Cruising World – May 2018

UNDERWAY

18

cruisingworld.com

the ultimate

liveaboard

http://www.privilegecatamaransamerica.com

Even a citizen of the world needs a sanctuary

BETSY CROWFOOT

P

alm trees sway, the sun glistens off

the cerulean waters as you burrow

your toes in the powdery-white

sand. Who doesn’t love a tropical island?

But move over, Maui. Bye-bye,

Barbados. This exotic paradise is none

other than Santa Catalina Island, hardly a

stone’s throw from the city of Los Angeles.

Just 20-odd miles from a number of

California ports, Catalina Island has

undergone countless incarnations. Home

to Native Americans for centuries, it was

later an outpost for pirates, smugglers,

miners and the military. In the 1900s,

chewing-gum guru William Wrigley Jr.

turned it into the training camp for the

Chicago Cubs and a Hollywood hideaway

for movie stars of the era.

The fascinating history of Catalina is

documented with entertaining, infor-

mative graphics and prose at the new

Catalina Island Museum, a modern

18,000-square-foot treasure in the heart

of Avalon, the island’s only incorporated

city. Golf, bike, zip-line and enjoy count-

less watersports, shops and gourmet

dining in this easily walkable city.

Most of the rest of the island — almost

90 percent of the 75-square-mile isle

— is wild and undeveloped, part of the

Catalina Island Conservancy.

There are hundreds of moorings

available throughout. As a gauge, plan on

spending about $55 per night for a 40- to

49 -foot boat. Moorings in Avalon Harbor

and Descanso Beach are first come, first

served, but at the isthmus they can be re-

served in advance. Or you can anchor in

any of the small bays (as indicated on your

chart), but be mindful because excessive

depth in some anchorages will necessitate

lots of chain.

Kayak, snorkel and paddle in this

DESTINATION:

CATALINA ISLAND

Looking for an easy getaway from

southern California? Pick up a moor-

ing in Catalina’s Two Harbors and

lounge in a palapa at Harbor Sands.