Sailseer

Canada: Harbours, bridges and formalities for sailors

771 harbours · 350 bridges and locks · 25 inland lakes

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Canada: 771 harbours, 350 bridges and locks, clearing in, papers and fees. Plan your trip with weather, tides and route.

Formalities

outside the EU customs unionCurrency: Canadian dollar

Clearing in: Federal state outside the EU and Schengen. After arriving from abroad, including from the USA or Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, go directly to a CBSA reporting site (Telephone Reporting Site Marine, during its business hours) and call +1 888 226 7277. Only the skipper may leave the boat to make the call; everyone else stays aboard until CBSA clears the boat. Report everyone aboard with their documents, purpose and length of stay, goods, firearms, food, plants, animals, cannabis and cash of CAD 10,000 or more. Display the report number clearly on the boat. A boat passing through Canadian waters without anchoring, mooring or landing does not report. If everyone aboard is a NEXUS member, a call 30 minutes to 4 hours before arrival is enough (+1 866 996 3987). Failure to report costs at least CAD 1,000 and the boat can be seized. On the Great Lakes, the St. Clair and Detroit Rivers, the Niagara River and the St. Lawrence River there is no staffed reporting station for pleasure boats, only the telephone reporting sites (TRS/M) in the harbours; on the Canadian shore of Lake Superior so far only Thunder Bay (Prince Arthur's Landing). The Remote Area Border Crossing program ends on 1 December 2026 and is replaced by reporting by telephone.

Ausreise: There is no clearing out of Canada; what you report is the arrival in the next country (CBP in the USA, customs in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon). The yacht stays duty-free until the declared departure date, at most 12 months (up to 18 if export is impossible); keep the entry papers.

Documents: Passport for the whole crew; citizens of the EU, Switzerland and the United Kingdom need no visa and, arriving on their own yacht, no eTA (that applies to air travellers). Exception since 5 June 2026: most visa-exempt foreigners arriving from Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon need an eTA, also on private boats. Boat papers with proof of ownership, insurance, VHF radio certificate. Visitors need proof of competency (their home boating licence or the Canadian Pleasure Craft Operator Card) only after 45 consecutive days in Canada or on a boat registered or chartered in Canada; proof of residence belongs aboard. Firearms only with the Non-Resident Firearm Declaration (CAD 25, 60 days), prohibited firearms never. Dogs and cats over three months with a rabies vaccination (certificate in English or French).

Fees: Reporting to CBSA costs nothing, and no duty is due on the yacht as long as it leaves again. Duty-free per person: 1.5 l of wine or 1.14 l of spirits or 8.5 l of beer (from age 19, in Québec from 18). Berths in marinas and yacht clubs are charged, anchoring is mostly free.

Fairway: Buoyage IALA system B as in the USA: red to starboard when entering from sea. The Bay of Fundy has one of the largest tidal ranges in the world (Minas Basin over 15 m at springs, Saint John about 8 m) with strong currents in the passages (Digby Gut, Grand Passage, Petit Passage, Minas Channel); many harbours dry out, so plan arrival and departure around the tide. In the St. Lawrence River strong tidal and river currents (several knots at Québec) and dense commercial traffic. Fog is frequent off Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, above all in early summer; off Newfoundland and in the Strait of Belle Isle icebergs and drift ice into the summer (ice reports of the Canadian Ice Service). The Canso Canal (lock in the causeway across the Strait of Canso) and St. Peter's Canal (lock into the Bras d'Or Lakes) link Chedabucto Bay with the Gulf and with the Bras d'Or. In British Columbia the tidal streams in the narrows run at 8 to 16 kn (Seymour Narrows, Dent and Yuculta Rapids, Dodd Narrows, Active Pass, Porlier Pass, Malibu Rapids, Nakwakto Rapids): pass only at slack water; the times are in the CHS tide tables. In the Strait of Georgia and off the river mouths there is drifting wood, even whole logs, and in Johnstone Strait a strong northwesterly often blows on summer afternoons.

Nature: North Atlantic right whales: from 22 April to 15 November 2026, vessels over 13 m in length are limited to 10 kn over ground in the static zones of the western Gulf of St. Lawrence, and to 10 kn for 15 days after a sighting in the dynamic zones off Anticosti; boats over 13 m avoid the restricted area in the Shediac Valley, and in the Cabot Strait a voluntary slowdown applies. The current NAVWARN is binding. In the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park, distances to whales (at least 100 m, 400 m to belugas and endangered species) and speed limits apply. Fishing only with a licence (province or Fisheries and Oceans Canada). In British Columbia keep 400 m from all killer whales on the south coast between Campbell River and Ucluelet, 200 m elsewhere; off Saturna Island, Pender Island and on Swiftsure Bank sanctuary zones are closed to boats from 1 June to 30 November (Fisheries and Oceans Canada).

Tropical storm season: 1 June to 30 November, about 85 % of Canadian landfalls between August and October, mostly as a weakening or post-tropical storm with hurricane-force gusts, storm surge and heavy rain: Juan 2003 (Halifax), Igor 2010 (Newfoundland), Dorian 2019 (Halifax), Fiona 2022 (Cape Breton, Îles de la Madeleine, Port aux Basques). Warnings come from the Canadian Hurricane Centre via ECCC.

Emergency: 911 ashore; at sea the Canadian Coast Guard on VHF channel 16 and DSC channel 70, rescue centres JRCC Halifax +1 800 565 1582 (Maritimes and Newfoundland) and MRSC Québec +1 800 463 4393 (St. Lawrence River and the Gulf west of Anticosti).

Sources: CBSA: reporting requirements for private boaters, CBSA: Memorandum D2-5-12, reporting of pleasure craft, CBSA: reporting sites for pleasure boats (Telephone Reporting Sites Marine), CBSA: firearms and ammunition on entry, Transport Canada: Ship Safety Bulletins (right whales 2026), Transport Canada: Office of Boating Safety, German Foreign Office: Canada, travel and safety advice (as of 2026-10-20)

Harbours by cruising area

Bay of Fundy: New Brunswick (Saint Andrews, Campobello, Grand Manan, Saint John, Alma)

Bay of Fundy: Nova Scotia (Digby, Annapolis Royal, Minas Basin, Parrsboro)

Cape Breton and Bras d'Or Lakes (Sydney, Baddeck, St. Peter's, Port Hawkesbury, Arichat)

Central Coast (Bella Bella, Shearwater, Klemtu, Bella Coola)

Chaleur Bay (Dalhousie, Bathurst, Caraquet, Carleton, Paspébiac)

Côte-Nord (Les Escoumins, Baie-Comeau, Sept-Îles, Havre-Saint-Pierre)

Desolation Sound and Discovery Islands (Lund, Quadra Island, Cortes Island, Campbell River)

East coast of Vancouver Island (Ladysmith, Nanaimo, Parksville, Comox)

Gaspé Peninsula (Sainte-Anne-des-Monts, Gaspé, Percé, Chandler)

Georgian Bay (Killarney, Parry Sound, Midland, Penetanguishene, Collingwood, Owen Sound)

Gulf Islands (Salt Spring, Pender, Galiano, Mayne, Saturna)

Haida Gwaii (Masset, Daajing Giids, Sandspit)

Halifax and Eastern Shore (Halifax, Bedford Basin, Sheet Harbour, Canso)

Johnstone Strait and Broughton Archipelago (Port McNeill, Alert Bay, Port Hardy)

Lake Erie: Ontario (Amherstburg, Leamington, Port Stanley, Port Dover, Port Colborne)

Lake Huron: Ontario (Sarnia, Goderich, Kincardine, Southampton, Tobermory)

Lake Ontario: Eastern part and Bay of Quinte (Cobourg, Prince Edward County, Belleville, Kingston)

Lake Ontario: Golden Horseshoe (Niagara-on-the-Lake, Hamilton, Toronto, Oshawa)

Lake Superior: Ontario (Thunder Bay, Nipigon, Rossport, Marathon, Batchawana Bay)

Lower North Shore and southern Labrador (Kegaska, Harrington Harbour, Blanc-Sablon, Red Bay)

Magdalen Islands (Cap-aux-Meules, Havre-Aubert, Grande-Entrée)

New Brunswick: Gulf Coast (Shediac, Bouctouche, Richibucto, Miramichi, Tracadie)

Newfoundland: Avalon (St. John's, Conception Bay, Trinity Bay, Placentia)

Newfoundland: Northeast Coast (Bonavista, Notre Dame Bay, Twillingate, St. Anthony)

Newfoundland: South Coast (Placentia Bay, Burin, Fortune Bay, Burgeo)

Newfoundland: West Coast (Port aux Basques, Bay of Islands, Bonne Bay, Port au Choix)

North Channel (Little Current, Gore Bay, Blind River, Spanish)

North Coast (Prince Rupert, Kitimat, Hartley Bay)

Northumberland Strait (Pictou, Pugwash, Tatamagouche, Cape Tormentine, Antigonish)

Nova Scotia: South Shore (Yarmouth, Shelburne, Lunenburg, Mahone Bay)

Prince Edward Island (Charlottetown, Summerside, Souris, Georgetown)

Saguenay (Tadoussac to Chicoutimi)

Saint John River (Grand Bay, Kennebecasis, Gagetown, Fredericton)

St. Lawrence Estuary: South Shore (Rivière-du-Loup, Trois-Pistoles, Rimouski, Matane)

St. Lawrence River: Québec to Montréal (Trois-Rivières, Sorel, Lac Saint-Pierre)

St. Lawrence River: Île d'Orléans, Charlevoix and Côte-du-Sud (Montmagny, La Malbaie, Kamouraska)

Sunshine Coast (Gibsons, Sechelt, Pender Harbour, Powell River)

Vancouver and Fraser River (Vancouver, North Vancouver, Richmond, Steveston, Howe Sound)

Victoria and Saanich (Sooke, Oak Bay, Sidney, Saanich Inlet)

West coast of Vancouver Island (Port Renfrew, Bamfield, Ucluelet, Tofino, Kyuquot)

Inland lakes

Bridges and locks

Locks

Movable bridges

Fixed bridges (189)

Frequently asked questions

Canada: Do I need to clear in?

Federal state outside the EU and Schengen. After arriving from abroad, including from the USA or Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, go directly to a CBSA reporting site (Telephone Reporting Site Marine, during its business hours) and call +1 888 226 7277. Only the skipper may leave the boat to make the call; everyone else stays aboard until CBSA clears the boat. Report everyone aboard with their documents, purpose and length of stay, goods, firearms, food, plants, animals, cannabis and cash of CAD 10,000 or more. Display the report number clearly on the boat. A boat passing through Canadian waters without anchoring, mooring or landing does not report. If everyone aboard is a NEXUS member, a call 30 minutes to 4 hours before arrival is enough (+1 866 996 3987). Failure to report costs at least CAD 1,000 and the boat can be seized. On the Great Lakes, the St. Clair and Detroit Rivers, the Niagara River and the St. Lawrence River there is no staffed reporting station for pleasure boats, only the telephone reporting sites (TRS/M) in the harbours; on the Canadian shore of Lake Superior so far only Thunder Bay (Prince Arthur's Landing). The Remote Area Border Crossing program ends on 1 December 2026 and is replaced by reporting by telephone.

Canada: Which documents do I need on board?

Passport for the whole crew; citizens of the EU, Switzerland and the United Kingdom need no visa and, arriving on their own yacht, no eTA (that applies to air travellers). Exception since 5 June 2026: most visa-exempt foreigners arriving from Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon need an eTA, also on private boats. Boat papers with proof of ownership, insurance, VHF radio certificate. Visitors need proof of competency (their home boating licence or the Canadian Pleasure Craft Operator Card) only after 45 consecutive days in Canada or on a boat registered or chartered in Canada; proof of residence belongs aboard. Firearms only with the Non-Resident Firearm Declaration (CAD 25, 60 days), prohibited firearms never. Dogs and cats over three months with a rabies vaccination (certificate in English or French).

Canada: What fees apply?

Reporting to CBSA costs nothing, and no duty is due on the yacht as long as it leaves again. Duty-free per person: 1.5 l of wine or 1.14 l of spirits or 8.5 l of beer (from age 19, in Québec from 18). Berths in marinas and yacht clubs are charged, anchoring is mostly free.

Canada: What is the emergency number at sea?

911 ashore; at sea the Canadian Coast Guard on VHF channel 16 and DSC channel 70, rescue centres JRCC Halifax +1 800 565 1582 (Maritimes and Newfoundland) and MRSC Québec +1 800 463 4393 (St. Lawrence River and the Gulf west of Anticosti).

Canada: How many harbours does Sailseer cover?

Sailseer covers 771 harbours with harbour info, weather and route planning. Plus 350 bridges and locks with opening times and clearances.