48° 50.7’ N x 123° 29.3’ W – for a sailor, this meeting of latitude and longitude has to be one of the most fortunate on the globe.

The Saltspring Island Sailing Club sits amid one of the world’s finest, year-round sailing areas, where every type of boating experience is available close by. Club members enjoy it all – from extreme racing to friendly round-the-buoys matches;  from gunkholing in placid coves to wilderness cruising in awesome settings.

Our history reaches back into the maritime traditions of an earlier century. The Club was granted the privilege by Whitehall of using the badge from the HMS Ganges, a Royal Navy ship of the line sailing local waters during the late 1850’s. The elephant from this badge has been adopted for the Club burgee.

From its beginnings in 1969 as a racing dinghy association, the Club has grown to embrace a range of boating activities, with a continued emphasis on sailing. During 2011-2012 we undertook a major renewal of our foreshore, including dredging and new dock construction to optimize our marina facilities.

Our active cruisers enjoy reciprocal moorage with other clubs, and our volunteer Wharfingers welcome visitors in summer. Our keen racing group competes in Club series year-round. Every May we host the popular Round Saltspring Race, as well as interclub events like the Saltspring Vendeé in July. Our International One Metre sailors are enthusiastic competitors and hosts of ‘small boat’ regattas. Our Junior Program and Summer Sailing School offer sailing opportunities and instruction to attract young sailors.

What makes our Club unique – and earns us a reputation for ‘punching far above our weight class’ – is that this is all made possible by countless volunteer hours. We are a member-run organization, built on the dedicated work of those who volunteer their time and talents. Our tremendous new marina facilities are one way our members are reaping the rewards of their labour.