Nanaimo Power and Sail Squadron was conceived in 1956 when a few boaters, mostly Nanaimo Yacht Club members, enquired about boating courses offered in Vancouver by an organization named the Canadian Power Squadron. With the help of Vancouver Power Squadron members, a class was organized in Nanaimo for that winter, with local Master Mariner Captain "Bert" Davis as the first instructor. With 15 people passing the exam in the spring of 1957, the possibility of forming a Power Squadron in Nanaimo was examined. After a successful application, the official launch took place April 12, 1957, with Nanaimo becoming the first Power Squadron on Vancouver Island and the third in B.C. By 1959, Nanaimo Squadron membership had grown to 35 and four new Power Squadrons had been established on Vancouver Island. By the end of 1960, Nanaimo Power and Sail Squadron membership reached 70 and that year the Squadron set up the markers for a measured mile in Northumberland Channel. The next year, Nanaimo Squadron's The Lubber Line newsletter was started by Howard Tyrrell. By 1967, membership was 101. In 1975, the Nanaimo Squadron burgee was adopted as designed by Eric and Loralee Chamberlain. It is a depiction of the manned (1923-1986) Gallows Point Lighthouse on a blue background with a red stripe representing the bright red wooden walkway between the lighthouse and shore that existed at that time. In the intervening years, hundreds of boaters have received boating education and training in Nanaimo Power and Sail Squadron classes, with many joining the squadron, resulting in a membership today of more than 500 members.