10.11.2014 & 10.12.2014
First trip on A Cenoura to Catalina Island. Although im sure the boat has been there before with the previous owners. We left at 630am Saturday and motored to two harbors. It took about 4.5 hours from leaving the dock until we were securely tied to a mooring. We were sort of beating into the choppy waves and without any wind at all I didn’t raise the main - I thought it would just swing the boom and make a lot of noise, so it was kind of tippy. We got settled in and jumped off into the perfect clear warmish water, swam to my neighbor Connor’s boat about 200 yards away, helped them re-tie their mooring lines and had a beer. Mia and I swam back and relaxed, had lunch and got ready to go on shore for the big Cruisers Weekend dinner and party.
At one point we walked across the isthmus to the Cat Harbor end and this woman asked, “Will you be here a minute, can you hold my dogs while I go grab my fiance from our boat?” We said sure. One of her german shepards squeezed out of his collar I was holding the leash to, and ran down a cliff to the beach and waters edge, I had to chase him down the cliff and the beach. They also barked like crazy and jumped at another dog walking by. The “Golden Dweeb” (named for being a short golden retriever) was the nicest of the three and went with Mia right away. When the couple came back from their boat after 20 minutes they just said “Thanks” and took the dogs back. Comical. Then Mia noticed a Buffalo up on the hill, we could check that off the list for Catalina Island.
Back at the event, people loved the huge salad Mia made as part of the potluck dinner, and there were plenty of dock neighbors around to make us feel right at home as newbies. We were given “Buffalo Milks” which is like a white russian drink - but it “The drink of the island!” so we can check that off the list of Catalina Island things, too. We woke up Sunday after a bumpy and rocky nights sleep and we left in the late morning. We got back in just 3.5 hours going the same engine speed as the way there, the seas were with us and I had the main sail up to keep the boat steadier. Filled up at the fuel dock - 11 gallons used in one entire year (awesome) and then my engine wouldn’t start. It could’ve been flooded or had a vapor lock but for about 10 minutes we waited at the dock trying after I fiddled with batteries and random things, until I called for a tow through my BoatUS insurance. “$300” the man said on the phone, to be towed about 100 yards from the fuel dock to my dock, and put me on hold to contact a boat. Just then, really not wanting to spend $300 for something I could probably do under sail without the motor (although it’s risky) I tried the engine again and it fired right up. I hung up the phone on the BoatUS guy who still had me on hold.
I can see why everyone loves Catalina so much and I hope to make more frequent trips there. It used about 8 gallons of fuel to motor there and back, and if planned well around weather and sea conditions I could see it being a really easy getaway.
The autopilot is a huge help for long trips, especially in spots without a visible heading, although on Sunday the autopilot had a tough time working and kept beeping that it was giving up. So I’d steer with (with my feet, comfortably laying back) for 5 minutes and then try the autopilot again. Which would give up about every 10-15 minutes.