West Coast Boating....

Boat Guy

Boat Guy

Well-Known Member
May 15, 2013
2,289
Who knows? Could be Cali, Oahu, Florida, Annapolis
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400 DA
Engines
CAT 3116s
Hey, I made it down to Marina Del Rey the other day.

That's a pretty big marina!

I wonder how you guys on the west coast boat. Do you cruise and do trips north or south, or do you go out for a bit and go back to the same marina?

Any CSR'ers in MDR? Didn't see too many Sea Rays....
 
Yes, MDR is a large marina.

There are some SR owners on this board that slip there, so they will probably chime in.

Cruising in the so-cal area is different than in the great lake region and probably back east as well. We don’t have a lot of destinations that are protected for anchoring. Most people drive around the marina, and some will go outside in to the deep. Overall, boat use is low, and most boats sit for many months unoccupied. I suppose it’s the weather, and people have a lot of things they can do, so getting on their boat is not a high priority like it is when you have a season. I don’t follow that mantra, but that is how it goes here in general.

The main destination for us, especially from MDR, is Catalina Island. They have a 22 mile run, while down here in San Diego it is closer to 80 miles one way. CI is a great place with deep blue water for snorkeling, fishing, etc, but crowded in the summer.

In our area (San Diego) we spend a lot of time in the bay, and venture outside periodically. SD harbor is very large, and two anchorage, so it’s a nice place to cruise.

 
We're west coast river boaters (Columbia and Snake) so it's easy to pick destinations when we head out. We either turn to port or stbd. Both directions offer an assortment of places to tie to a dock or drop the hook. When we overnight on the boat we don't have to cruise very far to find a good, well sheltered anchorage.
 
I boated in SoCal for about 20 years before moving North. We moored in Long Beach and used to go to Catalina of course but we would also go down to Newport Harbor, and Dana Point. Mr.Fletcher is correct in there are very few places to drop a hook but, we could continue South to Oceanside and down to San Diego and beyond that is Mexico.

From Long Beach north is King Harbor in Redondo, Marina Del Rey and past that is Ventura/Oxnard and then Santa Barbara. Going farther north from there you need to be committed as things really change at Point Conception. There are a lot of marinas to stay in. But often times we would go from Long Beach to San Pedro and have lunch. One of my favorite things to do was to head out on the ocean for about 20 minutes and shut the engines off and just sit. Obviously for all of these activities you need to pick the right time and weather.

In Northern Cal we have the Delta which is 1000 miles of navigable waterway that can get you from Central California out to San Francisco Bay and beyond. What we don't have is an equivalent to the Intercoastal Waterway. As I said, you often need to be committed and have the right equipment around you. Making lemonade is important.
 
We cruise the Puget Sound, San Juan islands and Canadian Gulf islands and up to Canada's Desolation sound. It's boating paradise and can't be beat.


There are too many marinas to list.
 
I'm in MDR, but new to boating..bought a 340 at end of 'season' last year. I haven't made it to Catalina yet, but plan on it this year.
i have been out to paradise cove a few times, anchored for a few hours and watched the sunset. Last time it was Dolphins and whales in one trip..ridiculous day. Went south to redondo/ king harbor but wasn't sure where to tie up so we just cruised back. Been to breakfast and dinner at the only boat up restaurant in MDR : killer shrimp about a half dozen times. You have to phone in the order and pick it up, but at least they have a dock!

going to go to long beach for a day trip this weekend..planning to boat to the marina and grab a slip for a few hours (still haven't figured out that process) and have lunch and a beer with friends.

so far the boat has been great in 4-6 foot waves which seem common in the Santa monica bay.

cheers,

chris
 
Nehalennia said:
We cruise the Puget Sound, San Juan islands and Canadian Gulf islands and up to Canada's Desolation sound. It's boating paradise and can't be beat.


There are too many marinas to list.
Click to expand...

I used to think that area couldn't be beat until I went a little further north.



 
Looks great guys...

MDR is a nice marina. I went down to LB too. Friendly and a few different marinas down there.

Enjoy your trip.

I've gone further SW and I'm on Oahu checking out Haleiwa marina... 10 year wait list!!

I'll be back in Cali when it warms up...brrrrrr
 
modernvista said:
I'm in MDR, but new to boating..bought a 340 at end of 'season' last year. I haven't made it to Catalina yet, but plan on it this year.
i have been out to paradise cove a few times, anchored for a few hours and watched the sunset. Last time it was Dolphins and whales in one trip..ridiculous day. Went south to redondo/ king harbor but wasn't sure where to tie up so we just cruised back. Been to breakfast and dinner at the only boat up restaurant in MDR : killer shrimp about a half dozen times. You have to phone in the order and pick it up, but at least they have a dock!

chris
Click to expand...

Chris, where is paradise cove?
 
We keep the Sea Senor in Mission Bay, San Diego. This is a smaller harbor about 4 miles North of San Diego harbor. We like to venture downtown and cruise Mission Bay, although it can get crowded on summer weekends. We often anchor out and spent a night or two. When I lived in LA, we kept the boat in Cabrillo harbor, Long Beach, which is the closest harbor to Catalina (only about 24 miles). It was an easy run to Catalina on weekends. Although summer weekends get crowded, we are able to anchor closer to shore than most and can usually find a cove to be alone in for a few days. We have had Two Harbors, Catalina TOTALLY alone in December-Feb a few times. It is really an incredible place, especially when no one is around. If we wanted to stick around Long Beach, it is a really crazy industrial, busy port. From Cabrillo, it was about 6 miles South to Shoreline Village, where there are a bunch of restaurants and bars and shops.

Growing up in Boynton Beach, FL, SoCal is DEFINITELY not the boating lifestyle destination that SoFla is. I miss hopping the sandbars on weekends and the abundance of fish just offshore. The water temp here is highly discouraging of hanging out in the water in a bathing suit. The Pacific is a different beast altogether. Leaving Long Beach, the channel drops to a few thousand feet just a few miles offshore. Preparedness and having Plans A-Z is definitely important.
 
Billfletcher said:
Chris, where is paradise cove?
Click to expand...

34 0.948' N
118 47.046' W

Malibu, no shelter in adverse conditions
i haven't anchored overnight, but friends have and beach landed in dinghy and went to bar.
pretty, swam around boat in early fall..its a nice afternoon 'destination' in Santa Monica bay.
last time out saw whales and dolphins.

Btw, if you haven't read it..I recommend the cruising guide to central and southern California by Brian Fagan


Cheers!

chris
 
modernvista said:
34 0.948' N
118 47.046' W

Malibu, no shelter in adverse conditions
i haven't anchored overnight, but friends have and beach landed in dinghy and went to bar.
pretty, swam around boat in early fall..its a nice afternoon 'destination' in Santa Monica bay.
last time out saw whales and dolphins.

Btw, if you haven't read it..I recommend the cruising guide to central and southern California by Brian Fagan


Cheers!

chris
Click to expand...

Thanks, surfed near this spot in the past but I don't get the boat the far up this north. But, would love to try it for an anchor one of these days. I will also check out the book.
 
NorCal Boater said:
One other cool thing about the Delta is we boat all year.
Click to expand...
Not this weekend, too much rain in the forecast. Next weekend will be out on the water all weekend with forecasts showing low 70's right now!
 
HUMPH said:
Not this weekend, too much rain in the forecast. Next weekend will be out on the water all weekend with forecasts showing low 70's right now!
Click to expand...

Sun and 70 this weekend, so the storm heading your way will miss us down here. But, we would take the rain if we could get it.

Ordered the west coast book Chris noted. Found it on Amazon. Looks like a good source of info for us lefties.
 
Billfletcher said:
Ordered the west coast book Chris noted. Found it on Amazon. Looks like a good source of info for us lefties.
Click to expand...

yup, i have the paperback on the boat and the kindle ebook on my ipad. i refer to it frequently...some of it is out of date, but it's the best resource i've found to date.

heading to 'downtown marina' and the public docs in San Pedro this weekend..a few hour stopover with friends for lunch and check out Port O Call tourist attraction. it will be fun to boat by the Battleship Iowa!

chris
 
Westie said:
I used to think that area couldn't be beat until I went a little further north.
Click to expand...

Westie, i'm a bit jealous - it's not glass but it looks like the marina on a windy day! nice!
 
modernvista said:
Westie, i'm a bit jealous - it's not glass but it looks like the marina on a windy day! nice!
Click to expand...

Well if you want glass you just have to see things early in the morning



Or wait until you stop for the night

 
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