Canada’s only registered floating pub for sale

A notable Nanaimo pub is up for sale.

The Dinghy Dock Pub, located at 8 Pirates Lane on Protection Island, is currently listed for $2.6 million. The 0.12 hectare property includes a four-bedroom house that can be converted into a bed and breakfast, the Dinghy Dock Pub and the ferry service that runs between downtown Nanaimo and Protection Island.

The Dinghy Dock has been operating since 1989 and is the only registered floating pub in Canada according to its website.

The current owner purchased the property for around $1.3 million in 2004 according to Mike McKillican, real estate agent with Sutton West Coast Nanaimo.

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McKillican said the pub is a “turn-key” business and a unique opportunity for investors. He said 11 people have visited the property, adding that there has been interest from people in Alberta, Ontario, New York, Massachusetts and Australia.

“It’s been all over the place,” he said.

There has been concerns from locals living on Protection Island regarding the future of the ferry service and a community meeting has been organized for this week. However, McKillican said the ferry service is vital to the business operations of the Dinghy Dock Pub and cannot imagine anyone wanting to discontinue it.

“I keep retreating the fact to potential buyers as well as locals that the ferry service is the lifeline of the business,” he said. “The ferry is part of the business. If anything, somebody is going to grab that business and have more ferry traffic, hopefully, if they spend a little bit more energy on the business.”

The pub is currently closed for renovations and will reopen in March according to its website.

More than 200 artists have performed at the pub over the years, including David Gogo, Lion Bear Fox, the O’Pears, Candace Curr, Stolie, Alpha YaYa Diallo, Wil and Laryssa Campbell.