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Gulf Islands ★ Featured Anchorage

Montague Harbour Marine Park — Galiano Island

Holding: Good
Shelter: Excellent
20 mooring buoys
Shore access
Anchorage British Columbia

About This Anchorage

Montague Harbour Marine Park on Galiano Island is the classic first-night Gulf Islands anchorage — the destination most recommended to boats making their first crossing from the San Juan Islands. A large, well-protected bay with a white shell beach, mooring buoys and anchoring, and a BC Parks dock with facilities. The pub at Montague Harbour Marina is within dinghy range. Galiano Island extends 28 km to the north — narrow, forested, with Active Pass on the north tip providing one of the most dramatic passages in the Gulf Islands. Twenty nautical miles from Sidney; 20 nm from Roche Harbor, Washington.

Highlights

  • Classic first-night Gulf Islands anchorage for boats from the San Juans
  • White shell beach — characteristic Gulf Islands geology
  • BC Parks mooring buoys and anchorage
  • Montague Harbour Marina pub within dinghy range
  • Excellent protection in summer northwest winds
  • Galiano Island hiking from the anchorage
  • Active Pass (north tip of Galiano) — dramatic tidal narrows

Cautions & Notes

  • Mooring buoys first-come, first-served — summer weekends fill by afternoon
  • Northwest swell can work in during sustained strong winds
  • Active Pass currents to 8 knots — consult CHS tables before transiting

Location

Montague Harbour Marine Park — Galiano Island

48.8931°N, 123.3903°W