Maritime Museum of BC Appeals to the Community for Support

Tue. 17th Feb. 2026, 2:00 pm

The Maritime Museum of BC has launched its “Float the Boat” appeal, which runs from Feb. 16 to March 16, with a goal of raising $30,000 to strengthen core operations during what the museum is calling a transition year.

Brittany Vis, Executive Director at the Maritime Museum of BC (MMBC) has an answer for those with a passion for maritime history and culture: join the MMBC’s Float the Boat appeal, launching now and running until March 16.

“With a goal of $30,000 to focus on building core operations during this transition year, we’re building resilient and sustainable exhibit processes, collections care and digitization capacity, and core programming for school visits. These are what make a museum, a museum in 2026.”

The funds raised will support daily operations at the 70-year-old non-profit, which preserves and interprets a collection of more than 35,000 objects and 554 linear feet of archival material. The museum is also working to expand public access to its digital collections, including more than 12,000 searchable archival images and its online Nauticapedia resource.

Wendy Moreton, board president, said the transition year provides an opportunity to strengthen what the museum already does well.

“It’s about maximizing the impact of activities we already do really well,” she said. “With our in-house staff and volunteer team, we rotate a brand new exhibit into our gallery at least twice a year. Travelling exhibits, loaned from the MMBC, are a sustainable opportunity for communities everywhere.”

The “Float the Boat” campaign features a visual fundraiser, using a miniature sailboat in a tank. As donation milestones are reached, the museum will release live videos showing the tank filling with water.

Vanisland.Life is joining the initiative by placing a banner for the duration of the fundraising campaign. “Sail on, Maritime, sail on!”

Victoria, Capital RD