Victoria, BC: A Civilized Gateway for the Boatbound

Victoria, blessed Victoria! I’ve lost count of the times the sight of this Old-World beacon of true, proper, British-yet-Canadian civilization has brought me relief during some strange boatbound adventure. When the Straits of Juan de Fuca turn foul, bashing to the warm pubs within historic buildings of Victoria is all a sane soul desires. 

I’ll never forget racing with the half-Aussie crew of team Vegemite Vigilantes in the 2023 Race to Alaska (R2AK), the first leg of which is from Port Townsend to Victoria. We experienced such historically awful weather that for the first and only time the organizers extended the time allowed to complete the leg. A mast snapped and multiple boats were capsized. It was bonkers, the seas fueled by a 13-year ebb tide meeting incoming gale winds. We clenched our sphincters and fought across the strait, only to miss a favorable tide that would have gotten us into Victoria. Instead we were doomed to tack furiously within sight of Victoria for hours until the significant, and oh so frustrating outgoing tide slacked. To add insult to injury, windsurfing bros glided over from Holland Point Park to put up friendly surf’s-up signs. We’d get into Victoria eventually with red faces and salted hair, primed for relief. Blessed Victoria took real good care of us that night and even this yank felt like belting out God Save the Queen.

However peaceful or war-torn your arrival, the scene of Victoria is a welcoming sight from the water. The harbor scene (excuse me, harbour) during the busy summer months resembles a spread from a Richard Scary Busytown book with seaplanes, cruise ships, tugboats, harbor authority vessels, and recreational craft all zipping around. The Victorian era buildings like the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia and Fairmont Empress hotel stand as storybook castles to ogle and explore.

All in all, Victoria is a wonderful stop for travelling boaters and often even necessary for non-Canadians to be processed by customs. Beyond the amusements, Victoria was founded by the British Empire in 1862 as a gateway to the wild lands of Canada and serves a similar function today for cruisers. This is a great location to rendezvous the guests/crew, take a last trip to the chandlery, load up on the groceries (especially as you’re not supposed to bring in American fruits, vegetables, or booze over the border), and other necessities. Stock up here to enjoy the north, I say.

Marina Situation

Everything about enjoying Victoria by boat is about adhering to navigation rules of the harbor managed by the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority (GVHA). When one enters Victoria Harbour from the south past the Breakwater Lighthouse, be sure to err starboard/east as per the large yellow markers that instruct boaters to do so. The other parts of the harbor are kept free of recreational craft for commercial vessels and seaplanes. Take note sailors, one must be under power in the harbor. If you don’t comply, you will get a polite yet stern hail over the radio and visit from one of the patrolling GVHA vessels. Canadians are generally as polite as their reputation, but they can be sticklers for the rules.

If entering Canada from the United States from the south, you will need to pass through customs. There are two options. The traditional option is to dock at the Raymur Point Canada Border Services Association (CBSA) Boat Dock on the south side of the harbor. A landline telephone is there and one uses it to go through the customs process—bring that passport and boat registration information. Another way to pass through customs is the ArriveCAN app, which can be used well before your Victoria arrival to process you remotely. 

After you navigate the harbor and customs, there are a number of slip options. Making reservations or communicating with the GVHA will direct you to available slips on the Causeway, which really is the quintessential Victoria arrival experience. The GVHA website is a great starting point to book moorage and get acquainted with maps here. For large yachts, the Victoria International Marina on the north side may be your best bet.

TO-DOS

The Causeway Cluster

The beating heart of Victoria for visiting boaters is definitely the Causeway cluster of iconic buildings and public greens. For boaters leaving their boats, the entry into town can be disorienting on a busy summer’s day with buskers or street magic shows entertaining crowds of milling tourists right on the other side of the marina gate. My advice is to surrender to the experience. Enjoy that mime! Ooo and ahh at that juggling unicyclist! You only live once, have some fun. You will inevitably get drawn into the mighty Fairmont Empress hotel, the sprawling Victorian estate across Government Street to the east. Reserving and enjoying a truly British afternoon tea at the Empress hotel like the visiting royal family members do is as Victoria as it gets. Dress code for tea is smart-casual and while a jacket is a suitable choice for men it is not expressly required. Tank tops, beachwear, athleisure, and flip-flops are prohibited. Guests are asked to dress to respect and align with the refined setting. On the grounds of the Empress are amazing gardens and a beehive display. On one side of the building there is also the Miniature World museum that hosts 85 miniature dioramas, doll houses, model trains, and the world’s smallest operational sawmill, which took 11 years to create.

Northward Stroll: Urban Playground and Useful Resupply

The mile or two north of the Causeway cluster up Government Street is an urban playground loaded with dozens of bars and restaurants. Of note is the Victoria’s Chinatown National Historic Site and Fan Tan Alley around which orbits a handful of Asian restaurants and buildings from this admittedly nostalgic couple of blocks. For shoppers, this chunk of Victoria is the place for you with multiple small to midsized malls with character. Shoppers will find wares from top fashion brands to kitsch local souvenirs. Chocolate lovers will want to visit Rogers’ Chocolates. Founded in 1885 this historic brand is known for their signature Victoria Creams made using original recipes of yore. For boaters at the beginning of their cruising season in need of supplies or a chandlery, there are a few useful businesses up that way including Trotac Marine and Waterfront Outfitters. The coastal communities north only get more rustic from here, so load up on the necessities in Victoria.

Southward Stroll: Beacon Hill Park and Waterfront Trail

For those wanting to stretch their legs with a few miles of walking, Beacon Hill Park beckons to the south of the Causeway cluster. Once one passes the Royal BC Museum and St. Ann’s Academy and Auditorium, the 74-hectare (about quarter square mile) Victorian-style Beacon Hill Park hosts meandering trails with attractions ranging from a pickleball court to art sculptures like The Moss Lady to monuments like the Mile Zero Monument that marks the historic start of the Trans Canada Railroad. Keep going south and one runs into the scenic, west-east running Waterfront Trail with lookout points and beaches galore. I also recommend seeing all this via horse drawn carriage tour with Tally-Ho Carriage Tours, a fun time I experienced back in the day.

Butchart Gardens

A bit over 10 miles via road north of Victoria is the iconic Butchart Gardens, a 55-acre display garden on the shores of Brentwood Bay. This National Historic Site of Canada was started in 1904 by Jennie Butchart and remains privately owned and operated by the family. There are seasonal installations, like the Christmas light display, and multiple year-round gardens: Sunken, Rose, Japanese, Italian, and Mediterranean. They have a charming garden-themed store and host an afternoon tea (with food, need to spell that out for the yanks) in their dining room that, dare I say, rivals the Fairmont Empress hotel. More information is available at butchartgardens.com. For boaters the gardens have water access by dinghy off Brentwood Bay which is in the southeast corner of Saanich Inlet. You can also anchor in the protected waters of Todd Inlet and watch the summertime Butchart Gardens fireworks displays from your boat.

Gateway Overland

Victoria was originally founded as a foothold in the New World and gateway to British Columbia. For visiting boaters it fulfills a very similar role. This is a great rallying point to which to bring in guests/crew in via airplane, ferry, or car. It’s also one of the better points from which to explore the interior of Vancouver Island, even if only as a side trip in an otherwise coastal cruise. Bottom line, boaters, especially those coming up from the south, can utilize Victoria to their needs and entertainment.

As a boater’s refuge Victoria can’t be beaten. This Victorian town that surrounds the harbor has something for everyone. Whether sampling a host of food and beverage possibilities, strolling the parks, sniffing the roses in the Empress gardens, or visiting the Royal BC Museum and its IMAX® theater, there is so much fun to be had.