The Southern California coast offers many options for boating, whether you’re just out for the weekend or looking for a place to rest along your voyage from points north to Baja California and beyond.
Marina del Rey
Marina del Rey, located northwest of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), is a great place to stop while enjoying access to the culturally iconic towns of Venice and Santa Monica at the same time.
At the harbor entrance is a long jetty guarding the marina from ocean waves, allowing you to navigate on calm water while embarking on a voyage or preparing to find a slip in the marina. Make sure to douse your sails and get the dock lines and fenders ready before entering the short channel. Although you shouldn’t find any boats anchored inside the channel, vessel traffic can be rather tight on a busy weekend.
Be aware, there’s some shoaling at the jetties leading to the harbor. Buoys have been placed to mark the shoals, and boaters are warned to stay clear of the jetties to avoid these hazards. As with the rest of the Southern California coast, winter brings much lower tides than those seen at other times of the year. Bear this in mind as you pass through the harbor entrance, staying a bit farther from jetties than you would during the warmer months.
Services in Marina del Rey Harbor range from fueling to dry storage and haulout facilities. Dry dock storage for power boats up to 40 feet long is available at Dock 77 on Mindanao Way, and mast-up sailboat storage can be found adjacent to the public boat launch ramp on Fiji Way.
King Harbor
King Harbor in Redondo Beach is both a convenient place to stop and rest and a great place to enjoy the restaurants and bistros around the harbor. If you plan to spend several days in King Harbor, call Redondo Beach Marina to reserve a slip. This is the only public marina in the harbor; Port Royal, Portofino Marina and King Harbor Marina are all privately owned and do not have guest slips. Since each marina sets its own prices and other conditions for space rental, call or visit your preferred marina if you plan on a lengthy stay.
On the outer perimeter of the Redondo Beach Pier, you’ll see mooring balls on the inside of the breakwater. If you wish to moor to one of the balls, first verify availability and make a reservation before arriving. Contact Redondo Beach Marina by phone or go to rbmarina.com for more mooring details.
If you are stopping for only a few days and do not wish to take a mooring ball, you may anchor for free between the Redondo Beach Harbor Patrol dock and the breakwater at the northwest end of the main channel beyond the mooring balls. Use both bow and stern anchors to prevent swinging into the path of boat traffic.
Officially, you may stay up to three nights at anchor, unless you’re taking refuge from a dangerous storm or unsafe sea conditions. Make sure to call Port Police on VHF channel 16 upon arrival, and be ready to change anchoring location, depending on Harbor Police instructions and marine traffic inside the channel.
Catalina Island
Catalina Island offers numerous anchorages and mooring fields for guest boats. Inside Avalon Harbor, you’ll find anchoring space in the City Anchorage west of the red jetty light on the Casino breakwater. Outside the harbor and toward the east, you’ll find plenty of open roadstead anchoring just southeast of Lover’s Cove.
For a quieter vacation with fewer tourists, head to Two Harbors (“the Isthmus”) at the west end of Catalina. This is the choice of those looking for a bit more privacy and distance from neighbors while still having access to shore amenities.
Isthmus Cove lies on the north side, where you’ll also find several side coves. On the east side are Fisherman’s Cove, reserved exclusively for the University of Southern California, and Little Fisherman’s Cove, which can fit only four or five anchored vessels safely. If Little Fisherman’s is full, you can anchor nearby in depths from 30 to 50 feet, still a comfortable range for most cruising vessels.
Opposite Little Fisherman’s are Fourth of July Cove and Cherry Cove, both covered by mooring balls, which can be rented through the Harbor Department or Catalina Mooring Service. A huge mooring field lies in the middle of Isthmus Cove, where there are virtually always unoccupied moorings available for rent.
To escape the noise and sleep in peace, even on weekends, try Catalina (“Cat”) Harbor on the south side of the Isthmus. Cat Harbor is covered largely by a mooring field, but there’s usually enough anchorage space outside the moorings for a handful of boats.
Dana Point Harbor
Dana Point Harbor, with over 2,400 slips from 21 feet to 85 feet, virtually always has guest slips available. With any marina along the Southern California coast, however, you should call ahead for a reservation before assuming there’ll be dockage available.
You’ll find two anchorages inside the harbor, one at either end of the marina. Dana Cove at the west end has ample room for several boats to anchor, using up to 100 feet of chain. The wind often blows hard late in the late afternoon and early evening, so deploy the best bottom tackle possible, given the size and weight of your vessel. And even though many of us routinely break this rule, having someone on anchor watch around the clock is not only a good idea but a legal requirement.
East Basin Anchorage, west of the rock jetty adjacent to Doheny Beach, is split by a large bait barge in the middle. There’s also a fuel dock and, across the narrow passage in the middle, a public dinghy dock offering easy access to the marina and local attractions. The marina has two stations for pumping out the holding tank and taking on fresh water.
San Diego Bay
San Diego is a great place to enjoy a vacation on the water, with watersports, restaurants and bistros in both Mission Bay and San Diego Bay. If arriving from points north, you’ll find the approaches to both bays fairly easy to navigate.
Inside San Diego Bay, you have access to two anchorages: Glorietta Bay, southwest of Coronado Bridge, and La Playa Cove, located near the San Diego Yacht Club in the northern reaches of the bay. An advantage of La Playa Cove is its close access to chandleries, boat services and other shore-side amenities.
When approaching the entrance to Mission Bay from the south, stay at least a mile, perhaps more, off Point Loma to avoid getting tangled up in kelp. Anchoring in both Mission Bay and San Diego Bay is permitted for only 72 hours at a time. Making a reservation a few days before arriving at either anchorage is highly recommended in order to ensure availability.
Wherever you dock, anchor or take a mooring, the Southern California coast abounds in fun places to visit by boat. Enjoy and be safe!
