John (Jim) Crispin Lavers

John (Jim) Crispin Lavers was born in Millbrook, Cornwall, UK on February 21, 1944. He had a happy childhood spending a lot of his time in nearby Whitsands Bay, building his first sailboat at the age of 16 with his good friend Dave Perrin before heading off to London, then Europe and, at the age of 22, emigrating to BC with friends Peter Northcott and Harry Lang. In his first few years here, Jim spent the summer months working on the cruise ship Prince George between Vancouver and Alaska while in the winters he worked at a ski resort in Sunshine Village in Banff. In the early 1970’s, he decided to pursue a career in mapping and photogrammetry, a career which he enjoyed for over 20 years working first for others and then in partnership with friends in their own company, Nadir Mapping. Sailing, however, was always his passion and throughout all that time, he was rarely without a sailboat of his own. He became an early and active member of the Vancouver Rowing Club, sailing locally and making three long passages, first to Costa Rica and back up the coast to home, then to Mexico and home via Hawaii, and later a solo trip to Alaska and back. In 1990 he began to think more about even longer passages and he bought Berkana, a Valiant 40, with plans to head offshore before too many years had passed. His plans changed only slightly when he met Barbara, who agreed to the stipulation that marriage would have to include an offshore sailing trip together. In 1996, Jim and his partners sold Nadir Mapping and Jim and Barbara were married before heading off on their voyage to Mexico, the Marquesas, Hawaii, and home again the next year.

A new chapter in Jim’s life began in 1997 following his return home. Ever one to pursue new horizons, he started his next career as a professional Santa Claus for Capilano Mall in North Vancouver. Over the years, he became for many children the ‘real’ Santa, staying on at the Mall as their main (often their only) Santa until 2018, enjoying visits with hundreds of children and in some cases with their children. For the rest of the year, he had plenty of time for sailing, and he delighted in sharing his passion for sailing with others as a sailing instructor for all levels of expertise, including advanced and offshore cruising. He spent many weeks every year leading instructional courses cruising inshore and off the west coast of Vancouver Island as well as two trips to Hawaii with different groups of students in each direction. Whenever possible, he and Barbara found time to continue their cruising life together as well.

In 2015, Jim and Barbara left their home near Vancouver to move to the Cowichan Valley to be closer to family and to enjoy a more rural lifestyle, bringing Berkana with them to a new home berth in Maple Bay. By 2020, Jim was ready to close the sailing chapters of his life and Berkana went to a new owner and new horizons. Jim found his own new horizons in the Cowichan Valley, becoming involved with men’s groups including the Mankind Project and the local men’s community. He has also been an active volunteer for over two years with the Cowichan Valley Hospice Society.

Throughout his whole life, Jim felt the tug of the ocean, but the tug of family and community was always stronger, and he wanted to give back to community all that he could. Jim passed away after a brief illness on January 9th, 2024, in Cowichan District Hospital. He is survived by his wife Barbara, his brother Colin and wife Neila, his nieces Ferne and Jeannie, his nephew Bryden, and many other family members in Canada and the UK. With his warmth, his humour, and his big bear hugs for everybody, Jim was greatly loved and he will be greatly missed. Friends and family are coming together to say farewell to Jim with this sailor’s blessing “Go ye now to those harbours where calm seas and fair winds prevail.”