Sailnboat
English
Canada

Canada / Ontario - Rideau Canal · Canada / British Columbia - Pacific Coast

Yacht charter in Canada

Choose from 32 yachts across Canada. Spread over 2 sailing regions. Prices from €3,519 per week.

Browse 32 yachts See regions
  • 32
    Yachts available
  • 32
    On campaign
  • €3,519
    From / week
  • 2
    Charter regions
  • 2
    Marinas

Why this country

Sailing in Canada

Canada is two separate boating countries that happen to share a flag, and the fleet shows it plainly: of 32 boats, 18 sit on the Rideau Canal in Ontario and 14 on the Pacific coast outside Vancouver. Every one of them is a motor cruiser. Nothing here is a sailing week.

The Rideau is the gentler of the two and the more unusual. It runs 202 kilometres from Ottawa to Kingston through 45 locks, and most of those locks are still worked by hand — staff turning the original crank gear, as they have since the 1830s. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2007, which is rare for a working waterway. Our Ontario boats are based at Smiths Falls, roughly the midpoint, so you can run either direction. Navigation is a summer season: the lockstations open in mid-May and close in mid-October.

British Columbia is a different proposition. From Horseshoe Bay you are in Howe Sound within the hour — a fjord ringed by mountains, with Bowen, Gambier and Keats islands to work around and sheltered anchorages on most of them. It is tidal, the currents matter, and the wind funnels up and down the sound rather than blowing across it. Desolation Sound, the cruising ground British Columbia is famous for, is about 130 nautical miles further north: that is most of a week one way, so treat it as a different trip rather than an add-on.

What unites the two is the licence arrangement, and it is worth knowing before you book. Canada requires proof of competency for every motorised pleasure craft with no exemption for size, power or age of the operator — but a rental-boat safety checklist, completed with the base on handover day, is one of the accepted forms of that proof. You carry it for the duration of the charter.

On the water

Sailing conditions in Canada

What you are chartering
Motor cruisers only

All 32 boats are motor yachts, averaging 12.3 m and 2.8 cabins, with an average build year of 2019. There is no sailing fleet here.

Two cruising grounds
Rideau Canal and Howe Sound

18 boats at Smiths Falls on the Rideau; 14 at Horseshoe Bay on the Pacific coast. They are five time zones apart and sail nothing alike.

Season
Mid-May – mid-October

Rideau lockstations are closed and unmaintained from mid-October to mid-May. On the Pacific coast the practical cruising window is June to September.

Changeover day
Saturday

All 32 boats hand over on a Saturday, so the week is fixed at both bases.

Worth the detour

Where to drop anchor in Canada

  • 1

    The Rideau locks

    45 locks across 24 lockstations between Ottawa and Kingston, most still operated by hand. The lockstation is the social centre of a Rideau day — you tie up, wait your turn, and talk to whoever is in the chamber with you.

  • 2

    Smiths Falls

    Where the Ontario fleet is based, roughly midway along the canal. Three lock flights in the town itself, which makes the first hour of the charter a practical lesson in how lockage works.

  • 3

    Big Rideau Lake

    The largest of the lakes on the route, south-west of Smiths Falls. Open enough to raise a chop in wind, and the stretch where the canal feels least like a canal.

  • 4

    Jones Falls

    A flight of locks and a stone-arch dam that was the tallest in North America when it was built. One of the set pieces of the southern half of the canal.

  • 5

    Westport and the Upper Rideau

    A village at the top of the summit level, reachable on a short detour. Practical turning point for a crew that does not want to push for Kingston.

  • 6

    Ottawa — the Rideau Locks flight

    Eight locks lifting the canal from the Ottawa River to the city, between Parliament Hill and the Château Laurier. Reaching it from Smiths Falls takes two or three days each way.

  • 7

    Howe Sound — Snug Cove, Bowen Island

    A short hop from Horseshoe Bay and the usual first night on the Pacific side. Village, dock and a protected inlet; the easiest introduction to the sound.

  • 8

    Gambier Island and Plumper Cove

    Gambier's long bays — Halkett, Centre and West — all hold anchorages, and Plumper Cove on neighbouring Keats Island is a marine park with mooring buoys. The core of a Howe Sound week.

  • 9

    Squamish, at the head of the sound

    The far point of the fjord, under the Chief and the coast mountains. Also the reason for the sound's wind: outflow funnels down from the interior and the afternoon breeze builds a real chop on the way back.

Suggested routes

Where a week in Canada could take you

The Rideau Canal from Smiths Falls

7 days

No prior certificate needed beyond the handover checklist. Days are measured in locks rather than miles; plan around lockstation hours, not weather.

  1. 1

    Smiths Falls

    Handover and the rental safety checklist; work through the town locks and stop short.

  2. 2

    Lower Rideau Lake / Portland

    Out of the canal cut and into the lake system.

  3. 3

    Westport, Upper Rideau Lake

    Up to the summit level; village mooring for the night.

  4. 4

    Jones Falls

    The lock flight and the stone-arch dam — the turning point for most crews.

  5. 5

    Back to Big Rideau Lake

    The most open water on the route; anchor off one of the islands.

  6. 6

    Merrickville

    North-east of Smiths Falls through two lockstations; a blockhouse and a working village quay.

  7. 7

    Smiths Falls

    Short run back for the Saturday handover.

Find a boat for this route

Howe Sound from Horseshoe Bay

7 days

Tidal water with real currents and an afternoon wind that builds up the sound. Shorter legs than the distances suggest, because you plan around the breeze.

  1. 1

    Horseshoe Bay to Snug Cove, Bowen Island

    An hour across; settle in rather than pushing north on handover day.

  2. 2

    Plumper Cove, Keats Island

    Marine park with buoys, on the west side of the sound.

  3. 3

    Gambier Island — Halkett or Centre Bay

    Deep, quiet inlets; the best anchoring in the sound.

  4. 4

    Squamish

    The run to the head of the fjord. Go in the morning — the outflow and the afternoon chop both build later.

  5. 5

    Porteau Cove or back to Gambier

    Work back south with the breeze behind you.

  6. 6

    Bowen Island — Mannion Bay

    Last anchorage, close enough to base for an unhurried morning.

  7. 7

    Horseshoe Bay

    Short leg back for the Saturday handover.

Find a boat for this route

Before you book

Local rules and paperwork in Canada

Proof of competency
Required for every motorised boat — but the base can provide it. Canada has no exemption by boat size, engine power or operator age. The accepted forms are a Pleasure Craft Operator Card, a pre-1999 Canadian boating course certificate, or a completed rental-boat safety checklist. The checklist is filled in with the base on handover day and must be carried on board for the whole charter.
What the checklist covers
Boat handling, safety rules and local hazards. It has to record that the rental agency briefed you on operating this particular boat, the main safety rules, and the geography and hazards of the area you will be in. Treat the briefing as the training, not a formality.
Rideau — lockage and mooring
Permits are needed and are bought from Parks Canada. Lockage and overnight mooring at lockstations are charged separately from the charter. Season passes and shorter passes both exist; the base will advise which suits your route.
Shoreline speed limit
10 km/h within 30 m of shore. Applies to all power-driven vessels, and several Rideau sections have posted zones at that limit for their whole length. It is enforced, and on a canal you are near shore most of the day.
Pacific coast — tides and currents
Plan passages around them. Howe Sound is properly tidal. Currents in the narrows are strong enough that timing matters more than engine power, and the afternoon wind funnelling down the sound builds a short, steep chop. Morning departures are the rule here.
Desolation Sound
Not a week from Horseshoe Bay. It is roughly 130 nautical miles north — most of a week one way. Canada's largest marine park, 84 km² with around 25 named anchorages and summer water temperatures of 21–26 °C in the bays, but it needs a one-way charter or a fortnight, not an optimistic Saturday.

Checked October 2026. Rules change — confirm the detail that matters for your trip when you book.

What is here

The Canada fleet at a glance

The fleet in Canada is made up of 32 motor yachts.

Most boats here are motor yachts, averaging 12.3 metres.

Weekly prices start in the €3,000 – €6,000 range, where 29 boats are listed.

Boats sleep between 5 and 12 guests, with cabins up to 5.

The most common size band is 10 – 13 m, with 18 boats.

The fullest month on the calendar right now is Oct 2026: 100% of the fleet already has at least one booking, while 0 boats are still completely open.

32
Motor yachts
from €3.519

Budget

Charter prices in Canada

Weekly rate, set by the operator. No booking fee.

Space on board

Boat sizes

Sleeping 5–12 guests

  • 10 – 13 m 18
  • 13 – 16 m 14

Availability

How full is the calendar in Canada?

Share of the Canada fleet that already holds at least one reservation, for each of the next twelve months. Taken from the operators' own calendars and refreshed daily — a boat with one week booked can still be chartered in the others.

Months further out look emptier simply because they are further away — most charters are booked a few months ahead, not a year.

Pick a month to see what is still open that week.

  • Quiet
  • Picking up
  • Busy
  • Peak
100%
Oct
’26
0 open
100%
Nov
’26
0 open
100%
Dec
’26
0 open
0%
Jan
’27
32 open
0%
Feb
’27
32 open
0%
Mar
’27
32 open
0%
Apr
’27
32 open
0%
May
’27
32 open
0%
Jun
’27
32 open
0%
Jul
’27
32 open
0%
Aug
’27
32 open
0%
Sep
’27
32 open

Most common models in Canada

Counted from our live catalogue.

Le Boat Horizon 1
9 available · from €3.519
Le Boat Horizon 2
9 available · from €3.584
Le Boat Horizon 3
6 available · from €5.274
Le Boat Horizon 4
5 available · from €4.744
Le Boat Horizon 5
3 available · from €6.084

The fleet

Yachts in Canada

32 yachts available · from €503 / day

−15% Special offer
6
motoryacht

Horizon 1 - Premier 57

Peterborough

2 cabins 5 guests 11.5 m 2022
From €521 / day €3.649 / week campaign week €2.389
View
−15% Special offer
6
motoryacht

Horizon 1 - Premier 63

Peterborough

2 cabins 5 guests 11.5 m 2022
From €521 / day €3.649 / week campaign week €2.259
View
See all 32 yachts Filter by dates, size and budget

Where to sail

All 2 sailing regions in Canada

Every region we have boats in, largest fleet first — with the number of departure bases so you can see where a week actually starts.

Canada / Ontario - Rideau Canal

Mostly Motoryachts — 100% of the local fleet.

Yachts
18
Bases
1
From
From €503 / day €3.519 / week

Canada / British Columbia - Pacific Coast

Mostly Motoryachts — 100% of the local fleet.

Yachts
14
Bases
1
From
From €512 / day €3.584 / week

Good to know

Frequently asked questions

Weekly prices in our catalogue break down as: €3,000 – €6,000 (29), €6,000 – €12,000 (3). The lowest published weekly rate is €3,519. These are the operators' own prices — we add no booking fee.
Our Canada catalogue currently lists 32 motor yachts.
Booking pressure is highest in Oct, when 100% of the fleet already holds at least one reservation. Dec is the quietest month in our calendar. Availability shown on this site is synchronised daily from the operators' own reservation systems.
32 of the 32 boats we list in Canada are available bareboat, meaning you sail them yourself. A recognised licence is required; the listing states which. 0 boats can be chartered with a skipper.
Boats in Canada sleep from 5 up to 12 guests, with the largest offering 5 cabins. Most groups book a boat in the 10 – 13 m size band.

Ready to explore Canada by sea?

32 verified yachts across 2 regions.

Browse yachts Talk to concierge