The lively heart of Saltspring Island, Ganges offers marinas, public wharves, and open anchorage right off a town famous for its Saturday market, a rare anchorage where you can dinghy ashore to galleries, restaurants, and full provisioning.
Ganges sits at the head of a long, southeast-facing harbour on Saltspring Island and is one of the most popular destinations in the Gulf Islands. The town is the island's commercial center, with the renowned Saturday Market (April through October), a Tuesday farmers market, restaurants, pubs, coffee shops, art galleries, wineries, and full provisioning including a grocery and pharmacy, all within easy walking distance of the waterfront.
Moorage options are plentiful: Ganges Marina and Salt Spring Marina offer visitor slips and amenities, while public facilities include the Kanaka Visitors Wharf and a floating breakwater dock with power, water, and pumpout. Ganges Marina has a fuel dock.
Anchorage lies on the north side of the harbour, in the open water east of Money Makers Rock and the marinas, where boats swing in sticky black mud. It is a busy, exposed roadstead rather than a snug pocket, convenient for town access but open down-harbour to the southeast.
Approach notes, hazards to watch for, and what's available once you're tied up.
Approach from Captain Passage to the southeast. Keep Second Sister Island's flashing red light to starboard, favoring it slightly to avoid unmarked Ganges Shoal (about 4 m / 13 ft) in the center of the harbour entrance, and keep the Chain Islands to starboard. Reduce to 5 knots inside the harbour and watch for No Wake Zones. Use CHS Chart 3442.
Money Makers Rock, southeast of Salt Spring Marina and marked by two yellow buoys in line with the main dock, catches boaters every year despite being well charted, so stay clear. The area north of Third Sister Island is foul with rocks and shoals and should not be transited. The harbour's main weakness is exposure to southeast wind and chop funneling up Captain Passage; the anchorage offers little protection from that quarter.
Wind protection summary and tide planning at a glance. Full per-direction and 7-day detail with Plus.
Live readings from the nearest OpenWeather station and WorldTides; refreshed every few minutes.
Source: OpenWeather One Call API + WorldTides.
A curated photo + map walkthrough showing approach, mooring options, and points of interest.
A guided walkthrough of Ganges Harbour with approach photos, depth notes, and points of interest — written by members who have been here recently.
Member-uploaded images of this anchorage.
Real first-hand reports and questions answered by members who have actually been here.
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