Sailing to Catalina Island

"..26 miles across the sea; Santa Catalina is a-waitin for me" (1958- The Four Preps)

Instead of flying to the Airport in the Sky try sailing to Avalon Harbor. On a 222 degree heading from the Newport Harbor bell buoy the 6 hour plus sail to Avalon harbor can be calm or calamitous or anything in between. A good weather forecast is a must even for this short trip. If you don't own a boat, and good thinking there, you can rent one at Windward Sailing Club in Newport Harbor. I've been a member for 30 years and highly recommend it. You'll have to do a check-out and sailing test, but they maintain their boats well. We rented the C'est la Vie, a Beneteau 44.

Our favorite plan is to meet at the Lido Village Boardwalk in the early evening and load the boat with 4 day's provisions. Then we have a leisurely dinner at one of the dock side restaurants until about 10 or 11 pm. After dinner we board the sail boat and head out. If we time it right, everyone except the skipper sleeps and we usually arrive at Avalon harbor around 6 am and are first in line to get a mooring assignment from the harbor master who will meet us at the mouth of the bay.

Even though inside the harbor is usually better, we have enjoyed moorings in the first two rows at Descanso Beach just west of Avalon. Its a very quick dinghy ride into the beach where there are showers and other facilities, as well as small shops and an open air bar. The beach itself is very rocky at the waterline with some sand further ashore for laying out. There is also a water taxi that will pick you up at your boat and take you to the main harbor and downtown. This is a great Avalon Harbor reference page for anyone considering the trip.

There is little to do in Avalon apart from shopping, drinking, dining and the occasional movie in the art deco Casino building. Going to the movies here is a real blast from the past. There is actually a live piano playing in front of the audience next to the screen before the feature performance. Catalina is probably best know for wonderful snorkeling and scuba diving. There are also places to parasail or rent kayaks.

In 1972 the island was donated by the Wrigley family (of chewing gum fame) to the Catalina Island Conservancy, a non-profit organization. Although more than two-thirds of the island is protected you can get hiking permits through the Conservancy and view first hand some of the rugged scenery that provided the backdrop for many early Westerns. In fact, there is a sizable population of buffaloes on the island, descendants of the original ones used in early filming.