Pender Harbour, BC, situated halfway between Vancouver and Desolation Sound, has long been a natural stop for boaters heading up or down the east side of the Strait of Georgia. In recent years, it has quietly stepped up its game—embracing tourism, refreshing its commercial core, and offering more than ever for those arriving by water.
Its sheltered waters are home to a dozen marinas and several excellent anchorages. While fishing in the area isn’t what it once was, there are still wild salmon, prawns, and shellfish to be had. It’s also an easy place to pick up guests (by road or floatplane), restock the larder, and spend a few days exploring both ashore and afloat.
Navigation in and around Pender Harbour is straightforward—provided you pay attention to your charts, buoys, and day beacons. Up-to-date digital charts or CHS chart 3535 are essential. Entering from Malaspina Strait, you can come in either north or south of Williams Island.
Once inside, the harbor naturally divides into two sides. Garden Bay lies to the north (left), while Madeira Park sits to the south (right). Good anchoring can be found throughout, but Garden Bay Marine Park is the most popular. Larger yachts will find secure anchorage off Madeira Park in about 15 meters (49 feet), while Hospital Bay and Gerrans Bay offer good alternatives.
Duncan Cove/Hospital Bay
At the western end of the Garden Bay side is Pender Harbour Resort & Marina in Duncan Cove. It’s arguably the most family-friendly marina in the harbor, with solid docks, a heated pool, and well-kept grounds. It is also an outstation for the West Vancouver Yacht Club, the Vancouver Rowing Club, and the Thunderbird Yacht Cub. It’s about a mile—uphill—to John Henry’s store in Hospital Bay, but, if you’re self-contained, it’s an easy place to settle in.
Hospital Bay, itself, has two marinas. The Harbour Authority dock provides basic services—power, water, and porta-potties—while John Henry’s Resort and Marina offers more extensive transient moorage for vessels up to about 100 feet, set in tidy, landscaped grounds.
Next door, John Henry’s store is the hub of Garden Bay. It’s the harbor’s only fuel dock, the main grocery store for this side, a liquor outlet, and home to a surprisingly good seasonal restaurant. There’s even a tiny post office tucked alongside the store.
For a leg stretch, a gentle 10-minute walk up Garden Bay Road leads to Garden Bay Lake—a local favourite for swimming, with easy access all along its shoreline.
Garden Bay
Across a narrow isthmus from Hospital Bay lies Garden Bay, itself, home to outstations for the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club, Burrard Yacht Club, and, farther east, the Seattle Yacht Club. The old Garden Bay Pub site remains derelict and hard to miss but, beyond that, there are no active marinas here. For supplies or a meal, Hospital Bay remains your best bet.
Garden Bay Marine Park is the harbor’s primary anchorage, with good holding in about 10 meters (32 feet). It’s open to southeasterlies that can funnel down from the mountains—mainly in fall and winter—so set your anchor properly with adequate scope. From here, it’s a short run to the park’s dinghy dock on the north shore of the anchorage, where there are hiking trials and/or a brief walk to Claydon Road and left to John Henry’s. Alternately, take the dinghy around Garden Peninsula to Hospital Bay. Dinghies can be tied up behind the fuel dock.
Madeira Park
Across the harbor, Madeira Park hosts most of the action. The Harbour Authority docks are the central hub, with reliable transient moorage and easy shore access. Facilities include washrooms, showers, a pumpout, a boat launch, and a nicely landscaped waterfront park. As this is also a commercial dock, you’ll often find fresh fish for sale in season. There’s also a good dinghy tie-up area tucked inside the floats.
Next door, Madeira Marina offers the harbor’s only marine ways, along with mechanical services and a well-stocked chandlery.
Just above the docks are three distinctive green-and-white buildings that now house the Pender Harbour School of Music, a local art gallery, and a small community library. All are worth a look—and the music school hosts an impressive lineup of concerts.
The “downtown” core is a compact strip mall anchored by a well-stocked IGA grocery store, pharmacy, credit union, and government liquor store. Nearby, you’ll find a gift shop, a solid independent bookstore, and Java Docks—the harbour’s go-to coffee and sandwich stop.
Across the road, the Oak Tree Market is worth a visit for its butcher shop, house-made sausages, and adjacent pizza bakery. The fresh-baked spicy sausage rolls are a personal favourite.
Don’t miss the Bargain Barn—a small, eclectic thrift store with great prices and a surprisingly good selection, though they are only open certain days of the week. It sits next to the community hall, which hosts everything from yoga and bingo to town meetings. Out back in the gardens, Triple B’s serves up excellent burgers and fish and chips.
A 10-minute walk up Madeira Park Road brings you to Royal Canadian Legion Branch 112, open daily and often hosting live music, trivia, and casual meals. Continue a few minutes farther to Highway 101 and the Harbour Spirit Centre, where you’ll find Japanese and Mexican food restaurants, a coffee shop, a dog groomer and an Asian-themed/metaphysical supply store.
Turn left on the highway and it’s another 10 minutes to the Grasshopper Pub, along with a cold beer and wine store and the Pender Harbour Hotel. There’s also a marina below the pub, though the walk up is steep.
Turn right on the highway instead, and a 15-minute walk will take you to a well-equipped Rona hardware store and the local health center, with doctors, dentists, nursing, and physical therapy services.
The Sunshine Coast Resort, set on a bluff above the harbor, offers limited transient moorage and a quiet, scenic stop—though, again, expect a steep walk.
Gunboat Bay, Gerrans Bay, and Bargain Harbour
At the head of the harbor lies Gunboat Bay, reached through a narrow channel. It’s a worthwhile dinghy excursion but watch for strong currents and an unmarked (though charted) rock mid-channel.
Back in the main harbor, Gerrans Bay stretches south and west of Madeira Park. At its eastern end are Coho Marina and the Painted Boat—both full-service operations with transient moorage and easy access to town. Watch your approach carefully, as shoals are marked by day beacons.
The Painted Boat also offers a well-regarded restaurant, pool, and spa as part of its resort.
Further west, the Whiskey Slough Harbour Authority docks provide basic moorage with power and water but no washrooms. From here, it’s about a 30-minute walk into Madeira Park. For those anchoring out, Gerrans Bay is a quiet, secure option with good holding in about seven meters (23 feet).
South of the main harbor is Bargain Bay, entered from Malaspina Strait. Watch for a charted rock near the entrance. In strong southeasterlies, winds can funnel in, but the northeast corner offers good protection. Holding is generally good in about eight metres (26 feet).
While lined with private homes and docks, Bargain Bay’s appeal is its peace and quiet. It’s about a 20-minute walk into Madeira Park via Francis Peninsula Road.
Bargain Bay connects to the main harbor through Bargain Narrows, spanned by a low fixed bridge, which is impassable for most larger vessels. At higher tides, however, it makes for an enjoyable dinghy run, with clear water and easy navigation.
I’ve lived in Pender Harbour for more than 30 years, and it still manages to surprise me. It’s a place that rewards those who take the time to explore—by dinghy, on foot, or simply by staying put a little longer. It’s far more than a quick stop for fuel and groceries. So, the next time you’re passing through, plan to stay an extra day or two. You’ll find it’s time well spent.
Pender Harbour — Quick Reference
Getting There
Air: Sechelt (45 minutes south) or direct to harbour (John Henry’s / Madeira Park docks)
Kenmore Air (Seattle) 1-866-435-9524
NW Seaplanes (Seattle) 425-277-1590
Harbour Air (Vancouver) 604-233-3513
Sunshine Coast Air (Sechelt) 604-740-8889
Ferry
Horseshoe Bay–Langdale (BC Ferries)
www.bcferries.com
Drive time from Langdale: About 1 hour, 15 minutes
Marinas
Pender Harbour Resort & Marina — 604-883-2424 VHF 66A
John Henry’s Resort & Marina — 604-883-2336 • VHF 66A
Harbour Authority (Madeira Park, Hospital Bay, Whiskey Slough) — 604-883-2234 VHF 66A
Coho Marina — 604-883-2248
Pender Harbour Hotel & Marina — 604-883-9013
Sunshine Coast Resort & Marina — 604-543-7679
Painted Boat Resort Spa & Marina — 604-883-2456
Services
Marine Ways: Madeira Marina (604-883-2266)
Fuel: John Henry’s Resort & Marina (604-883-2336)
Marine Supplies: Madeira Marina (604-883-2266); RONA (604-883-9551); Kleindale Building Supplies (604-883-2616)
Pender Harbour Health Centre: (604-883-2764)
Veterinary Hospital: (604-883-2488)
Events
Monthly concerts — penderharbourmusic.ca
April Tools Wooden Boat Challenge — apriltools.ca
May Day — penderharbourcommunity.club
Blues Festival (June) — penderharbourbluesfestival.com
Malaspina Regatta (July) — gardenbaysailingclub.ca
Wooden Boat Show (Aug) — penderharbourwoodenboatshow.ca
Chamber Music Festival (Aug) — penderharbourmusic.ca
