If you’ve spent time along Victoria’s Inner Harbour, you’ll have undoubtably noticed a few tiny, black-and-yellow checker boats zipping around. These seemingly oversized bathtub toys (affectionately called “Pickle Boats”) are in fact, Victoria’s Harbour Ferries; and make no mistake, they’re as iconic to the waterfront as seaplanes, hanging baskets, and the Empress Hotel.
Victoria's Inner Harbour had long been a hub for pleasure craft, fishing boats, and ferries, but for years nobody had thought to create a taxi-style service for short hops across the water to connect all the nooks and crannies of Victoria’s busy Inner Harbour; that was until 1990. That's when friends George McClure and George McClintock came up with the idea of Victoria Harbour Ferries, and beginning with just two boats, they set out to service the people who needed to get around the harbour quickly, and easily.
The classic “New York” taxi look of the boats wasn’t an accident, either. The two Georges wanted their service to be something that said "fun" as much as "functional', so they painted the boats with the same checkerboard stripes as the famous cabs in the Big Apple -and it worked! To this day, visitors and locals smile in delight whenever they see the familiar checkerboard design dashing from port to port in the Inner Harbour.
Today, the fleet has grown to eighteen vessels (including three electric, zero-emission boats), each carrying a handful of passengers at a time. And they’re not just for sightseeing—though the view of the parliament buildings and Empress Hotel from the water is hard to beat—they also connect key waterfront stops like Fisherman’s Wharf, the Inner Harbour causeway, Chinatown, West Bay, plus a few hidden marinas along the Gorge Waterway.
The Harbour Ferries also host one of Victoria’s coolest traditions: the “Ferry Ballet”—yes, ballet—which began in the 1990s as a publicity stunt, and has remained ever since. Each summer weekend day at 10:30 am, six captains guide their boats through a synchronized “dance” that sees them spinning, weaving, and pirouetting along to booming classical music, and to the delight of hundreds of onlookers. It’s a uniquely Victorian tradition that shouldn't be missed!
Over the years, the ferries have carried wedding parties, birthday groups, sightseeing parties, and countless pub-crawls in and around the harbour, with each passage turning a special event into an extra-special memory for those taking part. For people wanting a longer ride with some brief history attached, the taxis host one-hour tours of the harbour.
No doubt about it, there’s something uniquely Victorian about these ferries: they’re a mix of practicality, playfulness, and waterfront charm. Whether it’s a commute to work at Fisherman’s Wharf or heading to Chinatown for some dim sum, anyone who travels across the harbour aboard a pickle boat water taxi is joining a thirty-plus year tradition that's as iconic to Victoria, as afternoon tea at the Empress.
So what are you waiting for? Strap on your sea legs and we’ll meet you at the harbour!
Why not take a water taxi trip with HIDDEN VICTORIA? Two of our tours – PICKLE PUB CRAWL and BITES & SITES- include the taxi ride in the cost of the tour. For more information, CLICK HERE.
For more information on the Harbour Taxi information, hours and schedules CLICK HERE.