Leaving Marina Four past the Harbourfront Centre Stage you may continue east past some of the many large tour boats that operate in the harbour, past York Quay with the historic Royal York Hotel in the background, to the Westin Harbour Castle Hotel and the Toronto Island Ferry Terminal.
Toronto Harbour has a busy schedule of passenger ferries crossing the Inner Harbour to the three Toronto Island terminals. Crossing over the harbour and along the shore of the Toronto Islands, you’ll enjoy the quieter side of Toronto Harbour.
The first marina facility is the Queen City Yacht Club situated between Ward’s and Algonquin islands. Continuing west along the islands, you will find the Royal Canadian Yacht Club located on RCYC and South islands.
If you cruise down the channel between Olympic and RCYC islands, you’ll come to the public mooring docks at Centreville Amusement Park. The Amusement Park features a farm with lots of animals to meet and farm buildings to explore. There are fun rides like the log flume and a trolley train for the younger set to ride.
Centre Island offers opportunities to rent kayaks and paddle boats, a multitude of picnicking and sports facilities, snack bars and restaurants, and lots of paths for walking.
Continuing west, staying clear of the shoal off Olympic Island, you will pass the Centre Island ferry terminal and then reach the next facility on the islands, Island Marina. To check in, call on VHF 68 or look for the Esso sign straight ahead on the fuel docks and tie up to confirm dock assignment. The staff recommends you call or go online to book reservations, particularly for summer weekends.
Island Marina is one of the only places in the Inner Harbour offering full fuel facilities. With three pumps for diesel and gas, waiting is usually kept to a minimum on busy weekends. Many of the fixed and floating docks at Island Marina have been upgraded recently and 15-, 30- and 50- amp electricity and water is available at the over 350 slips.
Within sight of downtown, Island Marina slips are nestled amongst the 500 acres of Island parks,offering a tranquil escape from the city or an active weekend on the trails and paths. The marina has complete laundry, bar and patio restaurant facilities, as well as a convenience store, ice and internet service. And if you are looking to take in the excitement of Toronto during your stay, you are just 10 minutes away via Island Marina’s tender service to York Quay at the eastern end of Harbourfront Centre.
Our last stop on the islands can be reached by following Deep Pike Cut south and turning to starboard toward the channel that takes you into Blockhouse Bay. Island Yacht Club will be on your port. To starboard is the Hanlan’s Point public mooring area, known locally as “the Wall.” Island Yacht Club is very busy on weekends, especially during special events. Rafting is common and you are encouraged to leave minimal space between boats in order to accommodate others. As there are no reservations, plan to arrive early.
Whether you enjoy a game of tennis or volleyball or are just looking for a great spot to tie up and relax, this is a perfect spot for friends and family to enjoy. There are washrooms and showers, snack bars, wading pools, beaches, picnic tables and barbeques.
To see the beaches of Toronto Island, head back out the Western Gap and turn to port and head to the south side of the islands. You will pass Hanlan’s Point beach on the west side of the islands. After rounding Gibraltar Point, you will be cruising along the south beaches and the Centre Island Pier Approaching Toronto Island from the east, after clearing the Outer Harbour East Headlands (locally called the Leslie Street Spit), the route follows the well-marked Main Harbour Channel in through the Eastern Gap.
If you’re arriving late in the day or are looking for a marina well removed from the sound of the city, you can follow the well-buoyed channel along the north shore of Leslie, keeping the headland with the distinctive ships bridge deck on shore to port. To check in at Outer Harbour Marina, call ahead on VHF 68 or leave the docks to port and head for the back northeast corner to the fuel dock and office. Owned by the Toronto Port Authority, this is a full-service marina with two pump-outs, diesel and gas. The facility can accommodate boats from 20 to 100 feet at its wide, stable floating docks – all equipped with 30- and 50-amp electricity and water.
Just a 10-minute drive from downtown, Outer Harbour has many boaters who live on-board for the summer, enjoying the well-kept grounds and nearby bicycle trails.The wide fairways make manoeuvring easy and there is 12 to 20 feet throughout the basin. With 636 slips, the marina usually has transient docks available, but boats over 40 feet are encouraged to call ahead. Outer Harbour does not take advance reservations. Many boaters cruising east on Lake Ontario,will select a calm day and cruise directly to the eastern reaches of the lake, heading for Cobourg to refuel and stop over before heading for Trenton or the Thousand Islands.