Trip to catilina.... [Archive]

deltarat

10-10-2007, 08:47 AM

I am thinking of doing a trip to catalina and my girlfriend is freaking out, is there anything i should be worried about or is this not a big deal???
what your take on one boat going to catalina for the day?
Personaly I would love to take that trip one day, however I would NEVER go with only one boat. Anything that can happen just might and if you are out there by yourself you are screwed. ...remebering a trip two or three winters ago when board members boat caught fire and sank, I am sure they were thankfull that there were other boats with them.

Jordy

10-10-2007, 08:54 AM

I always feel better with more boats, and if nothing else, at least multiple engines on the same boat. We've come back halfway from Catalina on one engine before. Makes for a nice cocktail cruise for the passengers. If you've never done it before, I'd recommend going out with a few other boats who have done the trip before.
Other than that, a ship to shore radio and GPS are necessities, on top of all the other standard safety items. Going solo, I'd be more inclined to put a life jacket on and hook up to the kill switch (which is never a bad idea anyway).

Badburn

10-10-2007, 08:58 AM

Make sure you stay on top of the weather and sea conditions, also the forecast for when you plan to return. Have a VHF radio for sure. A twin engine boat is a good idea. GPS is a plus, and if you dont have any navigation skills, Id get some.
I found myself 5 miles off the coast of Santa Cruz last week in 200 ft. visibility fog. I/You would be 100% screwed without navigation skills an equipment.
Thank god I was with someone that had both;)

Jordy

10-10-2007, 09:01 AM

Make sure you stay on top of the weather
Good point. Weather and swell reports. This summer has been wierd as everytime we were out there, coming back was calmer than going out, which normally isn't the case. I believe there is an old saying about never go to Catalina without having a plan to stay the night as it can get bad in the afternoons. Been there done that, and coming back to Newport from Catalina in 8' to 10' seas really isn't going to make your g/f want to ever do the trip again. :)

Jordy

10-10-2007, 09:11 AM

Oh, and a Sea Tow or Vessel Assist membership will pay for itself in about the first 2 minutes you need it, should you have to use it. ;)

randomhero

10-10-2007, 09:30 AM

My boat is a 28 foot deep v, good enough right? my brother has a 28 magic deck boat, think that is a good second boat? i am little worried about the deck boat. and what is a decent priced gps and radio that you mentioned?
and i agree to stay the night, that could be the best idea. i was told the mornings are the smoothest part of the day. how much is vessel assist or sea tow memberships?
thanks guys

Jordy

10-10-2007, 09:49 AM

Well, the deck boat certainly wouldn't be my first choice of something to take to Catalina, although I have seen some pretty strange rigs out there. Doesn't mean it's the smart thing to do. :)
As far as GPS and a VHF, you're probably looking at a couple bills for each. Got mine at West Marine. The hand held radio is fine. A hand held GPS will work, but a big dash mounted unit is really nice and much easier to deal with when you're under way.
As far as Sea Tow or Vessel Assist, The memberships are relatively inexpensive from what I recall. I'm sure they have websites that will give you the break down.
http://www.seatowsocal.com/
http://www.seatow.com/
http://www.vesselassist.com/

DMOORE

10-10-2007, 09:51 AM

Lots of good info, but don't get too worried. We fish off shore all the time, you just need to be prepared. We used to have a saying in the SEAL teams "two is one and one is none." Two motors, are a good idea in the ocean, that's why I have a CAT with twins. Next is a full compliment of safety gear including hand held and cartrige flares, and smoke.A Marine band radio in the boat. We also carry a waterproof handheld GPS and w/p handheld Marine band radio. If the boat goes down and your in the water, you want to be able to call someone and tell then exactly where your at.
Darrell.

Havasu Hangin'

10-10-2007, 10:02 AM

DeltaSigBoater

10-10-2007, 10:53 AM

Ive done the Catalina crossing in all conditions, in a variety of boats.
My personal recommendations are to have backups to all systems. If you have a fixed GPS, get a hand held. If you only have a hand held buy another. A fix mounted VHF, is better than a hand-held. If you dont have or want to install a fix mounted VHF, then make sure you have a hand-held, and think about investing in another make sure they are fully charged and in water proof pouches. I prefer radar, but on a river/lake boat its not practical, and I have done the crossing without radar.
Purchase a chart and hand held compass, even if you have GPS. Its a good familiarize yourself with the course headings to Avalon or Two Harbors, from you departure point (Long Beach, Huntington, Newport, or Dana Point). I wouldnt recommend leaving from San Diego, Mission Bay or Oceanside, too much open water for something to go wrong.
Take several changes of clothes and towels, youll be glad you did. There have been a few times in my life when I had to make the crossing regardless of the weather & sea conditions, and I knew that I was going to get soaked, so I wore full wet suit w/ booties, and gloves. Not only are you going to be warmer than wearing just normal clothes, but if you have to ditch the boat, its a lot better then ditching in your clothes.
Two boats are better than one, but Ive been the only one out there before!
Good Luck

randomhero

10-10-2007, 11:17 AM

great thanks for the advice, sounds like it is not that far but it could get hairy in an instant!

randomhero

10-10-2007, 11:21 AM

Is there a requirment for saftey gear that should have that is differnt than fresh water laws?

spectras only

10-10-2007, 11:37 AM

safety gear requirement is different for size of vessel not fresh or salt water .
You can search for info online . I do crossings regularily to Vancouver Island in my 25'7 boat , with twin engines . Sea assist is great and covered under my ins policy . Cell phone is a must beside all the other essential equipments the guys mentioned above . Vessel assist stations are all over here , while Coast Guard stations aren't .

Steamin' Rice

10-10-2007, 12:21 PM

Do a search here, and you'll find lots of good advice. It's not that far, but when you are in the middle of the channel, EVERY boat feels small. Just check the weather beforehand, and you'll be fine in a 28' boat.
Good idea there.. I have gone to Catalina by myself several times and it doens't bother me, but I prefer to go with other boats when possible. Also, for your first trip, you may want to find a group to run over with to help ease the nerves.
I would not suggest taking a deck boat on this trip. On the right day, the deck boat could make the crossing with no problem, but you can't predict when that day will be and the conditions can change quickly.

DMOORE

10-10-2007, 12:25 PM

Is there a requirment for saftey gear that should have that is differnt than fresh water laws?
Actually there is a different requirement for offshore boating. It includes flares and some other gear as well. Try the Coast Guard website.
Darrell.

randomhero

10-11-2007, 07:25 AM

DMOORE,
i tried looking at the coast gaurd web site and i could not find any fresh water or salt water requirments, do you know of the correct link?
thanks

Jordy

10-11-2007, 07:35 AM

http://www.uscgboating.org/
http://www.uscgboating.org/SAFETY/fedreqs/equ_refchart.htm

thumbs

10-15-2007, 09:43 AM

Would you guys feel safe doing this trip in a 23' V? Suprisingly my wife wants to make the trip one weekend.

nice and easy

10-15-2007, 12:37 PM

All of the suggestions are good. My friend crossed with a small boat
18ft. V, regularly. He alway went and returned in the mornings and
followed the ferry boat from long beach.

RiverToysJas

10-15-2007, 12:52 PM

77charger

10-15-2007, 02:00 PM

yup that was agood time werent we like the second boat there.I think iheard the yeh but wait for the ride back to the breakwater i think we did good again!
Many boats make the trip alot do it in 21ft fishing boats my dad and i use to go in 20ft open boat boat to go fishing.I prefer a mounted radio vs a handheld its 25 watts vs 5 watts in the power and tall antenna vs a small one.If boats are around you will be able to contact someone with the handheld. and vessel assit like mentioned i think when we use to go it was around 90 bucks but if needed just once you have made out big time.(cheap insurance imo)
now that i think of it i havent been there on a boat bigger than 21ft(besides commercial)It seems like the ride back was always easier too since you are going with the swells vs against them.

thumbs

10-15-2007, 02:53 PM

Here is a link with some good information.
http://www.catalina.com/yachting.html#Avalon
I was most interested inthe GPS coordinates for Avalon.

RiverToysJas

10-15-2007, 03:03 PM

Here is a link with some good information.
http://www.catalina.com/yachting.html#Avalon
I was most interested inthe GPS coordinates for Avalon.
You can also use Google Earth for GPS coordinates for any place in the world. For our catalina trip, that's where I got them. I've programmed lots of coves and marinas into my GPS w/o ever leaving the house! :D
Just zoom in on a place, put the curser over where you want to go, and get the coordinates from the bottom of the window. ;)
RTJas :D

Havasu Hangin'

10-15-2007, 03:06 PM

Mandelon, 77Charger, and I went in a 21' Lavey openbow in March of '06 ....
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/500/lavey_21_avalon.jpg
Having GPS was a BIG help, I can't see doing it w/o. It was foggy both ways for us, but esp running out. Ran between 68-72 all the way.....and got some serious air a couple times too. Passed a few 26-28's along the way!!!! You should of seen them doing a double take as we went by. :) Good Times!!!
RTJas :D
This post proves:
Small boat + Small swells + Small IQ = Big Fun
This can help with the "swells" part:
http://weather.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/fmtbltn.pl?file=forecasts/marine/coastal/pz/pzz655.txt
With the "boat" and "IQ" parts, you're on your own.
:jawdrop:

RiverToysJas

10-15-2007, 03:14 PM

This post proves:
Small boat + Small swells + Small IQ = Big Fun
With the "boat" and "IQ" parts, you're on your own.
:jawdrop:
It's called "balls" HH. :rolleyes: Maybe Dawn would let you borrow yours again sometime, and you can have big fun too!!! ....like when she let you go skydiving! ;) LOL....
RTJas :D

thumbs

10-15-2007, 03:37 PM

You can also use Google Earth for GPS coordinates for any place in the world. For our catalina trip, that's where I got them. I've programmed lots of coves and marinas into my GPS w/o ever leaving the house! :D
Just zoom in on a place, put the curser over where you want to go, and get the coordinates from the bottom of the window. ;)
RTJas :D
Good to know. Thanks.

randomhero

10-17-2007, 10:03 AM

cool thanks for the info and links . maybe i see some of ya in the channel some day!!:) :)

Quality Time

10-17-2007, 10:58 AM

There is a SCOPE lunch scheduled for this Saturday. It sounds like a few boats are heading over if you are interested in running with others.

Budweiser

10-17-2007, 11:43 AM

Not having read all the posts I'm sure everyone has given you all the safety advice. I've made that crossing 100s of times in my life without any issues. Once or twice in a 6hp inflatable dinghy, once on a wave runner, and well over 20 times in a 19' Welcraft with a V6 I/O. All others were on larger boats (32'-50'). Visibility/fog would be my only serious concern, there are HUGE freighters that wouldn't even know if they ran you over. And they haul ass... 30knots+. Other than that there's not much you can't do with a cell phone, the service has improved vastly over the past 5 years and you can get a signal all the way across, and even on the back side of the island with some carriers. In all reality, I wouldn't think twice about it. Just don't be dumb.

dirty old man

10-17-2007, 12:07 PM

The best way is called "The Catalina Express" and pay the extra $10.00 for drinks in the captains lounge

scarabrick2

10-17-2007, 12:34 PM

This post proves:
Small boat + Small swells + Small IQ = Big Fun
This can help with the "swells" part:
http://weather.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/fmtbltn.pl?file=forecasts/marine/coastal/pz/pzz655.txt
With the "boat" and "IQ" parts, you're on your own.
:jawdrop:
Your telling me your lavey runs 72 mph it that wide open throttle?
what motor ? twin blower 1000 hp?
my friend said they are a slow pig thats why I'm asking. Glad you made it safe.
I ran out there a few times in a 15 foot zodiac with a 55 hp OB. No problem. Of course I'm NAVY trained..... :D
Waterproof gps and spare batteries are a must. Do yourself a favor and fill up your gas tank before you leave both the main land and the island

scarabrick2

10-17-2007, 12:35 PM

Mandelon, 77Charger, and I went in a 21' Lavey openbow in March of '06 ....
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/500/lavey_21_avalon.jpg
Having GPS was a BIG help, I can't see doing it w/o. It was foggy both ways for us, but esp running out. Ran between 68-72 all the way.....and got some serious air a couple times too. Passed a few 26-28's along the way!!!! You should of seen them doing a double take as we went by. :) Good Times!!!
RTJas :D
Your telling me your lavey runs 72 mph it that wide open throttle?
what motor ? twin blower 1000 hp?
my friend said they are a slow pig thats why I'm asking. Glad you made it safe.
I ran out there a few times in a 15 foot zodiac with a 55 hp OB. No problem. Of course I'm NAVY trained..... :D
Waterproof gps and spare batteries are a must. Do yourself a favor and fill up your gas tank before you leave both the main land and the island