Oceanside Harbor to Catalina

[sdforklift]

I am new to this site and honestly this is my first time ever posting in any Forum. I want to take my boat (23' Regal) out to Catalina and instead of going up to Long Beach I figured why not just go from Oceanside Harbor over? Once there I figured for the first trip I'd stay at Avalon just cause the family has never seen Catalina. I have plenty of fuel, two radios, two chart plotters and a dinghy. If I cruise I should make it there in 1.5-2hrs. Is there a reason that driving my boat up to Long Beach would be safer than taking my boat the extra distance? I would sure rather only have a quick drive home. Please let me know your thoughts, suggestions and if you happen to want to boat buddy up.

[vegasandre]

Its a straight shot to Avalon from Oceanside. Just did it twice on my sailboat last two months. its 42 miles. No Need to go up to long beach,dana pt or Newport. Sounds like you are equipped. You want to leave in am in order to get a good spot and better sea conditions.
As long as you have a vessel assist from boat US - you are good to go.

[Capt Phil]

Piece of cake from Oceanside to Catalina... fuel up before leaving and take along a couple of extra fuel and oil filters just to be on the safe side. There will be heaps of traffic out there as you get closer to Catalina so keep your eyes open astern as well as ahead of you. Wait at the Avalon Harbor entrance for the harbor patrol to assign you a bouy, they take you in order that you arrive... I believe you can contact them on channel 9, if you call on 16 they will tell you the correct contact and monitoring channel. It will be busy through Labor Day then quiets down considerably... if Avalon is full, try Cherry Cove just north of Avalon or Two Harbors closer to the north end. Not as many amenities but a really nice spot to hang out. Anchorage is better at Two Harbors, Avalon does not permit anchoring within the harbor... bouy moorage only. You can anchor off the beach north of Avalon but the beach drops off very steeply so have lots of anchor rode... cheers, Phil

[sdforklift]

Thanks for the info. I dropped vessal assist because it no longer came with boat insurance. I went through State Farm and for $20 / month I am fully covered and they also will pay me back for any towing expenses I get. I just have to pay for them upfront. I'll bring some extra fuel to be safe but why the extra filters?

[Capt Phil]

If your Regal has been sitting at the dock or spent a lot of time inside Oceanside Harbor, your trip across could stir up some stuff normally sitting in the bottom of your fuel tank (I was assuming you had a diesel) which will clog up your existing filter system. If you have a gas engine or twin gas engines, and you haven't used them much or the tanks have been left partially filled, you can get condensation which, on a crossing, can dump some water into your fuel filter and cause you problems.
From your post, I got the impression that your boat hadn't been used much on the outside. It has been my experience as a delivery skipper that boats that are dock queens or haven't been used much are prone to fuel problems the first time they get into open ocean... just trying to save you some problems out there... cheers, Phil

[svHyLyte]

Originally Posted by sdforklift

I am new to this site and honestly this is my first time ever posting in any Forum. I want to take my boat (23' Regal) out to Catalina and instead of going up to Long Beach I figured why not just go from Oceanside Harbor over? Once there I figured for the first trip I'd stay at Avalon just cause the family has never seen Catalina. I have plenty of fuel, two radios, two chart plotters and a dinghy. If I cruise I should make it there in 1.5-2hrs. Is there a reason that driving my boat up to Long Beach would be safer than taking my boat the extra distance? I would sure rather only have a quick drive home. Please let me know your thoughts, suggestions and if you happen to want to boat buddy up.

Considering that it is roughly 47 miles from breakwater to breakwater and that the seas in the Catalina channel are typically southerly a 4-6 feet, often with a southwesterly cross-swell, ignoring the prevailing winds, just how fast do you think you can drive that 23' boat and how reliable is your engine?

[sdforklift]

Gotcha.... I have a 350 in my Regal. I have a mooring in Mission Bay but since I live in Ramona I like to keep the boat close so I can work on it and trailer it down every few weeks. So it gets ran around the bay, out to the kelp beds and hopefully soon to Catalina. So far the motor has been very reliable. From what I read my 5.7 I/O is most efficient between 3000-3500 rpm. That puts me between 26-32 mph and I will burn approx. 3.19 mpg. The boat will run much faster but then I would need to bring a lot more fuel. My tank is 58 gallons so I should be able to do this run with plenty of extra. I'd still bring that extra and possibly fill up in Catalina for the first time. The reason why I am so hot on making this trip is because when I have to pay for my mooring the next go-around I am considering getting a sailboat that will stay full time down there and eventually work up to sailing out to Catalina. Thanks for all the feedback it is great.

[sdforklift]

Oh and not that it makes a big difference but my Regal is a Sport Cuddy. So yes it is a pleasure boat but it is also designed for offshore fishing.