pacific Grace and the 111’ square topsail schooner Pacific Swift.

Kai “swallowed the anchor” in 2005 to return to school and earn a Bachelor's of Commerce. He is currently a Director with the Government of BC where he has worked since 2008. 

Though no longer working at sea professionally, Kai continued to maintain his connection to the sea through multiple camp-cruising small boat voyages in the Salish Sea, building multiple skin-on-frame boats including a 13’ sailing peapod, and sailing his 1872-designed Kingston Lobster Boat “Puffin”.

Kai moved to the Cowichan Valley in 2018 and was delighted to find an active and vibrant community at the Cowichan Bay Maritime Centre. He’s looking forward to increasing his involvement and contributing to the amazing community and programming of the Cowichan Wooden Boat Society. 

Chris Lee - Vice-President, Human Resources

Chris Lee - Chris is a retired art teacher, born and raised in Saskatchewan. Being from Saskatchewan, the lake was frozen for six months of the year. Chris is an avid boater so being on Vancouver Island has been a treat with the ability to boat year round. With a long time passion for woodwork, the Cowichan Wooden Boat Society has made for the perfect fit.

Bill Turner - Director, Health and Safety

As a lifelong resident of South Cowichan, Bill's first introduction to all things maritime was at the age of 3. A toy boat with a toy compass kept him entertained for many hours. He was later to learn that his great great uncles were master mariner's from New Brunswick. With an introduction to the sea cadet program Bill learned to sail and later command various wooden hulled vessels of Her Majesty's Canadian Navy.

A course in diesel engine repair led him to work on high speed engines in marine and heavy equipment applications. About this time, he began an equipment rental operation and later a heavy construction contracting company. Aging parents drew Bill to seek employment closer to home where spent several years working at the BC Forest Museum.

Bill has served on the BC Forest Museum safety committee, CVRD Parks Commision Area C, past president of the Malahat Lions, Mill Bay Fire/Rescue trustee and past vice president of the Cobble Hill Farmers

Mike Webb - Secretary/Treasurer

I have a lifelong interest in wooden boats, boatbuilding, and sailing.  I retired in 2021 after 30 years at UVic, where I studied and taught world politics and politics of the global economy. For five of those years, I served as associate dean of Social Sciences.   Early boating experiences included sailing and racing dinghies and Hobie Cats in the 1980s, when I was on the boards of directors of the UBC Sailing Club and the Jericho Sailing Centre in Vancouver.  In the 1990s I restored a wooden Lightning sailboat, which my then-young family enjoyed sailing in the Gulf Islands and Saanich Inlet.  In the 2000s I attended courses at the WoodenBoat School in Maine, developing the skills and confidence needed to build three boats between 2009 and 2020.  The most recent is a 17’ lapstrake runabout designed for me by Paul Gartside, and modeled after classic runabouts from the 1950s and 60s.I joined the Cowichan Wooden Boat Society in March 2023, and have volunteered extensively at the Centre, working mainly on the pier rehabilitation.  The Centre is a unique facility and I am excited to contribute to its continuing development.  With the pier work nearly complete I am excited to be more involved in boat restoration, boat building, and historical interpretation.  In addition to the Centre, I volunteer with the Maritime Museum of BC, currently focusing on scanning its extensive collection of ship plans to make them more accessible to members and the public