Best Marina in Sidney

I am looking to store my 48' Trawler in Sidney B.C. Anyone have any advise, recommendations or ideas which marina would be safest and what kind of weather should I expect during the winter months. What preparations should I make to winterize my boat and protect it during the winter months. I have owned several boats in warm waters, but this is a first for me..... Thanks in advance for your help.

I keep my boat at Westport Marina and quite like it. Very sheltered, clean and reasonable rates. Been there for 10 years with various boats.

Not sure what they have available.

Westport Marina: Sidney, Vancouver Island at Tsehum Harbour, BC, Canada


Winterizing is pretty easy, nothing ever freezes up - we leave our boat ready to go year round. A full winter cover isn't a bad investment, it keeps the weather off the boat and I can continue to work on it in the off season.

Tsehum Harbour is very snug. Can't imagine any wind in there. That said, there are many boat caretakers in the Sidney area, which would provide peace of mind, no matter which marina you choose. Ask sunchaser, he may utilize one.

We keep our boat at North Saanich Marina in the north section, been there for over 35 years and still happy. Our boat is in a boathouse and is used year round, so no special winterizing.

Here is a Google Map showing all the marinas in the Sidney area.

Van Isles is top flight if you can get a slip not cheap but first class. Sunchaser is there ask them

Westport, North Saanich Marina, Canoe Cove and Van Isle are the main choices in and around Tsehum Harbour. There is also Port Sidney - it is a nice marina located right in the town of Sidney. It seems a bit exposed to the winter weather we get around here though.

Cheers.

We have had Stormy at van isle. Been very happy with the service. We put in three portable electric heaters/fans throughout boat to keep air circulating and it kept everything dry.

Port of Sidney marina I visit every summer great place with a lot of long term USA stored boats Great location good power and fair docks easy walk downtown for supply's
A little windy even with breakwater inside and can be a little challenging getting into entrance to breakwater in bad weather with a strong wind from the south if approaching from the north

Here's a listing of all marinas we have in Sidney:
https://activecaptain.com/quickLists/marinaIndexCAProv.php?pr=BC&city=Sidney

Looking quickly at the reviews, Port Sidney and Van Isle are the obvious standouts with a few mediocre marinas thrown into the area.

Like that Active captain web site

I think you have to be careful comparing marinas for seasonal transient use vs a place you will be keeping the boat long term or year around and, perhaps, having it serviced by the the attached yard.

We used Port Sydney as transients on our tourist trip charters, and thought it was very nice for that purpose, (restaurant next store had the best fish (halibut!) and chips I've ever had) but I can see the issues with exposure. I have an entry in the log noting it was tricky making the turns inside the breakwater in a moderate blow and a new to me boat.