Cat Harbor Is Worth the Trip

It takes longer to get to Catalina Harbor from Marina del Rey than to  or Avalon. The trip requires a jog around the island’s West End. Known as Cat Harbor by boaters, it is Catalina’s most protected anchorage. It's designated as a year-round safe harbor by the U. S. Coast Guard, one of only two in all of Southern California.

Unlike Avalon or even Isthmus Harbor, the waters are usually calm without much of  the rocking and rolling that can disturb a good night of sleep.

One of my most relaxing holiday weekends was a five day span over Labor Day when I sailed there with my girlfriend. Our routine was to get up, jump off the boat for a swim, have breakfast, go fishing and then wander on shore to stretch our legs. We climbed back on board to grill our day’s catch.

“It’s my favorite harbor on the island,” skipper Barry Chass told me. He’s a member of the  which maintains a facility at Cat Harbor for its members.

Cat Harbor’s 800 yard entrance opens into a broad expanse providing anchorage for more than 200 boats and 117 moorings that boaters will soon be able to reserve with . Until it's implemented you can request a mooring when you approach by asking for the harbor master on Channel 9, not Channel 16, which is now reserved for emergency traffic. For boats 30-feet and under, the moorings (according to the most recently posted figures) are $26; $30 for boats up to 40 feet.

There is a dinghy dock and a pump out service for heads. It’s a short walk to the village on flat ground. On summer weekends a shuttle is available. Hiking around the harbor is delightful, with a bench at the southeast end to take a breather and drink in the view. The last time I was there I saw several bison grazing. Look out for their droppings and stay clear of the cactus, which can be painful if you get stuck.

If you study the charts, you’ll see that Cat Harbor tends to be shallower than Isthmus Harbor, so it’s easier to anchor. Expect a depth of between 4 and 5 fathoms,  but don’t forget to set the hook.

Unfortunately, the same topography that protects the harbor during most conditions acted to concentrate the force of the recent Japanese tsunami (as seen in this YouTube video) when the waves upended boats and snapped docks.

To get to Cat Harbor, first set a course for the West End of the island, located at approximately 33° 28.96' North 118° 36.62' West. On most days you can see it from Marina del Rey. To clear the point, the compass heading from here is approximately 183°. As you round the West End stay clear of the fishing boats. Remember that any anchored boat has right of way over any craft on the water—power, sail or paddle.  

Once you've rounded the West End, put the island to port. You’ve got about another hour of sailing. The narrow entrance past Catalina Head is not obvious until you’re upon it. Once you see it make your way inside. Be sure to avoid Pin Rock, which is about 125 yards off the east side of the entrance.

Leave plenty of time to get there from Marina del Rey. I usually allow nine hours for a sail. The harbor is hard to find at night, but there is a light 400 feet above sea level on Catalina Head.

As skipper Evan Sandler told me, “My dream is to sail to the other side and moor at Cat Harbor.” 

The longer journey to Cat Harbor is well worth it.