Regal 38 Grande Coupe38' 1"
View Specs & ReviewThe person at the top of the 65-foot list signed up in April 2001
Yachting in Dana Point
A Minted Location · Dana Point, California
Twenty-five years. That is how long the person currently at the top of Dana Point's 65-foot waitlist has been waiting. They signed up on 11 April 2001.
The operator publishes the whole list:
| Waitlist | Depth | Person at position 1 signed up |
|---|---|---|
| 35 ft | 521 deep | 20 August 2016 |
| 40 ft | 365 deep | — |
| 45 ft | 241 deep | — |
| 50 ft | 143 deep | — |
| 65 ft | 96 deep | 11 April 2001 |
| End tie | 103 deep | 4 June 2005 |
This is not a market with tight inventory. It is a market with no inventory — and a nearly-$600-million rebuild that has already delivered over a thousand brand-new slips has not changed that.
Two more numbers a buyer needs before falling in love with the place.
The published rate card stops at "60+ FT." The marina's largest listed slip is 58 feet, taking a 64-foot boat under its "+10% of slip" rule. Nothing above is offered.
And the harbour cannot haul a yacht. NOAA: *"Most supplies and repairs are available… Lifts to 25 tons are available."* That is roughly a 35-to-40-foot boat. Anything heavier hauls in San Diego.
So the honest positioning is this: Dana Point is a superb place to keep a 40-to-64-foot boat, if you can get in. Access to open ocean in about five minutes, the first Whale Heritage Area in the Americas, and a marina being rebuilt from the pilings up. The queue is the price of admission.
Where to keep a yacht in Dana Point
The Marina at Dana Point is the harbour, in both basins. The rebuild will deliver "over 2,200 boat slips and a total of 493 dry boat-storage spaces within about 20.5 acres", and had already delivered 1,115 brand-new slips at the halfway point. NOAA counts the same harbour higher — "berths in the east basin can accommodate over 1,400 vessels, and berths in the west basin can accommodate over 1,000."
The size ceiling is clear and it is lower than the harbour's reputation. The published rate card runs from 15 feet to a "60+ FT" tier and stops there. The largest listed slip is 58 feet, and the tier's stated maximum LOA is "+10% of Slip" — so 64 feet. Nothing above is offered.
Guest berthing is bookable up to 60 days ahead, with a 30-day maximum between Memorial Day and Labor Day and up to 90 days off-season — which is the marina defining its own high season in its own rules. Separately, the OC Sheriff Harbor Patrol assigns transient berths: Coast Pilot records "berthing assignments for about 42 transient craft… at the harbor patrol office", with a 24-hour watch on VHF 16. Size is settled on that call.
Fuel is a separate owner-operated business at the east turning basin, running since 1994 and selling diesel, 87, 91 and propane — Monday to Thursday 08:00–17:00 and Friday to Sunday 07:00–17:00, the longest weekend hours in the harbour. Its tank replacement began in December 2025.
Service is the market's real gap and the numbers are not close. NOAA states plainly: *"Most supplies and repairs are available… Lifts to 25 tons are available."* Twenty-five tons is roughly a 35-to-40-foot boat, so a yacht in the size range these berths accommodate hauls in San Diego rather than here. The harbour's shipyard publishes six service lines including "HAUL & LAUNCH SERVICES" — confirm its lift capacity with the yard before you plan a haul-out around a date. It runs a formal seasonal split: summer hours from 9 March, Monday to Thursday 07:00–17:30, and winter from 1 November, Monday to Friday 08:00–16:30.
Dry storage is 493 planned spaces with a six-lane, newly renovated launch ramp.
Two anchorages are named. A special anchorage sits in the west part of the harbour adjacent to the Ocean Institute and Baby Beach, monitored by the Harbor Patrol. An east anchorage near the bait barge is limited by county code. Call the Harbor Patrol on VHF 16 for length, depth and duration before you plan around either.
The clubs are members-first. The main yacht club takes reciprocal clubs only, requires a burgee on arrival and a $100 key deposit for heads and showers — confirm your length with them when you call.
On the rebuild itself, one piece of advice: do not plan around phase numbers. The 15-phase marina rebuild began 4 August 2022; by mid-2025 it had passed 50 percent and 1,115 new slips; by mid-2026 it had passed two-thirds. Landside work runs alongside it, and the hotel ground-lease vote was pushed to August 2026. Total cost is "nearly $600 million." The phases move every quarter — the waitlist, the 64-foot ceiling and the 25-ton lift do not.
Marinas
| Name | Where | Max yacht | Slips | Fuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Marina at Dana PointThe published rate card runs from 15 ft to a "60+ FT" tier and stops there — the largest listed slip is 58 ft, taking a 64 ft boat under its "+10% of Slip" rule. Nothing above is offered. The rebuild will deliver over 2,200 slips and 493 dry storage spaces across about 20.5 acres, with 1,115 new slips already in at the halfway point. NOAA counts the same harbour higher, at over 1,400 berths in the east basin and over 1,000 in the west. | East and West basins | 64 ft | 2,200 | No — a separate operator runs the fuel dock |
| The public waitlistThe operator's own waitlist, dated 13 July 2026. 35 ft — 521 deep, position one signed up 20 August 2016. 40 ft — 365 deep. 45 ft — 241. 50 ft — 143. 65 ft — 96 deep, and the person at the top signed up on 11 April 2001, twenty-five years ago. End ties — 103 deep, top applicant June 2005. This is not tight inventory; it is no inventory, and a nearly-$600-million rebuild has not changed it. | Dana Point Harbor | — | — | — |
| OC Sheriff Harbor PatrolCoast Pilot: "Berthing assignments for about 42 transient craft are available at the harbor patrol office." Size is settled on the call, on a 24-hour watch on VHF 16. The Harbor Patrol also monitors the west special anchorage. | Southeast-most building inside the breakwater | — | 42 | — |
Yacht clubs
| Name | Where | Max yacht | Slips | Fuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dana Point Yacht ClubGuest slips are for reciprocal-club members only, with a burgee required on arrival and a $100 key deposit for the heads and showers. Confirm your length with the club when you call, and arrange the slip before you sail. | 24399 Dana Drive | — | — | No |
Fuel docks
| Name | Where | Max yacht | Slips | Fuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dana Point Fuel DockOwner-operated since 1994, at the east turning basin, and the longest weekend hours in the harbour. Its tank replacement began in December 2025. Two addresses are in circulation for it: the harbour's directory gives 34461 Puerto Place, the fuel dock's own site gives 34661. | East turning basin | — | — | Diesel, 87, 91 and propane |
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 Dana Point
The entrance has three specific hazards and Coast Pilot names all of them.
The harbour is "entered from the east between two breakwaters each marked by a light on the seaward end", with a mariner-radio-activated sound signal at the south light — key VHF-FM channel 81A five times.
⚠️ "A submerged sewer outfall line extends about 0.6 mile from shore, passing about 300 yards east of the south breakwater light. A rock, covered 7½ feet and marked by a lighted buoy, is about 300 yards northeast of the south breakwater light. When entering the harbor care should be taken to remain clear of these dangers, especially during low stages of the tide and/or periods of heavy southeast swell."
Two more: "numerous uncharted private racing buoys are off the entrance", and outlying rocks and ledges off Dana Point itself extend 350 yards offshore, marked by a lighted whistle buoy.
⚠️ Inside, the two basins are separated by a fixed highway bridge with a 45-foot channel span and 20 feet of clearance. A flybridge boat berthed on the wrong side of that bridge is a problem you want to discover before you sign a slip agreement. The speed limit is 5 mph harbour-wide, and the entire harbour is a No-Discharge Zone.
The Army Corps is working the west breakwater. The operator states the Corps "is well underway on the west breakwater repair and dredging project with anticipated completion by September 3, 2026", and tells boaters to "slow down, steer clear and keep your distance."
Tides here are read off the neighbours. The nearest station with published datums is Newport Beach, 12.5 nautical miles northwest: MHHW 8.74 · MHW 8.01 · MSL 6.11 · MLW 4.25 · MLLW 3.33, great diurnal range 5.41 feet, mean range 3.76. Oceanside Harbor, 21.5 miles southeast, brackets it at 5.35 and 3.71. Dana Point sits between the two — plan on the Newport figures and expect a little less range.
The run to Catalina is a real one. Coast Pilot records that Avalon has "daily ferry and helicopter service… maintained year round to San Pedro, Long Beach, Newport Beach, Marina del Rey and Dana Point", and warns mariners in the San Pedro Channel to "beware of crossing ferries enroute between local coastal ports and ports at Santa Catalina Island." One arrival reality worth knowing before you go: at Avalon "there are no alongside berths."
And then there is the half of this page that never goes out of date: the whales.
Dana Point markets itself as the "Dolphin & Whale Watching Capital of the World®" and "the first Whale Heritage Area in the Americas", with "access to the open ocean in just 5 minutes." Both claims are its own; the federal rules that go with them are not.
NOAA Fisheries guidance: whales 100 yards — "about the length of a football field" · dolphins and porpoises 50 yards · seals, sea lions and sea turtles 50 yards. And the parts people skip: "Limit time spent observing individuals and groups of animals to 30 minutes or less." Avoid excessive speed or sudden changes in speed or direction. No wake near marine mammals. Approach from the rear or parallel, never between a mother and calf. Aerial viewing — which includes a yacht-carried drone — has a 1,000-foot minimum altitude.
If you buy a boat here because of the whales, those rules are the ones that keep you on the right side of the law while you enjoy them.
- West Anchorage (special anchorage) — West part of the harbour, adjacent to the Ocean Institute and Baby BeachA special anchorage under federal regulation, in the west part of the harbour adjacent to the Ocean Institute and Baby Beach. Call the Harbor Patrol on VHF 16 for length, depth and how long you may lie there before you plan around it.
- East Anchorage — Near the bait bargeThe harbour's second anchorage, near the bait barge, with county code limiting how long you may lie there. Call the Harbor Patrol on VHF 16 for length, depth and duration before you plan around it.
- The entrance hazards — Off the south breakwater lightCoast Pilot names three. "A submerged sewer outfall line extends about 0.6 mile from shore, passing about 300 yards east of the south breakwater light. A rock, covered 7½ feet and marked by a lighted buoy, is about 300 yards northeast of the south breakwater light" — take care "especially during low stages of the tide and/or periods of heavy southeast swell." Plus "numerous uncharted private racing buoys are off the entrance", and rocks off Dana Point itself extending 350 yards offshore, marked by a lighted whistle buoy.
- The basin bridge — 20 feet — Between the east and west basinsA fixed highway bridge with a 45-foot channel span and 20 feet of clearance separates the east and west basins, and it decides which side of the harbour a boat can live on. A flybridge boat berthed on the wrong side of it is a problem best discovered before signing a slip agreement. The harbour-wide speed limit is 5 mph and the whole harbour is a No-Discharge Zone.
Service, refit & supplies
Shipyards & refit
| Name | Where | Max yacht | Dockage |
|---|---|---|---|
| The 25-ton harbour liftNOAA on the harbour's service capacity: "Most supplies and repairs are available… Lifts to 25 tons are available." Twenty-five tons is roughly a 35-to-40-foot boat, which makes Dana Point a market that berths to 64 feet and services to about 40. Anything heavier hauls in San Diego. | Dana Point Harbor | — | — |
| Dana Point ShipyardPublishes six service lines including "HAUL & LAUNCH SERVICES". Confirm lift tonnage, length, beam and draft with the yard before you plan work around a date — NOAA's 25 tons is the only capacity figure published for this harbour. | 34671 Puerto Place | — | Summer hours from 9 March, Mon–Thu 07:00–17:30; winter from 1 November, Mon–Fri 08:00–16:30 |
Chandleries & specialty suppliers
- Dry storage and the launch ramp — Dana Point HarborFour hundred and ninety-three dry storage spaces planned, with a newly renovated six-lane launch ramp. Ask the harbour office for rates and current availability — both move with the rebuild.
- Sailing instruction and the Baby Beach centre — East Island side and Baby BeachA sailing association operating since 1976 runs instruction and skippered trips out of the harbour, alongside a county-managed sailing and events centre at Baby Beach. Baby Beach, the Ocean Institute and the Harbor Patrol sit outside the harbour operator's lease and are run by the county, so they are booked separately from the marina.
On the Dana Point calendar
The harbour runs year-round. The marina office is open 08:00–17:00 daily, all year. The fuel dock keeps the longest weekend hours in the harbour. The shipyard runs a formal seasonal split — summer hours from 9 March, winter from 1 November.
The marina defines its own season inside its guest rules, which is the most useful seasonal marker here: a 30-day maximum stay between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and up to 90 days off-season.
Dated events, organiser-published:
- Around Catalina Race — 23 to 24 May 2026, Memorial Day weekend, co-sponsored with a neighbouring club
- Richard Henry Dana Charity Regatta — 11 to 13 September 2026
- Dana Point Festival of Whales — 5 to 7 March 2027, the 56th annual — confirm the detailed schedule with the organiser closer to the date
- A new 175-mile offshore race, the "Qualifier 175 Course" intended as a Transpac tune-up, is postponed for introduction in 2027
Two live construction dates belong alongside the events, because they shape any visit between now and the end of the year: the Army Corps west breakwater repair and dredging project has an anticipated completion of 3 September 2026, and the waterfront restaurant row closes between 15 September and 31 October 2026.
Yachts we'd shortlist for Dana Point
Reviewed the same way as everything on this site — specifications verified against the builder's own numbers.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is the waitlist for a slip at Dana Point?
A quarter of a century at the top end, and the operator publishes it. Its public waitlist dated 13 July 2026 shows the 35-foot list 521 deep with its first applicant signed up in August 2016; the 40-foot list 365 deep; the 45-foot 241; the 50-foot 143; and the 65-foot list 96 deep with the person at position one signed up on 11 April 2001 — twenty-five years ago. The end-tie list is 103 deep with a top applicant from June 2005. A nearly-$600-million rebuild that has already delivered over a thousand new slips has not changed the queue.
What is the largest boat that can berth at Dana Point?
Sixty-four feet. The marina's published rate card runs from 15 feet to a "60+ FT" tier and stops there; the largest listed slip is 58 feet, and that tier's stated maximum LOA is "+10% of Slip". Nothing above is offered. Guest berthing is reservable up to 60 days ahead, with a 30-day maximum between Memorial Day and Labor Day and up to 90 days off-season, and the Sheriff's Harbor Patrol separately assigns berths for about 42 transient craft.
How close can you get to whales at Dana Point?
One hundred yards for whales — about the length of a football field — and 50 yards for dolphins, porpoises, seals, sea lions and sea turtles, per NOAA Fisheries. The parts people skip matter too: limit time spent observing individuals or groups to 30 minutes or less, avoid excessive speed or sudden changes in speed or direction, keep no wake near marine mammals, approach from the rear or parallel and never between a mother and calf. Aerial viewing, which includes a yacht-carried drone, has a 1,000-foot minimum altitude.
Can a yacht be hauled out at Dana Point?
Not a yacht — NOAA states that lifts to 25 tons are available, which is roughly a 35-to-40-foot boat. The harbour's shipyard publishes haul and launch services, so confirm its lift capacity with the yard directly; NOAA's 25 tons is the only capacity figure published for this harbour. It makes Dana Point a market that berths to 64 feet and services to about 40, and anything larger goes to San Diego.
What are the hazards entering Dana Point Harbor?
Three that NOAA names specifically. A submerged sewer outfall line extends about 0.6 mile from shore, passing about 300 yards east of the south breakwater light. A rock covered seven and a half feet, marked by a lighted buoy, lies about 300 yards northeast of the same light — and Coast Pilot advises particular care during low stages of the tide or heavy southeast swell. And numerous uncharted private racing buoys lie off the entrance. Rocks off Dana Point itself extend 350 yards offshore. Inside, the fixed bridge between the basins gives only 20 feet of clearance.