British Columbia
Gulf Islands · Victoria · Desolation Sound
Destinations (6)
Marinas (7)
Anchorages (10)
Articles (5)Destination Guides
Detailed cruising guides for British Columbia
Desolation Sound: BC's Premier Cruising Destination
Canada's largest marine park, 84 km² of fjord and island at the northern end of the Strait of Georgia. Twenty-five named anchorages, surface water temperatures of 24°C in August, no roads, no towns. The week of cruising every PNW sailor measures their cruising life against.
Princess Louisa Inlet Cruising Guide
A four-mile fjord at the head of Jervis Inlet, walled by 6,000-foot granite, with Chatterbox Falls dropping 120 feet straight into the anchorage. Entry is through Malibu Rapids, transitable only at slack water. The destination that, once visited, recurs on the schedule every year for the rest of the visiting cruiser's life.
Victoria, BC Sailing Guide
The capital of British Columbia and the most-visited international sailing destination for Pacific Northwest boats. Victoria's Inner Harbour puts the boat at the foot of the BC Legislature and the Fairmont Empress Hotel after a 17-nm crossing from Port Angeles. Full customs clearance, the most spectacular city arrival in North America, and a compact waterfront with everything in walking distance.
Gulf Islands (BC) Cruising Guide
The Canadian half of the Salish Sea archipelago — Salt Spring, Galiano, Mayne, Saturna, the Penders. Quieter, slower, and arguably more beautiful than the US San Juans, with proper Canadian customs and a different rhythm.
Nanaimo Cruising Guide — BC's Harbour City
The largest city on Vancouver Island's east coast and the working hub for Gulf Islands and Desolation Sound cruising. Full services, fuel, provisions, marine repairs, BC Ferries connection to Vancouver, and Newcastle Island Marine Park sitting directly in the harbour. The midpoint stop on every northbound BC cruise.
Sidney & the Saanich Peninsula Cruising Guide
Seventeen miles north of Victoria and eight miles from the US border at Boundary Pass. Sidney is the working customs port for boats entering Canada from the San Juans, the gateway to the southern Gulf Islands, and a small town that earns the stop on its own. Most cruising boats clearing into Canada from the San Juans clear here.
Marinas
Moorage, fuel and services in British Columbia
Ganges Marina
Ganges, Salt Spring Island, BC
Ganges Harbour is the commercial centre of the Gulf Islands — Salt Spring Island's main town with full provisioning, a chandlery, fuel dock, and the Saturday Farmers Market that draws boats from across the southern Gulf Islands. The harbour anchorage is large and well-protected with both marina berths and anchoring in the outer harbour. For cruising boats moving through the Gulf Islands, Ganges is the obvious provisioning stop and the most complete services in the region.
Van Isle Marina — Sidney
Sidney, BC
Van Isle Marina is the primary full-service facility in Sidney, BC — the gateway marina for American boats clearing Canadian customs at the adjacent Government Wharf. Located at the northern tip of the Saanich Peninsula, 8 nautical miles from Roche Harbor, Washington, and 17 nm from Victoria, the marina serves as the main staging point for Gulf Islands cruising from the south. Full services including haul-out to 60 feet, fuel, chandlery, and pumpout. The CBSA customs phone is at the Government Wharf two blocks away.
Toba Wilderness Marina
Toba Inlet, BC
One of the most remote and spectacular marina stops on the BC coast — a floating dock facility operated by the Klahoose First Nation at the head of Toba Inlet, 30 nm north of Desolation Sound. No roads, no noise, no light pollution. Black bears on the shoreline, bald eagles overhead, spot prawns 100 feet below. Toba Wilderness Marina is the turnaround point for boats that make the extra push north from Prideaux Haven, and it rewards that push completely.
Victoria Harbour Authority — Causeway Docks
Victoria, BC
The Inner Harbour at Victoria, BC is one of the most spectacular urban anchorages on the Pacific Coast — floatplanes landing and departing overhead, the Empress Hotel on the waterfront, and the BC Legislature illuminated at night across the harbour. The Victoria Harbour Authority operates the Causeway docks and Wharf Street docks directly in front of the city centre. For cruising boats, Victoria is a full customs port of entry, a significant provisioning and crew-change stop, and a genuinely world-class destination city that rewards time ashore.
Featured Anchorages
Sheltered places to drop the hook in British Columbia
Montague Harbour Marine Park — Galiano Island
Gulf Islands
Montague Harbour, Galiano Island
Gulf Islands
Prideaux Haven — Desolation Sound
Desolation Sound
Prideaux Haven
Desolation Sound
Latest Articles
Guides, tips and stories from British Columbia
Desolation Sound: Planning the Ultimate PNW Sailing Destination
Desolation Sound Marine Park is the largest marine park in BC and the warmest saltwater swimming north of Mexico. Here's how to get there from Seattle and make the most of two weeks.
Desolation Sound: The Pacific Coast's Best Week-Long Cruise
Desolation Sound Marine Park has the warmest anchorage water north of Mexico, a labyrinth of fjords and islands that takes weeks to explore properly, and no road access. Here's how to plan the trip, time Seymour Narrows, and make the most of the best cruising ground on the Pacific Coast.
Crossing the Border by Boat: San Juan Islands to the Gulf Islands
The Gulf Islands are eight nautical miles from Roche Harbor. Same waters, same weather, different country. The working version of how to clear Canadian customs by boat, what to expect on the other side, and why most American sailors who make the crossing wish they had done it sooner.