When financial advisor Julie Catling signed up in 2002 to serve part-time for the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary in West Vancouver, she didn’t realize that it would lead her into a life of piracy at sea.

But in this case, the piracy is part and parcel of a unique charity in which roughly 130 volunteers like Catling help boatloads of little buccaneers — approximately 900 special-needs children — enjoy a special day on the water.

Catling, who works in the Vancouver offices of Toronto-based Macquarie Private Wealth Inc. , started to play the role of pirate six years ago. She was part of a Coast Guard Auxiliary contingent that helped out with Variety the Children’s Charity of B.C.’s annual Boat For Hope event, which gives these children a day aboard yachts decorated as pirate ships flying the Jolly Roger.

And although Catling is no longer with the Coast Guard Auxiliary, the 39-year-old has become a firmly established volunteer with Boat For Hope, which has now grown to include similar annual events in waters surrounding Victoria and on Lake Okanagan near Kelowna, B.C., where yacht clubs in those two locales also assist.

“When I first took part in Boat For Hope through the Coast Guard, I had no idea what it was all about,” Catling says. “But once I participated and saw the sheer joy on the faces of these kids, I was hooked. The ability to make so many small children happy who have such serious handicaps and illnesses is indescribable. But aside from the children, our volunteer work also gives their parents a well-deserved day of rest.”

The pirate part comes when volunteers such as Julie dress up in pirate costumes and play out their roles through activities such as water fights involving the “pirate ships” and yachts crewed by the delighted children and supervising adults.

With the boats and “shipmates” generously provided by the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club, the day’s fun also includes many events on “Treasure Island,” which is actually a property at the Vancouver club’s Jericho facilities.

With the aid of corporate and community partners, Boat For Hope also serves as a significant fundraiser for Variety. Since its founding in British Columbia in 1965, Variety has raised more than $155 million for children in the province; its Boat For Hope event has raised more than $900,000 since its inception in Vancouver about 15 years ago.

“It’s always an amazing day because many of these kids have never been on boats like these before,” Catling says. “It’s often something that their parents could never afford because they have to spend so much time and money just to provide the special care these children need.”

This year’s Boat For Hope event in Victoria runs on June 4; Vancouver’s will be held on June 11; and the Kelowna event is set for June 18. The local yacht clubs raise money to cover the event’s out-of-pocket expenses. This year, Catling plans to help in that regard as well.

Although Boat For Hope is the only charity Catling works with for now, she says, the experience has given her an incentive to branch out. She plans to volunteer for the Special Olympics in the near future.

“Once you do something like this, you really understand and experience its emotional hold on you,” Catling says. “It’s all about each one of us having the ability to give something back.” IE