Words Jamila Douhaibi
Photo Wind Gypsy Photography
Have you ever been in the middle of the ocean on a moonless night? No land in sight and the stars a dazzling dome around you. We live on an island surrounded by marinas and boats, but how many people have made being on the water their life’s work?
Gavin Johnstone, founder of Ocean Performance who was born and raised in North Saanich, says “the ocean is my life.” When he was going to the University of Victoria, Gavin found a job as dock staff for a local yacht company. What started as a part-time summer job ended up as a four-year position. Water had always been a big part of Gavin’s life, but being introduced to the marine industry on the West Coast changed his career path, as he realized that his “real passion and love was for the ocean.”
After spending eight years doing yacht maintenance, Gavin enrolled in the Quadrant Marine Institute in 2016. As someone that was “always taking stuff apart,” the technical courses on electronics, technology and problem solving were perfect for Gavin. The institute is in Sidney’s Canoe Cove and is the only accredited space for recreational marine industry, teaching students the full aspects and impacts of every part of the boat. Gavin did a four-year apprenticeship with them to further his “education, knowledge and community,” and now instructs at the institute
part time as a Certified Marine Service Technician.
Yachts are a niche but huge industry given where we live. Gavin’s passion and desire to be at the helm of a company providing services for the community led him to starting Ocean Performance in July of 2020. Obviously, that was a difficult time for most businesses, but even with some self-doubt and knowing it was a huge risk, Gavin said: “if I don’t do this, I might regret it.” He started out self-employed to see if he could “navigate the waters,” and then transitioned the business into a larger company than he could have imagined.
Ocean Performance, celebrating its five-year anniversary, focuses on “large-scale electrical, electronics and wood projects on yachts.” This includes monitoring and control systems to ensure safe navigation on the ocean, satellite communications and continual power distribution. As he learned at the Quadrant Marine Institute: “everything on a boat is interconnected,” so the company provides all of the crucial services for yachts. They also specialize in alternative energy, including solar panel installation and battery storage solutions. With advanced technology, they do custom woodworking and laser cutting. Gavin admits that it was a “tough five years,” but that the company is beyond what he imagined when he started and that it has “grown into an entity of itself.”
With half a dozen trained and specialized staff in fabrication, design, marine systems and custom woodwork, Gavin has grown his business into the marine industry he envisioned running. The business has customers in the Caribbean and Canary Islands, which enables Gavin to travel to waterways around the world.
Outside of work, he surfs, shares a boat with his father, has raced in the Caribbean and has circumnavigated Vancouver Island several times. He says that it “doesn’t matter how many times I’ve seen a whale, it’s always a magical experience,” and he’s so grateful to be in such a unique industry that keeps him on the water in and out of work. And being out to sea with no land around? Gavin says that it’s “really hard to describe the sensation of the middle of the ocean.” We live on the ocean … if we’re able to, maybe we need to spend more time on the water.
www.oceanperformance.ca
