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Local Knowledge
By Matt Trulio — Spring 2006
Named for famed Two Years Before the Mast author Richard Henry Dana, who visited the Dana Point area in the 1830s as a brig crewman, Dana Point Harbor offers excellent anchorage in its western basin. There also are a number of guest/transient slips in the marina itself, and a brief stop at the Harbor Patrol dock at the marina entrance is all it takes to secure a slip. In recent years, a sandbar has developed near the anchorage area, and it's a popular hangout. "At low tide, people stick their bows up on the sandbar," Leishman says. "There are big rafting parties there in the summer."
Mooring space is a lot more precious inside Catalina's Avalon Harbor, especially during summer weekends. Your best bet is to head for the island on Wednesday or Thursday. "If you get there in mid-week, you can usually hold your mooring in Avalon Harbor through the weekend," Leishman explains. "But we're always prepared to moor somewhere else."
There are overflow moorings at Descanso Beach and Long Point. The latter is four miles from Avalon, so the cruise will take 15 to 20 minutes. To hail for in-harbor moorings and launches, use channels 16 and 12. Anywhere outside of Avalon Harbor, use channel 9.
If you are moored off Catalina, you've already covered about half the distance to San Clemente Island, where the fishing and diving are superb but sea conditions can be treacherous. "It's more open ocean," Leishman says, making it crucial that you check marine forecasts. In addition, the U.S. Navy uses the island for naval ordnance operations. Translation? It's a big firing range, with the entire shoreline off-limits to civilians. Learn more at www.scisland.org.
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