MMBC Presents: 2026 Classic Boat Festival Honorary Commodore Don Prittie

Growing up in the Horseshoe Bay area of West Vancouver Don was a free-range kid, spending as much time as possible at one of the many small marinas in the area, reachable by bicycle. At age eight, Don bought his first boat. By age fourteen he was working at Sewell’s Marina, renting boats and pumping gas to fisherman and cottagers in Howe Sound.

Family time was usually spent on the water on one of the many boats his father had built or re-built. Howe Sound, Secret Cove, Pender Harbour, Nelson Island and Princess Louisa Inlet being some of their favourite coastal stops. A 1963 voyage to Princess Louisa on their converted fishboat was one of the most significant encounters of his young life! A visit with James MacDonald at Chatterbox Falls and a tour of the Malibu Club to the entrance, and Don was hooked on the spectacular beauty and charm of the inlet.

After high school, Don joined the family business, a Nissan Dealership in Langley BC but his heart wasn’t in it and on a very teary day, he told his father he didn’t want to take the business over and that he wanted to work in the marine industry.

The net result of this discussion was that Don left the car business to be the Manager of the Malibu Princess, the passenger ship that has taken kids to Malibu for over 60 years. It was during this time that Don and Janice met, married, and moved to Victoria the first time. Don accepted a position with the Oak Bay Marine Group, first managing the killer whale show at Sealand of the Pacific, and later the MV Marabell in Hakai Pass and the Canadian Princess in Ucluelet. After four very busy years in Oak Bay Marine’s head offices, Don got the call from the Director of Properties for Young Life and offered the position of General Manager of the Malibu Club operations, which required a move back to Vancouver. After thirteen years leading the team at Malibu, Don went back to the Oak Bay Marine Group, to take on the reconstruction and General Management of April Point Resort on Quadra Island. After two years at April Point, Don accepted the position of Executive Director of S.A.L.T.S., which he did for a very short time before Bob Wright of the Oak Bay Marine Group came calling, looking for a Senior Vice President, to oversee all of his operations in Canada, the USA, and the Bahamas. Seeking more work-life balance, after five years of growth at OBMG, Don accepted the position of General Manager, Canoe Cove Marine & Boatyard, where he worked out his final twenty years before retiring in 2023. Don & Janice live in Victoria and have three adult children.

Over the years, Don has held board positions in many industry associations, A partial list below: