Princess S6567'7"
View Specs & ReviewSeventeen miles across, and the island runs on moorings rather than berths
Yachting in Catalina Island
A Minted Location · Catalina Island, California
Catalina is the reason a great many Southern California owners bought a boat at all, and it runs on moorings rather than berths.
NOAA is unambiguous about Avalon: "Yachts and other small craft moor to buoys in the bay; there are no alongside berths." The one exception is the Cabrillo Mole, which has "three 100-foot floating docks, with reported depths of 30 feet alongside… available to any vessel through prior arrangement with the harbormaster." That is the island's only alongside berthing, and you arrange it by phone rather than online.
So read this as a destination guide rather than a place to keep a boat. The homeport is Long Beach, Marina del Rey, Newport or Dana Point. Catalina is the seventeen miles that justify it.
Two mooring systems do the work. Avalon has 361 moorings, most privately owned, and everyone who does not own one takes them first come, first served — "all mooring assignments are made at the Harbor entrance upon arrival." Two Harbors has 242 moorings at Isthmus Cove plus anchorages for well over a hundred more vessels, and a further 96 at Catalina Harbor, 99 at Cherry Cove, 102 at Emerald Bay and smaller fields all along the leeward shore.
The two operators charge on completely different bases, which is the kind of detail that decides a bill. Avalon charges on your boat: "Overnight mooring fees are based on the length of the vessel, not the length of the mooring to which it is assigned." Two Harbors charges on the mooring: "Fees are based on the size of boat the mooring can accommodate."
Plan an autumn or winter trip around the Santa Anas. Coast Pilot names one shelter from them on the leeward shore — Fisherman Cove — and that cove is now closed to anchoring and mooring, so the shelter you plan for is on the south side of the island.
Where to keep a yacht in Catalina Island
Avalon Harbor holds 361 moorings, "most of which are privately-owned", and no slips. Its rate card runs to "100' or more" at $200 a night, with a four-hour rate of $100. Only mooring owners and their designees can reserve: "For all other boaters it is on a first-come, first-served basis," and "all mooring assignments are made at the Harbor entrance upon arrival." On a summer weekend, arrive early.
Avalon charges on the boat, not the mooring: "Overnight mooring fees are based on the length of the vessel, not the length of the mooring to which it is assigned." Two rate cards are in circulation: the live page shows $49 for 30 feet and under and $200 for 100-foot-plus, the City's adopted fee schedule $48 and $194. Budget the higher pair and settle it with the Harbor Department.
The Cabrillo Mole is the only alongside berthing on Catalina — three 100-foot floating docks with 30 feet alongside, "available to any vessel through prior arrangement with the harbormaster." By phone, not online.
Two Harbors is the larger system and it is run by the island company. Isthmus Cove has 242 moorings; Catalina Harbor 96 plus anchorage for over 200; Cherry Cove 99 plus deep-water anchorage over 100 feet; Emerald Bay 102; Fourth of July Cove 42; Howland's Landing 40; White's Landing and Moonstone 58 combined; Hen Rock 25; Buttonshell 7; and Little Geiger a single mooring. Moorings are reservable Thursday for the coming weekend, or hail VHF 9 on arrival.
Two Harbors charges on the mooring, and holds you to three feet: "Harbor Patrol is authorized to assign vessels to a Mooring if the overall documented length of the vessel does not exceed 3' over the Rigging Size," and *"if the Assigned Vessel exceeds the Rigging Size of the Mooring, use of the mooring will not be allowed."* The published band tops out at 90–100 feet ($202) and the table then prints "100' + N/A" — so above 100 feet at Two Harbors, plan to anchor rather than moor.
Reservations load on a Thursday — given as 4:00 pm on one page and 8PM on another, so be ready at the earlier time. A reservation is described both as guaranteeing a mooring within a specific cove and as not guaranteeing one: plan on Harbor Patrol assigning your cove when you arrive.
Anchoring over 100 feet at Two Harbors is permitted with conditions: 100 yards outside the mooring field, bow-and-stern or two bow anchors, in water "greater than 100'", and "anchoring with less than 100' of chain is prohibited" off Isthmus and Fourth of July. Capped at 14 days.
Avalon's own anchorage sits "west of the red jetty light on the Casino breakwater" in 80 to 120 feet, unpatrolled and at the boater's risk. At Descanso Bay, Coast Pilot carries a 1978 report that "the holding ground was poor and that heavy concentrations of kelp made anchoring difficult."
Fuel is available in both harbours. Two Harbors sells gas, diesel and water year-round, 08:00–16:00 daily with extended hours in summer, with propane onshore and a pump-out at the main float. Avalon has a fuel dock in the harbour.
Service is deliberately limited. Avalon's fee schedule tops out at a $35 hoist and an $81 haul-out on a two-ton pier hoist, and both operators publish only "limited repairs." Two Harbors is explicit: "No major repair or reconstruction work that would ordinarily be done in a boat repair facility shall be performed in Two Harbors." Plan yard work around your mainland homeport.
Catalina is transient by design
Two Harbors: "Mooring and anchorage in the Two Harbors area are intended for use on a transient basis. Vessels may not be left unoccupied on a mooring site or in an anchorage overnight without first receiving prior permission" — with a 14-day ceiling on every cove and every anchorage.
Avalon's 361 moorings are mostly privately owned and trade privately; Two Harbors' are state tidelands parcels subleased through waitlists with a one-time size-category change. You keep the boat on the mainland and visit Catalina.
The island's one yacht club takes no reciprocal visitors: "Regrettably, Catalina Island Yacht Club is unable to reciprocate with other clubs due to our location and size."
Marinas
| Name | Where | Max yacht | Slips | Fuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avalon Harbor361 moorings, "most of which are privately-owned", and no slips. Rates run to "100' or more" at $200 a night, with a four-hour rate of $100. Avalon charges on the boat: "Overnight mooring fees are based on the length of the vessel, not the length of the mooring to which it is assigned." Two rate cards are in circulation — the live page shows $49 for 30 feet and under and $200 for 100-foot-plus, the City's adopted fee schedule $48 and $194 — so budget the higher pair and settle it with the Harbor Department. | Avalon | 100 ft | 361 | Yes, in the harbour |
| Cabrillo Mole floating docksThe only alongside berthing on Catalina — three 100-foot floating docks with reported depths of 30 feet alongside. NOAA is otherwise unambiguous about Avalon: "Yachts and other small craft moor to buoys in the bay; there are no alongside berths." Arrange the Mole by phone rather than online. | Avalon | 100 ft | 3 | No |
| Isthmus Cove, Two Harbors242 moorings plus anchorages for well over 100 vessels. Charges on the mooring rather than the boat — "Fees are based on the size of boat the mooring can accommodate" — and holds you to three feet: "if the Assigned Vessel exceeds the Rigging Size of the Mooring, use of the mooring will not be allowed." The rate band tops out at 90–100 ft ($202) and the table then prints "100' + N/A", so a boat above 100 ft anchors 100 yards outside the field instead. | Two Harbors | 100 ft | 242 | Yes — gas, diesel and water year-round, 08:00–16:00 daily with extended summer hours; propane onshore; pump-out at the main float |
| Reserving a mooring at Two HarborsAvailability for the coming weekend loads on a Thursday — given as "4:00 pm" on one page and "8PM" on another, so be ready at the earlier time. A reservation is described both as guaranteeing a mooring within a specific cove and as not guaranteeing one, so plan on Harbor Patrol assigning your cove when you arrive. Without a booking, hail VHF 9 on the way in. | Two Harbors | — | — | — |
Yacht clubs
| Name | Where | Max yacht | Slips | Fuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catalina Island Yacht ClubThe island's only yacht club, and it does not reciprocate with other clubs. Moorings at Avalon come from the Harbor Department on arrival rather than through the club, so plan the trip without club facilities. | Avalon | — | — | — |
Figures are as each facility publishes them on its own site; blank cells mean the facility doesn't state a number. Confirm slip availability and current rates directly — or ask us to make the calls.
Cruising from Catalina Island
The Santa Ana problem
Coast Pilot names one Santa Ana refuge on the leeward shore:
"Fisherman Cove, in the east part of Isthmus Cove, is small but is said to be the only shelter against Santa Ana winds on the north shore of Santa Catalina Island. The cove is privately operated by the USC Marine Science Center with restricted access for visiting boaters."
⚠️ CDFW has closed that cove to anchoring and mooring: "no anchoring or mooring is permitted within the former Catalina Marine Science Center Marine Life Refuge."
So plan your Santa Ana shelter on the other side of the island: "Shelter from Santa Ana winds can be had by anchoring in the bight near the Palisades on the south side of the island, 2 to 3 miles northwest of the south extremity."
Exposure, cove by cove, from Coast Pilot. At Avalon, "the harbormaster reports that shelter is good during southwest, northwest and southeast weather if the wind does not exceed 20 knots. The breakwater provides limited protection in the northwest and southeast ends of the harbor during northeast Santa Ana winds that occasionally blow during the fall and winter." At Isthmus Cove, it "affords shelter for small vessels in south and west weather but is dangerous in north and northeast weather."
Catalina Harbor is the exception, and the island company's claim for it is a big one: "the only natural, deep, all weather harbor in between San Diego and San Francisco." Coast Pilot is more measured but agrees in substance — it "affords excellent shelter for small vessels in all but south weather", with anchorage in four to five fathoms over a soft bottom abreast Ballast Point. "The head of the harbor is shoal."
⚠️ Hazards on the Isthmus approach: Eagle Reef, covered 3 feet and buoyed, Ship Rock, Bird Rock and Harbor Reefs. And the line that shapes every anchoring decision here: *"The island rises abruptly from deepwater, the 30-fathom curve being close inshore."*
The crossing. Coast Pilot: "San Pedro Channel is about 17 miles wide between the mainland, Point Fermin to Point Vicente, and Santa Catalina Island." The island is "18 miles south of Point Fermin, is 18.5 miles long in a southeast direction and has a greatest width of 7 miles. The island is privately owned."
Seven marine protected areas ring the island, and three change where you can anchor and what you can take.
| MPA | What it means for a boat |
|---|---|
| Blue Cavern Onshore SMCA (no-take) | "It is unlawful to injure, damage, take, or possess any living, geological, or cultural marine resource." Plus the anchoring and mooring ban at Big Fisherman's Cove |
| Long Point SMR | A full no-take reserve covering Goat Harbor, Italian Gardens, Pirate's Cove and Long Point Beach — all popular mid-island anchorages |
| Arrow Point to Lion Head Point SMCA | Covers Emerald Bay; no invertebrates including lobster, abalone, crabs and rock scallops |
| Casino Point SMCA · Lover's Cove SMCA | Both at Avalon, both no-take with narrow exceptions |
| Cat Harbor SMCA · Blue Cavern Offshore | No-take with specified recreational exceptions |
Going ashore takes a little planning. The Conservancy states that "hiking permits are required for your safety. They are free of charge" — pick one up before you walk inland. And most leeward coves have their shore leased to camps or yacht clubs: Coast Pilot notes for Fourth of July and Cherry Coves that "the shore areas are leased by camps or yacht clubs with restricted shore access." The moorings are public; the beach in front of them frequently is not.
In practice you land by shore boat or in a tender under 14 feet. Two Harbors dinghy docks are "for small boats under 14 feet in length", in Isthmus Cove and Cat Harbor, for no more than 72 hours — and "Isthmus Pier is only to be used by Shoreboats and the Harbor Patrol… No unattended vessels are allowed at Isthmus Pier." Avalon is the same: "There is a 14' maximum limit at all dinghy docks at all times." Shore boat fares run $7 to $12 depending on cove.
Tide: NOAA station 9410079 at Avalon, epoch 1983–2001 — Great Diurnal Range 5.34 feet, mean range 3.70. Two Harbors adds a practical note: "Due to tidal changes, mooring lines may need to be adjusted periodically to add or remove slack."
- Catalina Harbor (Cat Harbor) — The windward side of the isthmusNinety-six moorings plus anchorage for over 200. The island company calls it "the only natural, deep, all weather harbor in between San Diego and San Francisco." Coast Pilot is more measured and agrees in substance: it "affords excellent shelter for small vessels in all but south weather", with anchorage in four to five fathoms over a soft bottom abreast Ballast Point. "The head of the harbor is shoal" — keep to the deeper outer part of the harbour.
- Big Fisherman's Cove — closed to anchoring and mooring — East part of Isthmus CoveCoast Pilot names this cove as "the only shelter against Santa Ana winds on the north shore of Santa Catalina Island", and CDFW has since closed it: "no anchoring or mooring is permitted within the former Catalina Marine Science Center Marine Life Refuge." The pilot's alternative is on the far side of the island: anchor "in the bight near the Palisades on the south side of the island, 2 to 3 miles northwest of the south extremity."
- Cherry Cove · Fourth of July Cove · Howland's Landing — The west end of the leeward shoreCherry Cove has 99 moorings and deep-water anchorage over 100 feet. Fourth of July has 42, Howland's Landing 40. Coast Pilot notes for both Fourth of July and Cherry that "the shore areas are leased by camps or yacht clubs with restricted shore access" — the moorings are public, the beach in front of them frequently is not.
- Emerald Bay — The west end of the leeward shoreOne hundred and two moorings plus anchorage for five to ten. It sits inside a marine conservation area where "no invertebrates, including lobster, abalone, crabs, and rock scallops, may be taken" — worth knowing before anyone drops a hoop net.
- White's Landing · Moonstone · Hen Rock · Buttonshell — The middle of the leeward shoreWhite's Landing and Moonstone hold 58 moorings between them plus anchorage for 50; Hen Rock 25 plus anchorage for 40; Buttonshell 7 plus 10. The popular mid-island anchorages just north — Goat Harbor, Italian Gardens, Pirate's Cove and Long Point Beach — sit inside the Long Point State Marine Reserve, which is full no-take: anchor there by all means, but nothing comes out of the water.
- Avalon City Anchorage · Descanso Bay — AvalonThe City anchorage is "located west of the red jetty light on the Casino breakwater" in 80 to 120 feet. At Descanso Bay, Coast Pilot carries a 1978 report that "the holding ground was poor and that heavy concentrations of kelp made anchoring difficult" — set the hook carefully and check it. Descanso and Hamilton Cove moorings are administered by the Avalon Harbor Department, not the island company.
- Anchoring at Two Harbors over 100 feet — Outside the Two Harbors mooring fieldsPermitted 100 yards outside the mooring field, bow-and-stern or on two bow anchors, in water "greater than 100'" — and "anchoring with less than 100' of chain is prohibited" off Isthmus and Fourth of July. Since the mooring rate card stops at 100 feet, this is how a larger yacht actually stays at Two Harbors.
Service, refit & supplies
Shipyards & refit
| Name | Where | Max yacht | Dockage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haul-out and repairsAvalon's fee schedule tops out at a $35 hoist and an $81 haul-out on a two-ton pier hoist, and both operators publish only "limited repairs." Two Harbors is explicit: "No major repair or reconstruction work that would ordinarily be done in a boat repair facility shall be performed in Two Harbors." Plan any service around your mainland homeport. | Avalon and Two Harbors | — | — |
On the Catalina Island calendar
Both operators publish their season directly in the rate card, and the dates differ slightly between them.
Two Harbors: Summer 15 June – 13 September (pay 6 nights, get 1 free) · Spring 1 April – 14 June (pay 4, get 3) · Fall 14 September – 31 October (pay 4, get 3) · Winter 1 November – 31 March (pay 2, get 5 free).
Avalon: Spring Palm Sunday – 15 June (pay 4 consecutive, next 3 free) · Fall 15 September – 14 October (pay 4, next 3) · Winter 15 October – Palm Sunday (pay 2, next 5 free).
Avalon publishes no summer discount at all. Mid-June to mid-September is full rate, which is the clearest possible statement of where demand sits. And the winter giveaway at both operators says the same thing inversely: for roughly five months a year there is room.
Operating hours confirm it. Shore boats run "7 AM to 2 AM daily in the summer and 8 AM to 5 PM daily in the winter." Harbor Patrol and shoreboat cover 24 hours Thursday to Monday and 07:00–23:30 Tuesday and Wednesday. Skiff rentals are "available from Memorial Weekend through Labor Day weekend."
Dated events:
- Buccaneer Days, Two Harbors — 1 to 3 October, "come celebrate our 35th Annual Buccaneer's Weekend." This is the island's one genuinely yacht-driven weekend, and like Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day it carries additional booking fees and a three-day minimum stay — book it the moment the system opens.
- Sweetheart Dinner 14 February · Beach BBQ and Art Fest 20 June · Independence Day Children's Festival and Dinghy Parade 3 July, with fireworks the same evening · Brew Fest 11 July · "Buffalo Chip" Toss 5 September · Wine Fest 12 September · Thanksgiving 26 November · New Year's Eve 31 December
- The Avalon Harbor Underwater Cleanup — "the only time scuba diving is allowed in Avalon Harbor… attracts more than 600 volunteer divers" — next runs 20 February 2027. Confirm the date with the organiser before you plan a passage around it.
Yachts we'd shortlist for Catalina Island
Reviewed the same way as everything on this site — specifications verified against the builder's own numbers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a yacht over 100 feet visit Catalina?
It can anchor, and at Avalon it can moor. The island company's Two Harbors rate band tops out at 90 to 100 feet and the table then simply prints "100' + N/A", so above 100 feet plan to anchor there: 100 yards outside the mooring field, bow-and-stern or on two bow anchors, in water greater than 100 feet, with anchoring on less than 100 feet of chain prohibited off Isthmus and Fourth of July, capped at 14 days. Avalon does publish a "100' or more" mooring rate at $200 a night, on a first-come basis.
Can you dock a yacht at Catalina Island?
In one place. NOAA states plainly of Avalon that yachts and other small craft moor to buoys in the bay and there are no alongside berths. The exception is the Cabrillo Mole, which has three 100-foot floating docks with 30 feet of water alongside, available to any vessel through prior arrangement with the harbormaster — by phone, not online. Everywhere else on the island, including all of Two Harbors, is moorings and anchorages.
How do you get a mooring at Catalina?
It depends which harbour. At Avalon, only mooring owners and their designees can reserve — for everyone else it is first come, first served, and all assignments are made at the harbour entrance on arrival. At Two Harbors the island company loads availability on Thursdays for the coming weekend, or you hail VHF 9 on arrival. Note the two operators charge differently: Avalon bases the fee on the length of your vessel, while Two Harbors bases it on the size of boat the mooring can accommodate, and will not assign a mooring to a vessel more than three feet over its rigging size.
Is there dock-and-dine at Catalina Island?
Not in the usual sense — there is nowhere on the island to bring a yacht alongside for dinner. Every restaurant is reached by shore boat or by a tender under 14 feet, and Avalon holds a 14-foot maximum at all dinghy docks at all times. The detail worth planning around is the shore boat timetable: 7am to 2am daily in summer, but only 8am to 5pm daily in winter, so a winter dinner ashore is an early one. Fares run $7 to $12 depending on the cove.
When is Catalina busiest?
Mid-June to mid-September, and the rate cards prove it. Avalon publishes no summer discount at all, so that window is full rate. Two Harbors runs a summer deal of pay six nights and get one free between 15 June and 13 September. Both then give the game away in winter: Two Harbors offers pay two, get five free from 1 November to 31 March, and Avalon the same from mid-October to Palm Sunday. For roughly five months a year there is room. The island's one genuinely yacht-driven event is Buccaneer Days at Two Harbors, 1 to 3 October.
Where can you shelter from a Santa Ana at Catalina?
Not on the north shore. Coast Pilot names Fisherman Cove, in the east part of Isthmus Cove, as the only shelter against Santa Ana winds on the north shore of the island — and CDFW now prohibits all anchoring and mooring within that former marine life refuge. The shelter is on the far side: anchor in the bight near the Palisades on the south side, two to three miles northwest of the south extremity. At Avalon the harbormaster reports good shelter if the wind does not exceed 20 knots, and the breakwater gives only limited protection during northeast Santa Ana winds.