Catalina to Avalon

Catalina -Two Harbors

Before our departure from Catalina we all got in the dinghy and motored to shore.  The water was such a crystal light blue color that you could see almost down to the sea floor and you could see little tiny fish swimming around. It made me want to jump right in! It felt cool to the touch but it was so warm out that I knew it would have to feel better in there than being out I the heat.

The beach at Catalina

On Catalina

As we got to shore there were lots of people arriving by Ferryboat. Some looked to be just there for the day and some were carrying camping type backpacks looking like they may be staying a while.  We saw Kayaks lined up on the beach and many dinghies tied up along the pier. There were lots of palm trees surrounding the beach area. I already felt like I was in Mexico.  There were a few restaurants, a tiny grocery store and several tourist type shops. 

Rick and Jeff getting the dinghy ready to take to shore

Rick and Kit 

We went into the grocery store and bought a few snack items and then decided there wasn’t much going on so we took our dinghy back to 
our boat. I heard this time of year the Island is typically slow. Maybe the weekends fill up but on a Thursday in November it’s kind of dead.

It really felt hot when we got back to the boat so four of us decided to put on our bathing suits and go for a swim. Rick was the instigator. He jumped in first and you could tell he was a little out of breath but trying to act like he adapted to the cold water just fine.  I stepped slowly down the ladder getting my feet wet, then knees, and

then I just finally went in!  Brrr!  66 degrees seemed VERY cold! It took me a minute to catch my breath! It sure felt exhilarating though! Within about 30 seconds it wasn’t so bad and it actually felt pretty good!  The other guys jumped in with no problem and then we all swam around.  After swimming for 20-30 minutes we got back on board, hosed off with fresh water, and relaxed on the deck sunning like lizards.  Soaking up all the heat we could. The wind slowly started to pick up a bit, so after we had a bite to eat, we decided to head for Avalon, which was a two hour sail.

After the shock wore off

Our departure was not as smooth as we’d hoped. When it came time to untie the line attached to the mooring ball we had a big problem! The line apparently was wrapped over the top of the prop (luckily not intertwined). So Rick offered to jump in the water and see what he could do to unwrap the line.  The line was pretty taught and heavy because it was attached to the mooring ball that weighs 100-200 lbs, which is then attached to a cement block (which weighs about 500-600 lbs.) down at the sea floor.  So needless to say he was struggling to remove it. It was also cooler outside because of the winds, so being in and out of the water wasn’t as fun as the swim we had earlier. After almost a half hour, Rick finally

All of us enjoying a swim!

got us untied! We then started to head out of the area. We set our course and enjoyed a beautiful motor sail to Avalon. We arrived around 4:30pm.  From the water before we got to shore, you could see a Casino, a few colorful homes wedged into the side of the mountain, a rather fancy looking resort tucked in the other side of the mountain and a little town along the waterfront packed with shops and restaurants. There were lots of lights flickering, noises and sounds of people having a good time. It looked like we were headed to Disneyland….a Disneyland for grownups. 

View of Avalon from a distance

Casino at Avalon

Pulling up to the Harbor, we were greeted by a Harbor Patrolman who took our information and money so that we could pick up a mooring ball for the night. He needed our boat size etc before he could determine which mooring ball we could hook up to.  The cost was $43.00 per night. Not bad! After we landed the boat carefully, we put on some warmer clothes and took a water taxi to shore. The cost of the taxi was $4.75 per person…. each way.  So far the people we dealt with here at Avalon have been very nice and accommodating. 

We were let off at the Pier at Avalon; we walked along the Pier and into town. The town was like old Mexico (at least what I remember of it as a kid). Cobble stone road, palm trees, mosaic water fountains, Spanish style architecture, all along the beach. There was a Casino at the far end of town that looked like a big round castle.  We didn’t walk over there because we were more interested in finding a place to eat dinner. Besides, it was so nice strolling the streets of Avalon. We did lots of window-shopping while waiting to eat at the Lobster Trap (recommended by a local). I wasn’t thrilled with the idea at first since I am allergic to shellfish but it turned out that they had a lot of other fresh fish! The dinner turned out to be one of the best we’ve had so far. The fish fresh and prepared to perfection!

After filling up on dinner, we made our way back to the Pier, climbed aboard the water taxi and went back to the boat. Before bed Jeff turned on a strange movie recommended. He fell fast asleep shortly after the title and list of the cast appeared as the rest of us all suffered staying awake watching it. I of course also fell asleep for part of it.  Not because it was odd, but because I was tired. And, I usually don’t last long watching movies anyway.  Movies seem to be a mild sedative for me.

In the morning Rick and I woke to the sound of Jeff and John starting the engine and overheard them talking about leaving. We thought we were not supposed to leave until 10am, but anyway, that was cool with us. We are anxious to be in San Diego and to keep moving towards Mexico! So, we quickly got dressed, brewed some coffee and helped to take off.

Watching the sunrise as we left Avalon

The winds were about 7 knots when we untied the mooring and headed out. We motor sailed and have been since we left.  Along with the engine we have the Jib and the Mainsail up. We are moving through the water about 5knots. The wind has stayed consistently between 5-6 knots. The sun is out and hot. We are all dressed in shorts and are barefoot and slathered in sun block. Not our usual attire we are used to when we sail in the San Francisco Bay. For example, when we left San Francisco Bay and were close to Half Moon Bay, we were all dressed in many layers. I myself was wearing thermal underwear top and bottoms, stretchy pants, waterproof pants, a sweatshirt, a fleece jacket, a down jacket, a water proof wind jacket and a PFD (personal floating device aka life vest) over all of that. Oh.. And gloves and a ski hat!  I looked like the Michelin Man. But we all looked about the same so I did not feel out of place. Mary was the most bundled up. I think she had 5 more layers on than I did.

Around 10am Rick noticed the shackle from the luff of the Jib had come off.  Good thing he noticed! That could be quite dangerous! He was able to rig something up to fix that right away. Jeff had just finished working on fixing our lifeline gate, which was missing a pin and the gate was not up.  We have just had a couple of things come up today and we are so glad they are getting seen in the daylight.

We have not been seeing too much other traffic out here. We only have seen two freighters that were way off in the horizon and one fishing boat that crossed our path. All we see is beautiful blue sparkly water, blue sky and sunshine. Not too many birds or sea life. I was hoping to come across some more whale sightings or even pods of dolphin.

Now with the water maker working like a top, we all were able to take long hot showers this morning….one after the other. No one was without hot water. Having the hot water stay so long is only due to the fact that the engine has been running.  So motor sailing has other advantages!

Since the swells are small and the boat is pretty steady, I was able to go down below and organize our v-birth (where Rick and I sleep). During our trip here it looked like a bomb had gone off! It’s hard to keep anything clean and tidy when the seas are rolling.  I got a lot of tidying up done, which felt really good. It will be nice when we roll into San Diego to have most of the cleaning and picking up behind us. 

Jeff doing his shoulder exercises on the sail to San Diego

For lunch, John barbequed some hotdogs out on the stern. From what I hear, they were delicious!

It’s been such an easygoing day. I don’t think I could feel more relaxed if I tried.  To think I was such a worrywart before I left on our trip. What a waste of energy!  This trip has me and I know Rick as well, excited for our own voyage next year!

We have about 20 miles to go to San Diego (about 5 hours…going at 5knots).  The total nautical miles from Avalon to San Deigo is about 70 miles. Once there we will be dropping off Kit and John (Kit is flying on to Denver to visit her two week old baby granddaughter and John is heading back to the Bay area). We will then be picking up Peggy (Jeff’s wife).  Not sure how many days we will be in San Diego. But I think we will be there at least 2 maybe 3 days. Then Jeff, Peggy, Rick and I will sail to Ensenada. That is where we are picking up a young couple visiting from Australia and they will be joining us on our way to Mexico. Rick and I will be getting off in Cabo San Lucas and the others final destination will be Puerto Vallarta.

Hasta luego.