About us

We are Andrew and Janet Gunson, the owners and caretakers of S.V. Maiatla II, our home and vessel that enables us to follow our passions of ocean sailing and world travel. Our home port is in Nanaimo, British Columbia Canada which is located on the very beautiful Vancouver island, in what we jokingly call the “Banana belt” of Canada.

We commenced our sailing adventures as a couple way back in 1981 exploring the wilds of the rugged pacific coast of Canada and the equally beautiful, American Pacific Northwest while raising a family as full time liveaboards and cruisers. We have journeyed tens of thousands miles under sail while gunkholeing and bluewater sailing around the pacific visiting no less than 12 countries and territories.

Some of our adventures have been published in four books, The Voyage of the Maiatla with the Naked Canadian– The Tahiti Syndrome- Hawaiian Style and the two book series, Slow Boat to Panama. Please check them out and if your are interested you can purchase either the hard copies or E-book versions on line. Or you can request that your local library include them in their inventory.

This blog is our latest attempt to share our experiences and adventures with our families, friends and vicarious cruisers. Our latest voyage started back in October of 2012 when we departed Ladysmith Harbour on Vancouver Island bound for Panama vie Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Costa Rica and the Galapagos Islands.

Check out our home page to follow us on this crazy ride.