The full-service supply town on northeast Vancouver Island that cruisers treat as the gateway to the Broughtons, with fuel, provisioning, and a sheltered harbour right downtown.
Port McNeill sits on Broughton Strait on the northeast shore of Vancouver Island, the place nearly every Broughton-bound boat stops to top off and reprovision. Moorage is split between the municipal Port McNeill Harbour (Harbour Authority, first-come downtown guest floats with power, water, washrooms, showers, and a pump-out) and the larger private North Island Marina, which offers some 2,100 feet of transient moorage, a chandlery, ice, laundry, and a courtesy vehicle.
Fuel (diesel and gas) is dispensed at the North Island Marina fuel dock. Town has a well-stocked IGA supermarket, restaurants, a brewery, hardware, and other services within an easy walk of the floats, making this one of the best full provisioning stops north of the Discovery Islands.
BC Ferries runs a scheduled route from Port McNeill across to Alert Bay (Cormorant Island) and Sointula (Malcolm Island), and the town has an airport and floatplane service. From here it is a short hop into the Broughton Archipelago, and about 45 miles to Cape Caution for those continuing north.
Approach notes, hazards to watch for, and what's available once you're tied up.
The approach is straightforward from Broughton Strait, but the harbour faces north into the strait and is exposed to wind and chop funneling down Queen Charlotte and Broughton Straits. Summer mornings are often calm, but a northwest sea breeze typically builds through the day and can reach 25-30 knots by mid-afternoon, kicking up an uncomfortable fetch across the open water in front of town.
Most visitors take a slip rather than anchor; the area off the town floats is an open roadstead with little natural shelter from the north and west, so anchoring there is exposed and best treated as a fair-weather option only. Watch ferry traffic working the Alert Bay/Sointula terminal and confirm depths against CHS charts before committing.
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 Port McNeill with approach photos, depth notes, and points of interest — written by members who have been here recently.
Real first-hand reports and questions answered by members who have actually been here.
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Cruising-distance picks near this anchorage.
