The world of internet booking service providers that offer moorage slip reservations services has arrived in NW cruising grounds. Three providers have been actively growing their list of marinas where you can review and book marina stays. Dockwa, Snag-A-Slip, and SwiftHarbour list marinas in Washington State and British Columbia. SwiftHarbour is based in Vancouver, BC, and Dockwa and Snag-A-Slip are U.S. companies.

All three have web, Android, and iOS Apps for using their service. These are all third-party booking services where you request moorage through the service. Confirmation of your requested moorage comes from the booking agent a short-time later, after the marina confirms the request back to the booking service company. All three services allow free browsing of their listed marinas. All of the booking services require a credit card for moorage deposit or payment. Timing of charges to your credit card varies by booking service. Terms and conditions for cancellation, reservation changes, and no-show charges are governed by the marina’s policy and not the booking service.

Marina listings with the service companies are not exclusive. You will find the same marina listed with more than one service; Pt. Roberts Marina in Washington is listed with all three booking services.

Snag-A-Slip

snagaslip.com; Annapolis, MD; (443) 808-2700

Snag-A-Slip lists approximately four marinas in Washington, from Gig Harbor to Pt. Roberts. U.S. East Coast based Snag-A-Slip has a much larger presence on the East Coast, where they have many marinas listed. Snag-A-Slip advertises that you can check slip availability before booking moorage. Setting up a user account is optional, and moorage can be booked as a ‘guest’ to Snag-A-Slip. Listings are not limited to marinas, individual slip owners may list their slip for short or long-term rental.

Dockwa

dockwa.com; Newport RI & Cambridge, MA; (401) 236-8304

Dockwa is one of the larger companies in this new business category, with many listings throughout the U.S., Caribbean, Bahamas, and Panama. In the NW, Dockwa lists about 18 marinas in Washington State. Boaters may browse their listed marinas freely. A free user account is necessary to make a reservation request. Moorage is booked, confirmed, and paid through Dockwa. Their services include solutions that help the marinas manage slip reservations and moorage payment.

Swift Harbour

swiftharbour.com; Vancouver, BC; (604) 670-4818

Swift Harbour is the local Northwest company that has made a presence in this online marina moorage reservations business category. Based in Vancouver, BC, they are the only provider listing marinas in British Columbia. They list about 20 marinas covering the cruising area from the Canada U.S. border on the Salish Sea through the Gulf Islands, and out the Strait of Juan de Fuca to West Coast Vancouver Island. Browsing the marina listings is open to all, and you will need a free account to book moorage. Booking confirmation from their service includes a welcome packet with marina information.

 

 

 

Image by Eelffica from Pixabay