Alan,
I'm north of San Francisco! I come down to Marina Del Rey once or twice
each summer and charter a 30 foot Catalina from Marina Sailing for a
couple of 4 day getaways. Otherwise I have a little 18 foot runabout to
play in between sailing trips. I charter 30 plus footers from Club
Nautique for sailing in San Francisco Bay. And from San Diego Yacht
Charters for my Isla Coronado and San Diego Bay trips. I made the Catalina
trip a few years ago for Thanksgiving; good weather, but swells were up
and no wind (family didn't enjoy that ride). I tend to stick to summer
for the predictable wind and warmest water.

So I've got to ask, what is it about March through May that makes it your
preferred season? It is definitely not the water temp! Is it dependable
wind for sailing? Is it the absence of crowds? We went to Avalon last
Spring for a week; great weather, but no wind.

I hiked from Two Harbors to Little Harbor and it looks like a great little
hideaway, but my charter agreement does not allow me to enter Little
Harbor because of the reef. The harbor is within my abilities, but I tend
not to break agreements I have with others.

Ripper's is just a day stop for me, as is Avalon. I prefer a mooring at
Two Harbors and take day trips from there.
I don't need to remain in cell contact, but you're right; with Cingular I
basically don't have a phone when I get to the island.

Some day I want to get my hands on Little Geiger's only mooring and try
that for some isolation. Emerald Bay was my first Catalina stop ever; the
other visits are starting to run together, but the first always stands
out.

Bryan


Bryan,

I really like the spring over there because often (though not always) the
weather is decent and you'll have the place to yourself. I love to avoid the
crowds. I like to go over with my kids during their spring break. Fall is
also good in terms of crowds, but from mid-October until February or so you
run the risk of Santa Anas. I do go over there in the fall but I watch the
weather very carefully as a Santa Ana can blow up on fairly short notice. In
the fall and winter I do tend to go over to Cat Harbor on the back side,
because it's very sheltered for a Santa Ana: not in terms of the wind (which
blows like stink through the pass) but the water is flat even with strong
winds from the NE. Wells Beach (in the NW corner of Cat Harbor) is probably
the most sheltered for a Santa Ana. Avalon and the Isthmus are not places
you want to be in a Santa Ana of any strength.

Actually, in some coves my cell phone works better than it does on the
mainland! Avalon, Isthmus, Cat Harbor, and Little Harbor are full signal.
The problem is with some of the outlying coves, depending on the terrain.

Regards,
Alan Gomes