I chartered out of Anacortes for years before I started routinely crossing the border into the Gulf Islands. The trip up through the San Juans on a Saturday and then across Haro Strait for a CBSA clearance at Sidney by Sunday afternoon was the standard rhythm. By Tuesday we were at Montague Harbour on the south end of Galiano, two-deep at the mooring buoys, and the cellphone signal was gone. The Gulf Islands are what the San Juans were forty years ago — quieter, less developed, with a culture that prizes its quiet.
This is the working guide to crossing the border by boat. The customs process is short and the rewards are large. The currents in Active Pass are the main hazard. The rest is detail.
Crossing into Canada
CBSA — the Canada Border Services Agency — manages the entry of foreign vessels into Canadian waters. Two methods exist for recreational boaters.
CANPASS phone-in (1-888-226-7277). The standard method. Call before or immediately after crossing the border. Provide vessel name, citizenship of all aboard, intended destination, length of stay, and any items being declared. CBSA issues a clearance number; write it in the log. All persons aboard must be eligible — CANPASS requires that no crew member is currently inadmissible to Canada. The call takes 15–20 minutes. The boat is cleared.
In-person at a customs dock. Sidney (north end of the Saanich Peninsula) and Bedwell Harbour (south end of South Pender) are the standard ports of entry near the Gulf Islands. Tie up at the customs dock, present passports and vessel documentation, complete the same declaration, receive the clearance number. The in-person process takes 30–60 minutes including dock time.
Both methods are functionally equivalent. The choice is convenience. For boats arriving from Anacortes via Haro Strait, Sidney is straight across and a useful first stop in any case. For boats arriving from the south through Boundary Pass, Bedwell Harbour is closer.
The rule that catches inattentive cruisers: failure to report before going ashore is a federal offence under the Customs Act. The fine is significant. The clearance number must be in hand before crew steps onto Canadian soil — including a quiet beach or rocky shore, not only a marina.
The main islands
Salt Spring Island. The largest, most-populated, most-visited Gulf Island. Ganges is the main harbour and the cultural centre — the Salt Spring Saturday Market draws visitors from across BC for artisan food, crafts, and produce. Ganges Harbour anchors well in the inner basin; the marina (Ganges Harbour Marina, Salt Spring Marina) takes transients. The island has 10,000 permanent residents, a working farm economy, and a thriving arts community. It feels alive in a way that the smaller Gulf Islands do not.
South Pender Island. Bedwell Harbour at the south end is the customs port and a beautiful anchorage in its own right. Poets Cove Resort & Marina has a spa and a restaurant overlooking the harbour. Magic Lake at the centre of the island is reachable by bike or rental car. The Pender Islands have a quieter character than Salt Spring.
Galiano Island. A long, narrow island running parallel to the Strait of Georgia. Montague Harbour Provincial Marine Park, on the west side, is the standout — a lagoon-like harbour with white shell beaches, BC Parks mooring buoys at $13/night, and trails through arbutus forest to the long beach at the north end. The pub at Montague is a kilometre’s walk up the road and is reliably good.
Mayne Island. Quieter and less-visited than Salt Spring or Galiano. The eastern shore faces Active Pass — see Active Pass below; do not anchor in the pass itself. Miners Bay on the west side has a small marina and a few mooring options. The island is largely residential; weekends bring more boats.
Saturna Island. The least-visited of the accessible Gulf Islands. East Point at the eastern tip is a spectacular tidal rip with the best wildlife concentration in the southern Gulf Islands — orcas in summer, harbour porpoise year-round, eagles always. Saturna’s small community is fiercely independent.
The Penders. North and South Pender are connected by a bridge and feel like one island in two halves. North Pender has Otter Bay marina and a small commercial centre at Hope Bay. The Penders are the bicycle-and-walking islands; pace is slow.
The flagship anchorages
Montague Harbour, Galiano Island. A BC Provincial Marine Park with twenty mooring buoys, anchorage room beyond, camping ashore, and the trail loop through the arbutus forest. One of the best overnight stops in the Salish Sea. In peak summer the buoys fill by mid-afternoon; arrive early or anchor in the bay.
Ganges Harbour, Salt Spring Island. Anchor in the harbour off the town or take a slip at the marina. Excellent services ashore, the Saturday market in season, restaurants, marine chandlery. Ganges is the social hub of the southern Gulf Islands.
Bedwell Harbour, South Pender. The customs anchorage. Calm, scenic, full marina services at Poets Cove. Convenient as a first or last stop in BC for boats coming or going via the southern route.
Wallace Island Provincial Marine Park. A 1.5-mile-long undeveloped island between Salt Spring and Galiano. Three mooring buoys and free anchorage. Hiking trails along the spine of the island. Quiet even in peak season because the buoys are limited and most boats prefer the larger anchorages. An experienced-cruiser favourite.
Tent Island and Thetis Island. The Thetis Island area, north of Salt Spring, has Telegraph Harbour and Clam Bay — both small, sheltered, with docks and a pub. Less spectacular than Montague but quieter still.
Conover Cove (Wallace Island). The principal anchorage on Wallace. Secure in most conditions; small, three or four boats and it feels full.
Active Pass
Active Pass is the 3-mile channel between Mayne and Galiano Islands and the route BC Ferries take between Tsawwassen (mainland) and the southern Gulf Islands. It is also subject to 5–8 knot tidal currents and, on the wrong combination of wind and current, produces uncomfortable to dangerous chop.
The rules:
- BC Ferries have right-of-way in Active Pass. This is enforced. Stay out of the way.
- Time the transit at slack water. The slack window is short — about 15 minutes — but transitable in any direction during it. Outside the window, the current is at peak, and the ferry traffic is at peak (BC Ferries runs the route hourly in summer).
- Stay close to the preferred channel sides. Vessels going west use the south side; vessels going east use the north. The middle of the pass is the ferry track.
- Watch for ferry wake. It is significant.
Many Gulf Islands cruisers avoid Active Pass entirely and route via Porlier Pass at the south end of Galiano (currents to 8 knots, but lower ferry traffic) or via Boundary Pass at the north end (longer but no current restriction). Know which routes work for your schedule.
Weather
The Gulf Islands sit in the partial rain shadow created by the Vancouver Island mountains. They receive less rain than Vancouver and have reliably calmer conditions than the exposed Strait of Georgia to the north. Summer conditions are typically good.
Fog. More common than in the US San Juans, particularly in mornings in July and August. Carry radar or a chartplotter with radar overlay capability.
Wind. Northwesterly afternoon winds are typical in summer — 10–15 knots, refreshing rather than rough. The Strait of Juan de Fuca can funnel stronger winds into the southern Gulf Islands. Check both the Inner Waters forecast and the Juan de Fuca Strait forecast (Environment Canada).
Strait of Georgia crossings to or from Desolation Sound require attention. The Strait builds a steep 4-foot chop on a 20-knot northwesterly afternoon — typical summer conditions. Cross in the morning if possible.
Provisions and services
Sidney, BC. The best provisioning stop in the Gulf Islands. Walkable town with grocery stores (Save-On-Foods, Safeway), marine chandlery (Trotac), restaurants, and a well-equipped marina. Customs clearance available at the Sidney government dock. The first stop after CBSA clearance for many cruisers is just to walk into town.
Ganges, Salt Spring Island. Excellent food, the Saturday market in season, well-supplied grocery store (Country Grocer), and a chandlery. Slightly less complete than Sidney but more cultural texture.
Fuel. Available at Sidney, Bedwell Harbour, Ganges, and Montague Harbour (seasonal). Plan fuel before crossing the Strait of Georgia — the fuel dock at Pender Harbour on the BC mainland is the next reliable stop heading north.
A working week
A 7-day Gulf Islands loop from Anacortes:
Day 1: Anacortes → Roche Harbor (US side) for an early start and provisioning. Day 2: Roche Harbor → Haro Strait crossing → Sidney for CBSA clearance and dinner ashore. Day 3: Sidney → Bedwell Harbour or directly to Montague Harbour, Galiano (timing Active Pass at slack). Day 4: Montague Harbour → Wallace Island. Day 5: Wallace Island → Ganges, Salt Spring (Saturday market if timed right). Day 6: Ganges → Bedwell Harbour for the southbound clearance. Day 7: Bedwell → Roche Harbor (US Customs via CBP ROAM) → Anacortes.
Total: roughly 90 nm. The Active Pass slack timing on Day 3 is the only navigational pinch point. The week feels generous.
Closing notes
The Gulf Islands are what the San Juans were before everyone discovered them. The cultural texture in Ganges, the quiet anchorages at Wallace and Tent, the white-shell beach at Montague — these reward the weekday cruiser more than the weekend tourist. The CBSA process adds a step that filters out the casual visitor and rewards the patient one.
Cross the border. Time Active Pass. Sit on the porch at the pub at Montague at sunset. The Gulf Islands are quieter than the San Juans on the same calendar day, and there is no replacing that quiet.
Related: San Juan Islands Cruising Guide · Desolation Sound Cruising Guide · Princess Louisa Inlet · Tides and Currents in the PNW