Saltspring Island Marina

[griervictoria]

For any members cruising in the Gulf Islands, if you are thinking of visiting Ganges in Saltspring Island consider tying up at
Saltspring Island Marina and forget about Ganges Marina. Ganges Marina has been neglected and is in a bad state of repair due to the neglect of an absentee owner who has done little over the years to keep it in decent shape.
Saltspring Is. Marina (at Moby's Pub) has brand new docks with power and water although the showers are not open due to the Covid thing. The staff are helpful and it is a delight to stay there. It is a 10 minute walk to town but you could go by tender if you do not feel like walking.

 

[Chimo]

Can't agree more! I overnighted there last week and they are well set up. The new docks are amply spaced and easy to navigate and the reception was very friendly. Had a great evening at Moby's outside on the deck. They are obviously very safety conscious, taking contact information, staff wearing masks inside etc. Wednesday night was music bingo night, a real laugh but I didn't win. :cry:

 

[johnbenj]

Almost exactly 2 years later I want to bump this thread because I am planning a trip to Salt Spring Island.

Given that the recent rendezvous was a Salt Spring marina I think that may be some more current reviews/thoughts on the pros/cons of Salt Spring marina vs Ganges Marina.

Thanks in advance
John
Amoreena - 2021 R27OB

Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk

 

[dbsea]

I’m heading there next Friday, I’ll provide a real time update!

 

[scross]

Johnbenj,
If you’re referring to this years Ports Cove/Ganges RT event, the fleet stayed at Ganges Marina, not Salt Springs Marina. We were there, not with the fleet at Ganges Marina. We stayed overnight at Salt Springs Marina - our first time there since the major renovation.
All the following is my opinion only. Ganges Marina had lots of deferred maintenance issues in the past. Really wobbly slip fingers, bad electric pedestals, cramped showers that were frequently out of service, etc. it has always benefited from being just a short walk to the downtown.
The “new” Saltspring’s is truly a first class dock. Everything is sturdy and works perfectly. Showers are not new but still a bit better than Ganges. The location is a long walk to downtown. But it’s only 0.6 miles from the shopping center on the road headed out of town for provisioning. There is a free shuttle but you may have long waits for it. After all these years we have not eaten at Moby’s at the entrance to the docks but everyone raves about it.
Again, my opinion, but I think the Salt Spring renovation put the fear of god into Ganges. Many of the deferred maintenance issues (wobbly slip fingers) are being addressed. This year it was in better shape than any time since our first visit in 2013. That said, it is still a bit rough compared to Salt Springs.
We will probably chose Ganges on our next visit in a few weeks. For us easy access to the downtown area is the key. Have a good trip!

 

[TA_73]

Both marinas are good but we use Ganges most often. Its in a great location and the management team are really friendly. There is usually a great bunch of boaters socializing on the docks as well which makes for a fun night.

 

[Hydraulicjump]

We have probably spent at least 15 nights at Ganges over the past ten years, all pre-covid. Our last night there was the straw that broke our backs and we swore to never use it again. I won't recite the litany of problems. I am glad to hear that they are starting to turn it around under threat of competition, but it had a long way to go.

As an alternative, last summer we spent two nights--going north and coming south--at the Kanaka Public Docks. We had a blast. Right up at the head of the gangway you are into the center of town. We arrived on a warm Friday and the city was jumping with live music, outdoor dining, shops open, etc.. We were pleasantly surprised that it quieted down at night and we did not have a lot of people looking into our boat (no gate). We will be back there in August for sure. It made us like Ganges again.

Just another alternative. We are still staying away from Ganges Marina, though.

As Mark Twain pointed out "if a cat sits on a hot stove, that cat won't sit on a hot stove again. That cat won't sit on a cold stove either. That cat just doesn't like stoves."

 

[scross]

Hydraulicjump,
We have looked at Kanaka as well but it’s usually full when we arrive late in the afternoon. The lack of reservations (it’s first come first served) concerns us.
One thing I forgot to mention in my earlier post is the small dinghy dock half way between Kanaka and Ganges Marina. We motored over there from Saltsprings our last trip and got the last possible tie down spot for the dinghy. That gave us easy access to town and provisioning. The dinghy is really the best transportation to town if you are staying at Salt Springs Marina.
The fuel dock is at Ganges Marina and the prices are typical of Canadian marinas. As for the pumpout on the public dock, don’t hold your breath. We have never been there when it was working. No other working pumpouts on SPI that I know about.

 

[Hydraulicjump]

Good point. We got there mid-day and there was plenty of room.

And with apologies to the Tugnuts folks. I mis-quoted Twain. That is what I get for doing it off the top of my head. Here is the real quote:

“We should be careful to get out of an experience only the wisdom that is in it and stop there lest we be like the cat that sits down on a hot stove lid. She will never sit down on a hot stove lid again and that is well but also she will never sit down on a cold one anymore.”

 

[johnbenj]

Thank you to all who have replied. I have reservations at Ganges and will report back our experiences in about two weeks or so.

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[Mike and Sarah]

Al. (Scross)
Good to meet you on the dock at Jones Island first week of June.

I guess we can count ourselves fortunate that the pump out was working in Ganges. Also it was the fastest pump out we have ever used. $10 Canadian. For 7 minutes even had time to flush the tank with some water.

We stayed one night at Ganges marina (our first time) we were very happy to see the marina in better shape than we were told it would be by past visitors. Treehouse pub is close with good food and fun music.

 

[blifland]

We stayed at Ganges early June 2022 (for the Rendezvous) and ended up staying 4 more days.
All the Ganges washrooms are single person private - my fav!
There was a huge (maybe 500+) dvd collection in the laundry room.
People told us to go to the farmers market - I say "skip the market" go to Mouat's Hardware store instead (they call it a general store) - 3 floors of everything one can imagine, including boat parts + a museum - expect to spend hours there. We found items (we wanted) that the clerks did not know they had.
We walked to Salt Springs marina a few times - ate at the pub once - too noisy and really crowded for our taste these days - more of a 20-30's persons' place?
Many 'eateries' in down-town Ganges.
The $10 pump-out was working and convenient.
Bring Canadian cash - banks would not exchange USD's unless one had an account at that bank.
Same with debit cards-had to be a Canadian debit card.
Barry & Leslie