How to Sail to Catalina Island

First determine your destination. You have two popular choices. The first is Avalon, with a population of about 3000. It's the biggest town on the island and features the Casino built by William Wrigley Jr. the chewing gum magnate. The second is Two Harbors, a rural outpost with a bar, restaurant and general store inhabited by less than three hundred souls.

Make sure that you have a big enough boat and that you know how to handle it. Although I've sailed over there several times in my Cal 25, I wouldn't attempt a sail to the island less than a 20 footer with a motor. The bigger the boat, the more comfortable will be your ride.

If you're going for a weekend, take Friday off and leave early. The winds won't come up until afternoon, so expect to spend the first part of the trip motoring. If you leave too late, you'll lesssen your chance of geting a mooring.

Be prepared. Even though it's not a long trip, you are sailing over a channel that drops to 3000 feet deep. Check the weather conditions ahead of time. Be sure to have at the very least the following: a chart to show you water depth and compass bearings, a working motor in case you get becalmed, marine radio and navigation lights, bilge pump, and compass. Radar, a GPS and depth gauge are handy extras. For emergencies, the coast guard will require that every person on the boat has a personal floatation device, PDF. A working flare gun is recommended as is a well stocked first aid kit. Since you'll most likely start sailing during the day and sailboats aren't that fast, you'll probably arrive at day's end. It's essential to bring a couple of bright flashlights. Binoculars are a good idea; those with image stabilization are even better. I always bring swim goggles or a mask. More than once now on other skipper's boats, I've had to duck underwater to free a line from a propeller shaft, an impossible task if you can barely see. It's a good idea to have your own dinghy, always with oars, preferably with a working motor. Blow it up before you leave to make sure it holds air. Carry a patch kit and pump.

Know the rules of the road, but don't ever try to enforce that old saw of sail over power. Your course will intersect with some of the most active container shipping routes in the world. If you notice that a ship is on constant bearing and closing distance, you are on a collision course. Aim for the larger ship's stern. Be careful with tug boats. They frequently tow barges, so look for them and aim for the stern of the entire tandem.

Make sure that you are well provisioned. Everything costs more on the island, especially gas and diesel fuel, so take as much as you can. Be sure to bring plenty of food and water. If you indulge in so called recreational chemicals, it's a good idea to leave them at home. If you get stopped by the Coast Guard in possesion of them, you could have your boat seized.

On holiday summer weekends don't assume that you'll get a mooring. Be ready to anchor. Check out your anchor ahead of time. Make sure that you have a crew that can handle raising and lowering it. At the very least you'll need one person on the bow to drop it, and another on the engine to hit reverse once the flukes bite bottom. When anchoring it's essential to hook the bottom like a fish, before letting out enough rode for a scope of at least 5 to 1, the ratio between length of your rode and water depth. When anchoring be sure to note how and where nearby boats are anchored. If they are on a single hook, you have to do the same, otherwise you can have a collision when the wind shifts, a neighbor swings and you don't. If they're on two, you need bow and stern hooks as well. Not suprisingly, two anchors hold better than one. I awoke one morning after setting two the night before to find that my secondary achor was the one that held. The good news is that unlike a mooring, anchoring is free.

If you get a mooring, be sure that it's big enough for your boat. On one recent trip, the mooring was designed for a 36 foot boat. We were on a 38 and didn't realize there was a mismatch. When we tried to leave at high tide, it was almot impossible to free ourselves.

If you aren't an experienced sailor, it's a good idea to crew on somebody else's boat first to see how it's done, before taking on the responsibility yourself .

Once you are ready, have fun. Unlike like a trip to the mountains in a car, when you sail to the island your vacation begins the moment you clear the breakwater and set sail. On my last two Catalina trips, I encountered a couple of whales and hundreds of dolphins, fellow mammals seeing us off with good wishes to spare.