Princess Y8083'8"
View Specs & ReviewSidney is the berth. The Gulf Islands are the itinerary.
Yachting in Sidney & the Gulf Islands
A Minted Location · Sidney & the Gulf Islands, British Columbia
Sidney is where you keep the boat, and the Gulf Islands are where you take it. Those are two different propositions and the numbers make the split obvious.
In Sidney, operators publish real capability. Van Isle Marina states "boats up to 200 feet plus" across 500 open and covered berths, sells diesel and premium gasoline, runs seven days a week all year, and is a Canada Customs port of entry. Philbrook's publishes two marine ways taking 150 tons or 130 feet. Canoe Cove runs a 75-ton travelift to 80 feet and 21 feet of beam, and holds 380 berths including 140 boathouses. Four Canada Customs clearance points sit within a short run of the town — Van Isle, Canoe Cove, Port Sidney and Bedwell Harbour at Poets Cove.
In the islands, length is settled on the telephone. Ganges Marina, Salt Spring Marina, Poets Cove, Montague Harbour, Otter Bay and the Salt Spring Harbour Authority all take your dimensions when you reserve rather than working off a posted maximum, so give them length and beam on the call. The hard island figures come from government, and they are small: BC Parks caps the Montague Harbour dock at 36 feet, and Parks Canada's mooring buoy guideline is 50 feet under 30 knots of wind and 40 feet above it.
That is the shape of the cruising ground. Beyond Sidney this is a moor-and-anchor cruise, not a berth-hopping one — and a buyer who understands that before they buy is a buyer who chooses the right boat.
Where to keep a yacht in Sidney & the Gulf Islands
Van Isle Marina is the market's anchor facility. It publishes moorage for "boats up to 200 feet plus" across 500 open and covered berths, sells diesel, premium-grade gasoline and holding-tank pump-out, and is open seven days a week, all year. Guest moorage is $2.75 per foot per night, rising to $4.00 per foot at 75 feet and over. It is a Canada Customs port of entry — the instruction on its own site is simply "Please call 1 888 CANPASS."
Port Sidney Marina holds 320 berths on the Sidney waterfront with a Canada Customs clearance dock. Guest moorage runs $2.45 per foot per night 1 April to 30 September and $1.80 per foot 1 October to 31 March, check-in 13:00, out 11:00. On length it gives 138 feet on its home page, with the largest slip in the rate table at 80 feet — plan against 80 feet and confirm anything longer with the office before you sail.
Canoe Cove Marina & Boatyard is the third clearance point and the second real yard — 380 berths including 140 boathouses, with moorage published "up to 65ft/20m." Its haul-out is a 75-ton travelift rated to 80 feet, 21 feet of beam and 165,000 lb. Its own words on visitors: "Moorage is largely permanent, but we love to host visitors when space is available… call ahead to reserve visitor moorage."
Philbrook's Boatyard on Harbour Road publishes the largest capability in the market — "two marine ways accommodating vessels up to 150 tons or 130 feet." It is a refit and repair yard, not moorage.
Westport Marina takes to 100 feet on an annual basis only, and says so plainly: "We are currently not offering monthly moorage, all slips are sold on an annual basis." No transient at all.
Then you leave Sidney, and a berth becomes a phone call rather than a rate card.
Ganges Marina sells diesel and premium gasoline and will arrange up to 20,000 litres. Its arrival policy is in capitals on its own site: "YOU MUST MAKE A RESERVATION BEFORE ARRIVAL. THE GATE IS LOCKED 24/7." Minimum $1M insurance, and give them your length when you book. The fuel dock runs 10:00–16:00 daily in summer and Thursday to Sunday in winter.
Salt Spring Marina takes reservations and tops its rate card at "Vessels 100ft+" at $2.55 per foot — a length signal rather than a limit, so tell them your dimensions on the call. Fuel in Ganges Harbour comes from the Ganges Marina dock. Salt Spring does publish the dinghy terms for the pub it hosts: free on the shoreside of E dock for customers, and anything larger than a dinghy needs permission at $1.10 per foot.
The Harbour Authority of Salt Spring Island runs the Centennial, Kanaka and Breakwater floats at Ganges. Kanaka is "primarily for daily transient vessels during 1 May – 30 Sep"; Centennial takes "no transient tourist traffic… without prior approval." Rates distinguish an "Over 65 feet" band at $2.25 per foot per day.
Poets Cove at Bedwell Harbour is the fourth customs point — "an official point of entry for boaters from the USA", staffed 1 May to 30 September, with a Nexus pass required October to May. Moorage $2.50 per foot May–September, $2.00 October–April, 15 and 30 amp. Fuel runs June to September — confirm it with the marina before you count on it outside those months.
Montague Harbour Marina sells zero-ethanol gas and diesel from a dock open 09:00–18:00 and is open 1 May to 30 September. Rates and length are agreed when you reserve.
Otter Bay Marina on North Pender publishes transient moorage at $2.30 per foot per night, 1 May to 30 September. No fuel here — on Pender the pumps are at Poets Cove in Bedwell Harbour, June to September. Pools open 16 May to 30 September; store and café close in winter.
Sidney North Saanich Yacht Club offers a 260-foot reciprocal dock in Tsehum Harbour — members of reciprocal clubs only, first-come first-served, limited to three nights in any 30-day period, no reservations accepted, and $2 million liability insurance required. Its clearance dock is adjacent to the Van Isle fuel dock.
Marinas
| Name | Where | Max yacht | Slips | Fuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Van Isle MarinaPublishes moorage for "boats up to 200 feet plus" across 500 open and covered berths, open seven days a week all year. A Canada Customs port of entry — its own instruction is "Please call 1 888 CANPASS." The fuel dock is the one in Tsehum Harbour, and the yacht club clearance dock sits alongside it. | Tsehum Harbour, Sidney | 200 ft | 500 | Diesel, premium-grade gasoline, holding-tank pump-out |
| Port Sidney MarinaHas a Canada Customs clearance dock on the Sidney waterfront. On length the home page gives 138 ft while the largest slip in the rate table is 80 ft — plan against 80 ft and confirm anything longer with the office. Runs Seaside Talks & Training on Wednesday nights. | 9835 Seaport Place, Sidney waterfront | — | 320 | None on site — fuel at Van Isle Marina, Tsehum Harbour |
| Canoe Cove Marina & Boatyard380 berths including 140 boathouses, with moorage published up to 65 ft / 20 m. A Canada Customs clearance point, with two restaurants on site. | Canoe Cove, North Saanich | 65 ft | 380 | — |
| Westport MarinaThe top rate bracket is 58 to 100 ft at $34,560 a year. Its own words: "We are currently not offering monthly moorage, all slips are sold on an annual basis." A homeport option rather than a visitor one. | Tryon Road, Sidney | 100 ft | — | — |
| Ganges MarinaLength is agreed when you reserve, and the gate policy means you reserve anyway. Fuel dock 10:00–16:00 daily in summer and Thursday to Sunday in winter — the seasonal contraction that shapes a whole island cruise. | Ganges, Salt Spring Island | — | — | Diesel and premium-grade gasoline; "up to 20000 litres can be arranged" |
| Salt Spring MarinaThe top rate bracket is simply "Vessels 100ft+" at $2.55 per foot, so give them your length and beam when you reserve. Publishes the dinghy-dock terms for the pub it hosts — free on the shoreside of E dock for customers, and anything larger than a dinghy needs permission at $1.10 per foot day rate. | Ganges Harbour, Salt Spring Island | — | — | None on site — fuel in Ganges Harbour is the Ganges Marina dock |
| Harbour Authority of Salt Spring IslandThe public wharf system at Ganges — the Centennial, Kanaka and Breakwater floats. Rates run up to an "Over 65 feet" band at $2.25 per foot per day, which is the size signal to work from; give the wharfinger your length when you call. | Centennial, Kanaka and Breakwater floats, Ganges | — | — | — |
| Poets Cove Resort & Spa Marina"Bedwell Harbour is an official point of entry for boaters from the USA." Canada Customs on site 1 May to 30 September; American guests require a Nexus pass October to May. Three places to eat once you are tied up. | Bedwell Harbour, South Pender Island | — | — | "Gas, diesel" from June to September — confirm outside that window |
| Montague Harbour MarinaThe fuel stop in Montague Harbour, and the marina alternative to the provincial park dock across the bay. Rates and maximum length are agreed when you reserve. | Galiano Island | — | — | Zero-ethanol gas and diesel; dock 09:00–18:00 |
| Otter Bay MarinaThe long-term rate card tops out at a 40 to 60 ft bracket, so give them your length when you book. Pools open 16 May to 30 September; store and café closed in winter. | North Pender Island, 48°48.98′N 123°18.58′W | — | — | None — on Pender the pumps are at Poets Cove, Bedwell Harbour, June to September |
Yacht clubs
| Name | Where | Max yacht | Slips | Fuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sidney North Saanich Yacht ClubA 260-foot reciprocal dock in Tsehum Harbour. $2 million liability insurance required. No fuel on site — the club states its clearance dock is adjacent to the Van Isle Marina fuel dock. | Tsehum Harbour, 48°40.3′N 123°24.3′W | — | — | — |
Figures are as each facility publishes them on its own site; blank cells mean the facility doesn't state a number. Confirm slip availability and current rates directly — or ask us to make the calls.
Cruising from Sidney & the Gulf Islands
Everyone talks about Active Pass. The strongest gate in this cruising ground is Porlier.
The Canadian Hydrographic Service, Canadian Tide and Current Tables Volume 5, Table 4, Reference Current Stations:
| Gate | CHS index | Station | Max flood | Max ebb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active Pass | 3000 | 07527 | 8.0 kn | 8.0 kn |
| Porlier Pass | 3100 | 07438 | 10.0 kn | 7.0 kn |
| Gabriola Passage | 3300 | 07545 | 8.5 kn | 9.0 kn |
Porlier at 10 knots of flood is a quarter stronger than Active Pass. Porlier also carries two CHS station numbers — 07437 is the tide station and secondary port, 07438 is the current station — so check you have the current table in front of you when you plan the transit.
⚠️ Run these gates near slack, and never with the wind against the stream. CHS: "Where strong currents are present with a strong wind opposing the current flow, extremely large, steep waves may be generated that can be particularly dangerous to small craft." Two more lines from the same source decide when you actually go: "The mariner should be aware that slack water and high or low tide are not necessarily coincident", and "Currents are particularly sensitive to the effects of the wind. The times of slack water can be advanced or retarded considerably by strong winds."
Related secondary stations worth having: Georgeson Passage (3010, 50% flood / 55% ebb of Active Pass), Boat Passage (3012, 100% of Active Pass on both), Boundary Passage (1260), Swanson Channel (1240), Trincomali Channel (1275).
Active Pass is also the ferry route, and the Capital Regional District records what that does at the Miners Bay floats on Mayne Island: BC Ferries transits make them "roll extensively, especially during lower tides or northerly winds." Double up and allow for the wash if you tie up there.
Tidal range grows as you go north, which changes how you plan the same passage at either end of it. CHS Volume 5, Tables 1–3:
| Station | CHS no. | Mean tide | Large tide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Victoria | 07120 | 5.9 ft | 10.5 ft |
| Sidney | 07260 | 7.5 ft | 12.1 ft |
| Fulford Harbour | 07330 | 7.9 ft | 12.1 ft |
| Ganges Harbour | 07407 | 7.9 ft | 12.5 ft |
| Montague Harbour | 07420 | 8.2 ft | 12.5 ft |
| Porlier Pass | 07437 | 9.2 ft | 14.1 ft |
| Nanaimo | 07917 | 10.8 ft | 16.4 ft |
Victoria 10.5 feet, Sidney 12.1, Nanaimo 16.4 — a 56 percent increase over about 37 nautical miles. Fulford's recorded extremes are a 14.4 ft highest high and a −1.6 ft lowest low.
Clearing in has four options here: Van Isle Marina (port of entry, 1 888 CANPASS), Canoe Cove, Port Sidney's Canada Customs clearance dock, and Bedwell Harbour at Poets Cove — the last staffed 1 May to 30 September, with a Nexus pass required for the rest of the year.
Parks Canada's terms in the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve are the operative rules for the anchoring half of this cruise. Sidney Spit has the only overnight dock in the entire park reserve — $1.50 per foot per night after 15:00, plus 11 buoys at $24.00 per night. Buoy guidance is 50 feet under 30 knots of wind and 40 feet at 30 to 37 knots. One vessel per buoy, rafting prohibited, private buoys prohibited, quiet hours 22:00–08:00. Parks Canada charges no entrance fee to the reserve. The other buoy fields are Beaumont on Pender (12 buoys), Reef Harbour at Cabbage Island (10) and D'Arcy Island, which carries buoy fees too. Free day-use dinghy docks at Winter Cove, Roesland, Russell Island, Royal Cove, Princess Bay and Sidney Spit.
The docks at Sidney Spit and Princess Bay are removed 1 October to 14 May. Outside those dates it is buoys and the tender.
At Montague Harbour Marine Provincial Park, BC Parks publishes a hard limit — "maximum vessel length for the dock is 11 metres (36 feet)" — with 35 buoys and no fuel. Buoy fee and season come from BC Parks, so confirm both before you plan a night there. There is a permanent shellfish closure along the south shoreline adjacent to the wharf.
On distances, these are straight lines from Sidney, good for scale rather than for routing: roughly 8.9 nm to Bedwell Harbour, 12.6 to Ganges, 13.6 to Active Pass, 14.1 to Victoria, 16.4 to Friday Harbor, 23.2 to Porlier Pass and 37.5 to Nanaimo. Lay the real route on the chart and add the passes.
- Sidney Spit (Gulf Islands National Park Reserve) — Sidney Island"Sidney Spit has the only overnight dock available in the park reserve." Eleven mooring buoys plus that dock. Parks Canada’s buoy guideline is 50 ft under 30 knots of wind and 40 ft at 30 to 37 knots. One vessel per buoy, rafting prohibited, quiet hours 22:00–08:00, and no park entrance fee. The docks at Sidney Spit and Princess Bay are removed 1 October to 14 May — outside those dates it is buoys and the tender.
- Montague Harbour Marine Provincial Park — Galiano IslandBC Parks publishes the hardest number in the islands, and it is small: "Maximum vessel length for the dock is 11 metres (36 feet)." Thirty-five mooring buoys. There is a permanent shellfish closure along the south shoreline adjacent to the wharf.
- Beaumont, Reef Harbour and the park dinghy docks — Pender, Cabbage, Saturna, Portland and Russell IslandsBeaumont on Pender has 12 buoys and Reef Harbour at Cabbage Island has 10; D’Arcy Island carries buoy fees too. Free day-use dinghy docks at Winter Cove, Roesland, Russell Island, Royal Cove, Princess Bay and Sidney Spit.
Service, refit & supplies
Shipyards & refit
| Name | Where | Max yacht | Dockage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philbrook's Boatyard"Two marine ways accommodating vessels up to 150 tons or 130 feet" — the largest haul-out capability in the market, and the reason a serious boat homeports in Sidney. A refit and repair yard, not moorage. | Harbour Road, Tsehum Harbour | 130 ft | — |
| Canoe Cove Boatyard — haul-outA Travelift 75 BFMII rated to 80 feet length, 21 feet of beam and 165,000 lb. Above that, Philbrook’s marine ways take 150 tons or 130 feet. | Canoe Cove, North Saanich | 80 ft | — |
Chandleries & specialty suppliers
- Westport Marine — Tryon Road, SidneyService and chandlery alongside the annual-only moorage, and the yard side is open to boats that berth elsewhere.
On the Sidney & the Gulf Islands calendar
The season here splits cleanly in two.
The islands run about five months — 1 May to 30 September. Montague Harbour Marina is "Open May 1 – Sept. 30." Otter Bay's transient season is 1 May to 30 September, with the store and café closed in winter. Ganges runs a summer/winter split with reduced winter fuel hours. Poets Cove's high season is May to September, and its customs office is staffed only 1 May to 30 September. Parks Canada removes its docks 1 October to 14 May. Salt Spring Harbour Authority takes transients "primarily 1 May – 30 Sep."
Sidney runs all year. Van Isle Marina is open "7 days a week, all year."
Dated events, from the organiser's own pages:
- Sidney Street Market — Thursday evenings, 4 June to 10 September 2026
- Sidney Days — 30 June 2026, 19:30 at Beacon Park, fireworks at 22:15 off the Sidney waterfront
- Canada Day, Sidney — 1 July 2026. Parade at 11:30; the Boat Challenge runs 12:00–17:00, with boats launching from Glass Beach at 16:45, tide permitting
- Swiftsure International Yacht Race — the 81st edition ran in May 2026, and the 82nd is scheduled for 2027, out of the Royal Victoria Yacht Club
- Seaside Talks & Training at Port Sidney — Wednesday nights; dates from the marina office
Port Sidney also runs an annual fishing derby — ask the marina for this year's date when you book.
Yachts we'd shortlist for Sidney & the Gulf Islands
Reviewed the same way as everything on this site — specifications verified against the builder's own numbers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the strongest tidal pass in the Gulf Islands?
Porlier Pass, not Active Pass. The Canadian Hydrographic Service publishes Porlier at 10.0 knots maximum flood and 7.0 ebb, against Active Pass at 8.0 knots both ways and Gabriola Passage at 8.5 flood and 9.0 ebb. Porlier's flood is a quarter stronger than Active Pass, which is the one everybody talks about. Porlier carries two CHS station numbers — 07437 is the tide station and 07438 is the current station — so check you have the current table in front of you. Run any of these gates near slack: CHS warns that a strong wind opposing the current flow can generate extremely large, steep waves that are particularly dangerous to small craft.
What is the largest yacht that can berth in Sidney and the Gulf Islands?
In Sidney, Van Isle Marina publishes moorage for boats up to 200 feet plus across 500 berths, and Westport takes to 100 feet on an annual basis. In the Gulf Islands themselves, length is agreed when you reserve — Ganges Marina, Salt Spring Marina, Poets Cove, Montague Harbour, Otter Bay and the Salt Spring Harbour Authority all take your dimensions on the call, so give them length and beam. The hard island figures come from government and they are small: BC Parks caps the Montague Harbour dock at 36 feet, and Parks Canada's mooring buoy guideline is 50 feet under 30 knots of wind.
Can a yacht be hauled out near Sidney?
Yes, and this is where the market's real capability sits. Philbrook's Boatyard on Harbour Road publishes two marine ways accommodating vessels up to 150 tons or 130 feet — the largest published figure in the area. Canoe Cove runs a 75-ton Travelift rated to 80 feet, 21 feet of beam and 165,000 pounds. Between them they cover the large-yacht lift work here, and they are the reason a serious boat homeports in Sidney rather than in the islands.
How long is the season in the Gulf Islands?
About five months in the islands and all year in Sidney, and the operators' own calendars agree on the split. Montague Harbour Marina is open 1 May to 30 September. Otter Bay's transient season runs 1 May to 30 September with the store and café closed in winter. Ganges reduces its fuel dock to Thursday through Sunday in winter. Poets Cove staffs customs only 1 May to 30 September. Parks Canada removes its docks 1 October to 14 May. Van Isle Marina in Sidney, by contrast, is open seven days a week all year.
Where can you clear Canadian customs by boat near Sidney?
Four clearance points, all within a short run of Sidney. Van Isle Marina in Tsehum Harbour is a port of entry, with the instruction on its own site simply to call 1 888 CANPASS. Canoe Cove Marina is a clearance point. Port Sidney Marina has a Canada Customs clearance dock. And Bedwell Harbour at Poets Cove is an official point of entry for boaters from the USA, staffed 1 May to 30 September — outside that window American guests require a Nexus pass.