Cruising Catalina
There is a lot more to our own local paradise than you might have thought
Pictured above, Cabrillo Harbor, in the lee of Little Gibraltar
There is a lot more to Catalina than Avalon, Two Harbors, and Catalina Harbor. Like many though, when I first started sailing to Catalina decades ago, I thought it was all about just those three places. In fact, I remember when a sailing friend and student, years ago, told me she was excited about chartering a sailboat and sailing with her friends to the Isthmus. It was July, and so I asked what she was going to do if there weren’t any moorings available. She said she didn’t know and might have to head back to Newport Beach. Oh no!
We continued the conversation, and I gave her some ideas, but I have to say it really bothered me. How can you turn back? There is so much more to Catalina and I’ve never worried about moorings! I figured there might be many sailors who thought the same way, so I wrote a guidebook entitled Anchoring at Catalina: No Moorings? No Problem! – available on Amazon.
Many sailors and boaters think of only three places to go on Catalina: Avalon, Two Harbors, and Cat Harbor
This is what Catalina looks like to me now: 28 great coves, and only 11 of them have moorings.
Where the Magic Happens
There is so much more to cruising Catalina. There are 28 coves good for overnighting, and only 11 of them have moorings. The real magic of cruising Catalina happens when you realize that you can choose to anchor bow and stern in a beautiful cove, or decide you want to get a mooring. And if no moorings are available, you can pick another cove. That is the freedom confident cruisers have.
When you know how to anchor in a variety of coves and conditions, the island experience opens up for you. And then, the moorings become a luxury item you can choose to indulge in – not something you have to depend on.
Imagine a special anchorage with your sailing friends and family where you can make your own Buffalo Milk (the signature Two Harbors cocktail), snorkel while the sun is still high, sit in the cockpit as the sun goes down, and light the BBQ to get dinner started. Stars appear and you see the city lights glowing on the dark horizon, and there are only a few other self-sufficient boats in the anchorage. You get your smartphone app to identify the constellations and suddenly, nothing else matters.
See below for a little about of some of my favorite coves.
Big Geiger Cove
Cabrillo Harbor
Goat Harbor
Rippers Cove
Buttonshell Beach
Willow Cove, about 2 NM from Avalon
Aerial photos and drone video by Jamen Rhodes. Sonar surveys by Marc Hughston using Lowrance equipment, rendered on C-MAP
An Overview of Some Favorites
Big Geiger is just west of Two Harbors, right next to Howlands Landing. There are no moorings, and you can anchor bow and stern in sand. See if you can avoid the grass with your bow anchor, and lie in about 20’ depending on your position and the tide. The water is usually flat and clear in the cove. You have moderate protection from WNW winds. The snorkeling is good on the E and W sides and out at the rock awash at the point. Shore facilities belong to the Blue Water Cruising Club. Do not go ashore without an invitation from a member.
Cabrillo Harbor is in the lee of Little Gibraltar, about 1 NM W of Goat Harbor. The most spectacular spot is right next to the western wall with your stern anchor in front of the rock islet and your bow pointing at Palos Verdes. There are no moorings. The beach is open to landing, snorkeling at the point is good, and it is nice to see W wind-driven white caps roll by the bow while you lie in flat water. The rock islet makes for an exciting cliff jump into the water, but the water is only 10-12’ deep where you land.
Goat Harbor has a lot of room. The best spots are along the western wall, anchored bow and stern, in about 20’-25’ in sand. There are no moorings. When you get away from the western wall, the cove gets much deeper and the slope increases. Big boats often anchor out in the middle in deep water on a single hook. The beach is open to landing, and the snorkeling is okay. Goat Harbor is excellent from Memorial Day to well into the fall, but it is open to WNW winds which make it a poor choice in the winter when wind waves march right into the bay.
Rippers Cove is the next cove E of Empire Landing. It is beautiful on a calm sunny day, and it feels like Emerald Bay without the moorings. The water is flat, and the snorkeling is good along the western wall. Anchor bow and stern in sand, lying in about 20’. See if you can avoid the grass when you drop the bow anchor. Like Goat Harbor, it is excellent during the season but may not be suitable in the winter and spring when the WNW winds pipes up and the waves march into the bay. The beach is open to landing, and hikers can pick their way to the road that leads to the Isthmus.
Button Shell Beach is home to Camp Fox. Located at the N end of the White Cove complex, the best anchorage is bow and stern set in sand on the S side of the pier and to seaward, lying in around 25’-30’. While there are about 7 moorings beautifully placed in the lee of Long Point, I always anchor if I stay here. The beach belongs to Camp Fox and is not open to landing.
Willow Cove is only about 2 NM from Avalon, right next door to Toyon and its CIMI facility, and you can see it from Hen Rock. I have anchored here a lot. Willow is almost always open because no one realizes it is there. Anchor bow and stern in sand, with your boat lying in about 20’-25’. We have had 4 boats in this anchorage, all anchored bow and stern. At night, it is really a sight to see the kids at Toyon snorkeling around Mike Nelson Rock with red lights on their caps and shining flashlights below. The beach at Willow is open to landing. Years ago, I had a student who grew up on Catalina and I asked him about the name of the cove. He said, “You see that chimney up there? That was the Willow’s house.” You can see that chimney at minute 0:31 in this video: Catalina Drone Flight. They had a house up there???
As a professional sailing instructor, I have sailed in many parts of the world but Catalina is a beautiful home base for me. I have had so many good times and made so many good friends and memories. There is so much to see and do as a cruiser at Catalina, and I want to encourage you to explore. You may find, as I have, that some of the best places on the island just don’t have any moorings.
See you out there!
Anchored bow & stern at Cabrillo Harbor
Life is good
