Twenty-two miles. That is the working distance between Marina del Rey and Avalon, Catalina Island. On a good day with 12 knots of NW breeze, the boat is there in four hours. On a light-air day with the engine on, five. On a day with 20 knots on the nose? The crew earns it. But the boat always gets there, and once that crossing has been done once, the working understanding is clear: every Southern California sailor eventually makes this trip — and then keeps making it.
For the canonical destination overview see the Catalina Island Cruising Guide. The working pre-trip version below.
Which crossing
Catalina is roughly circular, about 22 miles long and 8 miles wide. There are two main destinations: Avalon on the southeast end (the town, the restaurants, the Casino building) and Two Harbors at the isthmus (quieter, wilder, preferred by the working cruising community).
From Marina del Rey. 22 nm to Avalon, 25 nm to Two Harbors. Most direct, slightly less shipping traffic than Long Beach.
From Newport Beach. 27 nm to Avalon, 30 nm to Two Harbors. Slightly longer but a working departure point with nice facilities.
From Long Beach. 25 nm to Avalon. Crosses the busy LA / Long Beach port approach — plan the route to avoid the shipping lanes.
From San Pedro. 22 nm to Two Harbors. Straight shot to the isthmus.
When to leave
The classic working advice is leave early, return early. The afternoon NW sea breeze typically builds to 15–20 knots by noon, and crossing a sloppy chop on return is not fun. Plan the departure for 0700–0800 and the boat is picking up a mooring by lunch.
The other thing nobody mentions: the return crossing is almost always upwind. Going over to Catalina the boat is running before or reaching on the NW breeze. Coming back the boat is pointing at it. Factor this into the planning — the return will be slower and wetter than the outbound leg.
Mooring buoys in Avalon
Avalon Harbor is almost entirely mooring buoys — anchoring is restricted to a small designated area and not worth the hassle. The Catalina Mooring Service manages the moorings; call them on VHF 09 on approach.
In summer (June–August). Call ahead, or call early on the morning of departure. Popular weekend moorings fill by Friday afternoon. If the boat arrives Saturday at noon and there is a mooring shortage, the harbour patrol will still find something, but it might be rafted to another boat.
Pricing. Priced by boat length (about $35–60/night). Cash or card accepted from the launch tender.
The tender service. Avalon has a launch service running continuously to the dock. Flag one down, pay the fee, the boat is ashore in minutes. Bring the dinghy for working independence.
Water and fuel. Available at the fuel dock at the east end of the harbour.
Two Harbors: the working local preference
Serious cruisers usually head to Two Harbors. It is quieter, the bar does not feel like downtown Santa Monica on a Saturday, and the diving at Ship Rock is legitimately world-class.
Two Harbors sits at the narrowest point of the island — a 400-metre neck of land with Isthmus Cove on the windward side and Catalina Harbor (Cat Harbor) on the lee. The cove has mooring buoys; Cat Harbor has anchorage space in settled conditions and is the working Santa Ana refuge.
The Harbor Reef Restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The dive shop rents gear. There is a general store. That is essentially it, and that is the working point.
The backside anchorages
The anchorages on the west-facing (backside) coast are where Catalina gets interesting. They are exposed to NW swell, so the boat picks the weather, but in settled conditions they are some of the more beautiful working anchoring in Southern California.
Emerald Bay (northwest end). Mooring buoys, crystal-clear water, no facilities. Boy Scout Camp Emerald Bay occupies the shore. Remote, quiet, genuinely stunning. Only accessible by boat.
Little Harbor / Shark Harbor (west side). Two coves, moorings in the main one, anchorage in the smaller southern cove. Beach ashore, campground, good snorkelling. Popular with kayakers.
Smugglers Cove (east end). Far fewer boats than Avalon, mooring buoys, dramatic cliffs, excellent snorkelling. No facilities — bring everything aboard. The hike from Avalon takes 7 miles; most cruisers come by boat.
The crossing checklist
Before leaving the mainland:
- Weather. NOAA marine forecast, Catalina-specific buoy data (NDBC Buoy 46221 near the island). Check for Santa Ana warnings — offshore winds can develop rapidly.
- Float plan. File with someone ashore.
- Fuel. Top off. The engine will run more than expected.
- Water. The island has limited water supply. Bring more than seems necessary.
- Pump-out. Do it on the mainland — Catalina takes it seriously.
- VHF. Monitor 16 on crossing; switch to 09 on arrival in Avalon or Two Harbors.
Santa Ana season: October–December
Santa Ana winds are offshore thermal winds that push down California’s inland valleys and out to sea. They can reach 30–50+ knots with minimal warning. The pre–Santa Ana tells: crystal visibility from the mainland, the mountains looking unusually sharp and close, increasing east or northeast wind.
If a Santa Ana is forecast, don’t go. If one develops while the boat is there, anchor in Cat Harbor (Catalina Harbor, the lee side at Two Harbors) or stay in Avalon (relatively protected). Waiting them out is better than being caught on the water.
What Catalina actually looks like
The island interior is California the way it looked before everything was developed — rolling chaparral hills, oak groves in the canyons, golden grass. About 88 percent of the island is preserved by the Catalina Island Conservancy. And yes, there are bison — several hundred descended from a small herd brought over for a 1924 Western film shoot and never retrieved.
Bison are sometimes visible from the harbour in Two Harbors. From a mooring in Avalon, the boat’s crew can rent a golf cart and drive to the upper part of town to see them from a distance. The conservancy runs eco-tours into the interior.
The diving is the other working thing. Catalina’s kelp forests are some of the most intact in California — giant kelp to 80 ft, garibaldi (the state marine fish) everywhere, moray eels, octopus, leopard sharks on the sandy bottom. Casino Point in Avalon is a dedicated marine park with easy shore access.
Closing notes
The crossing is 22 miles. The destination is unlike anywhere else on the Pacific Coast. Go early, come back early, and call ahead for a mooring buoy.
The boat that has done the working Catalina circuit — Avalon, Two Harbors, an Emerald Bay or Smugglers detour in settled weather — has earned the photograph the trip is remembered by.
Related: Catalina Island Cruising Guide · Marina del Rey Cruising Guide · Newport Beach Harbor Cruising Guide · Channel Islands Cruising Guide · Southern California Cruising Guide · Sailing San Diego Bay