Catalina Bay on Labor Day (Peter)

We’re hanging out in Catalina Bay for a few days, soaking up sunshine, people and boat watching and doing some hiking. It is good to get off the boat for a few hours every day. The walking muscles have been relatively unused so we’ve been a little stiff and sore at times, but it feels good. We arrived in early in the evening, and shortly after we were all settled, we were pleased to see the Exy Johnson, sister ship to the Irving, arrive and anchor next to us.

We really enjoy seeing square-riggers, and they are certainly active in the Channel Islands. The next morning we headed into the town of Two Harbors and checked out all the sights. The system of bow and stern mooring to buoys can certainly pack a lot of boats into a small area!

That afternoon we scrambled up one of the hills flanking the entrance to the bay. Part of the way up we could see Marcy, flying the flag at the stern, anchored just ahead of and to starboard of the Exy.

As we climbed higher, the fog shrouded the view of the harbor, but we could see more square-riggers anchored in nearby Isthmus Cove. One of them turned out to be the Irving, who we had last seen a few days ago in the Northern Channel Islands.

When we got back to Marcy, the Exy was hoisting anchor. We followed her out to sea in the dinghy, enjoying the show as she raised sails.

Our scramble up the hill on the first day left us wanting more, so we decided to climb the closest tall (1800 ft) hill, Siver Peak the next morning. Having had a recent learning experience that reminded us northerners about the power of afternoon sun at these latitudes, we left early in the morning. And we brought plenty of water! The local “trails” would be called roads where we come from.

All in all, we have found a lot to like on Catalina Island. We wondered if it might be too crowded for us, but that isn’t really a problem. It is easy to head out on a hike if solitude is wanted. We never saw another single other person once we got out on the trail!

In the anchorage, it was great entertainment to watch all the various anchoring styles. It is usually windy in the afternoon, and it got as crowded as you would expect on a Labor Day weekend, so some of the maneuvering was painful to watch. Some of the big motor yachts sport anchors that look about the same size as our little 20 lb stern anchor. Not surprisingly, the boat pictured below anchored and re-anchored for the entire afternoon before holding!

Some tried to use the kelp beds to try to hold better, but that often didn’t work.

On board Marcy, we are starting to do some serious study of Mexican guidebooks and charts. We are excited to move south. Which is exactly where we plan to go after a stay somewhere on the mainland, hopefully San Diego, to work on Marcy and wait out the end of the hurricane season.