Silva Bay is a historic British Columbia Port which was originally a shipyard, building the wooden fishing boats used in the local waters. During the Second World War, Silva Bay turned to producing lightweight Motor Torpedo Boats-the type made famous by John F. Kennedy. These were used extensively for coastal and submarine patrols.

 After the war, the buildings and docks were converted to a motel and marina. In 1995 the shipyard was reopened as the only wooden boat building school in Canada, producing some of the finest maritime carpenters in the world. 

The historic Silva Bay Pub was created from the shipyard office, built on piers over the foreshore which quickly became the heart of social life on Gabriola Island and an overwhelmingly popular destination for three generations.