The Gulf Islands are a charterer's paradise — 200-plus islands scattered across the Strait of Georgia, each with its own character, its own light, its own reason to drop anchor and stay a while. After years aboard C Weed, our captain has navigated every major passage and most of the minor ones. Here are the five anchorages he returns to, again and again, because they never stop being extraordinary.
1. Tribune Bay, Hornby Island
If you only make one Gulf Islands anchorage in your lifetime, make it Tribune Bay. The water here runs an improbable shade of turquoise — the kind you associate with the Caribbean, not British Columbia. But the chemistry of Tribune Bay's sandy bottom and shallow depth creates a warmth and clarity that has made it one of Canada's most celebrated beaches.
Approach from the southwest, anchor in 5–7 metres, and spend your afternoon ashore. The beach is a 15-minute walk from wherever you land. Bring a paddleboard. Stay long enough to watch the light go gold on the arbutus trees.
**Best time:** June through September. Water temperatures peak in August.
2. Montague Harbour, Galiano Island
Montague Harbour is the Gulf Islands' most storied anchorage — and with good reason. Sheltered on three sides, flat calm in all but the most extraordinary conditions, and framed by the kind of old-growth forest that makes you understand why people dedicate their lives to protecting it.
The Provincial Marine Park here means no development on the surrounding shoreline. At sunset, when the boats outnumber the people and the otters work the kelp beds, Montague feels like a protected secret. Which, in a sense, it is.
**Best time:** Year-round. The winter light here is extraordinary.
3. Ganges Harbour, Salt Spring Island
Salt Spring's main harbour is less of a secret — it's the social hub of the Southern Gulf Islands — but that energy is part of the appeal. Drop anchor in the outer harbour and take the dinghy ashore to one of the best Saturday markets in Canada: local cheese, lavender honey, handmade art.
The approach through Captain Passage offers some of the most scenic sailing in the entire region. Come in from the north if you can.
**Best time:** Saturday mornings for the market (April–October).
4. Pirate's Cove, De Courcy Island
Few people outside the local boating community know Pirate's Cove, which is precisely what makes it remarkable. A small, perfectly sheltered lagoon on the northwest end of De Courcy Island — reportedly frequented by the notorious Brother XII in the 1920s — it holds perhaps 15 boats at maximum, which means you're almost always sharing it with fewer than five.
The swimming off the bow here is some of the best in the Gulf Islands. Clear water, no current, and a surrounding forest that belongs to a provincial park.
**Best time:** Weekdays in July and August to avoid the local weekend traffic.
5. Poet's Cove, South Pender Island
The southernmost of our five anchorages and perhaps the most dramatic. Bedwell Harbour cuts deep into South Pender's headlands, with steep wooded slopes on both sides and water that stays calm regardless of the weather in the Strait.
There's a resort at the head of the harbour for provisioning and a drink ashore, but the anchorage itself is wild and quiet. At night, the sky here is extraordinary — you're far enough from the mainland that the Milky Way is actually visible.
**Best time:** August through October. The autumn colours on the slopes are remarkable.
C Weed is equipped to access every one of these anchorages safely and in style. Our captain knows each one personally and can build your entire Gulf Islands itinerary around the combination that suits your group best.
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