"Matt O'Toole" wrote in message
...
Marty wrote:

I want to take my SeaRay 185 Sport to Two Harbors at Catalina Island
departing from Marina Del Rey or Long Beach.

I've made the trip countless times in my 32 foot sailboat. I'm very
comfortable with the trip and the conditions that I've encountered.
I would take the sailboat even in heavy weather, but would only take
the SeaRay 185 in fair weather conditions. I would certainly back
off in any summer conditions that felt uncomfortable to me or my
guests.

What I would like to know is have you ever made the crossing in a
small boat and can you tell me that it's a safe passage?

Sure, many of us have. Especially in mid-summer, if you go early in the
day
before the wind comes up, you can probably expect smooth water the whole
way.
Plus a small powerboat can make the trip in well under 2 hours. Once the
wind
comes up, the chop can make the trip very uncomfortable, slow, and
possibly
dangerous. You've been out there, so you've seen what it's like.

Matt O.



Matt,
Being from Northern California I do all my sailing in San Francisco Bay and
my sailing vacations are from Long Beach or Marina Del Rey to Catalina.
And, again, this is in a 32 foot sailboat that is fully competent for all
coastal cruising. I do know the summer sailing conditions and always look
forward to the wind coming up so that I can stop motoring and begin sailing.
I've never looked at the crossing from a small boat perspective and I know
my kids would get a kick out of a 2 hour crossing instead of a 5 to 8 hour
crossing. I just don't know enough about small boats with respect to that
crossing. Being comfortable with San Francisco winds, tides, currents, and
ebb tide/afternoon wind chop I don't want to make the mistake of
underestimating the Catalina channel in a small boat. After all, my family
is worth more than the crossing. Still, I know that there's got to be a ton
of folks crossing in small boats. After all, what about the paddle board
races, the jet ski races, the kayak races, the Catalina 22 races, ....?