Catalina Thanksgiving

C

C-Pelican

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Joined
May 22, 2006
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C Dory Year
1992
C Dory Model
22 Cruiser
Vessel Name
C Pelican
Hello everyone,

Late notice, but, I am going to be on the C-Pelican at Two Harbors on the west end of Cat from TH-SAT. Fishing, lobstering, drinking :cocktail and relaxing.

If anyone else may be in the area, maybe we can hook up?

Jeff
 
Keith on C-Pup was planning to go over this weekend also, but was concerned about the Santa Ana winds developing. Might PM him. Have fun.
 
Made it over and finally caught a few fish: halibut (thought too small and had to throw back; but fun none-the-less, and several keeper rockfish. Rockfish sure are pretty, and tasty!

Had to leave a day early though, but as with most things, there was a positive.

Anchored in Lobster Bay on the far side last night to try to lobster but at 2 am I was rocking and rolling so much that stuff was flying off my shelf in the boat so I decided I may as well head home so I did my first night trip from Cat to Huntington Beach and it went very well. Thank goodness for radar and gps for help though!
Water was strangely smooth in some parts and if it wasn't for fear of hitting submerged items, I could really have flown across!
 
Zoomed over Wednesday late morning on the Sea Queen out of Newport Dunes to Avalon. Sorry we got your message after getting back today or we might have changed our destination. Avalon harbor was glassy for the two nights we were there.
Sona and Mike
 
Sona and Mike,

Thanks for the reply, let's keep trying to hook up.

Yes, I guess I am a bit naive, but I learned what they say that the "back-side" is a bit different from the front side re water conditions as yes, as soon as I reached the front side, it was smooth sailing home....

Still, I am glad I did it to gain that night-time experience.

regards,
Jeff
 
There is a different "Micro climate" on the South side of Catalina (sea ward or "back side". I only anchored at Catalina Harbor, across the Isthmus or at "Little Harbor", behind the kelp. Even during the day, any other anchorage was too rough for us. On the North or mainland side, there are many coves, but only a few are really relitatively calm, and waves can come in at any time of the day or night.

At Cat Harbor, you can get well up into the shallow water with the C Dory and have excellent protection.
 
"Amen!" to that Bob! I now have first-hand experience with it...and for better or worse, I learned!

But all turned out well, a lesson was learned, and I can't wait to get back over there....
 
Am wondering if the Channel Islands, Catalina, and other California cruising areas. are as busy or busier than the San Juans at the same time of year?

Thanks,
Warren
 
We used to go to Catalina at the Isthmus year around--some years every weekend--even in the 1940's. So it is do-able. You have the problems of colder water, colder winds, Santa Ana winds and the shore facilities/docks are pulled back during the winter.

The Holiday Weekends tend to have a good crowd at Catalina.

How many boats cruise the San Juans in the winter?
 
We cruised two weekends in February 2004, we had the dock at Sucia pretty much to ourselves...I don't know if you can generalize too much but I would say the San Juan marine parks are pretty much deserted in the winer...

thataway":20tc1ddm said:
How many boats cruise the San Juans in the winter?
Click to expand...
 
Pat Anderson":2lxnte9i said:
pretty much deserted in the winer...
Click to expand...

Pat, are you "wining" (whining) again? :cocktail (Couldn't resist teasing you a bit, Pat... :lol: )
 
C-Pelican":3hua0hxo said:
Hello everyone,

Late notice, but, I am going to be on the C-Pelican at Two Harbors on the west end of Cat from TH-SAT. Fishing, lobstering, drinking :cocktail and relaxing.

If anyone else may be in the area, maybe we can hook up?

Jeff
Click to expand...

hi all, my name is steve, I am thinking of getting a 22' c-dory. I really like the looks and simplicity of them. However, I am a little concerned about how they handle in waters off so, cal, I would use it mostly fishing and camping off catalina. I do not get seasick, but my wife does.
does the boat roll more or less because of its flat bottom ? Do those of you who live in socal use your boats mainly in the ocean or ?
 
I'm 90-95% in the ocean off the socal coast, always at the islands. The 5-10% of the time is for the Delta Extravaganza each May that starts in Rio Vista, goes through the SF Bay and oftentimes out the gate for some salmon fishing. The flat bottoms on the majority of the C-Dorys are much less rolly than a deep-V, they do not tend to 'over-roll'. So at anchor or in side chop/waves, it is much more comfortable, just have to slow down a bit when it gets too rough.

I have a 25, others will have to chime in on their 22's. Good luck, thanks for writing and asking.
 
Hi Steve- Welcome
I just returned your email.
I use my boat for fishing and cruising the Channel Islands.
The boat handles these waters very well.
I used to get sick on some of the "other" boats, but after 5.5 years on the CD22 I only got sick once--- that was when I had to trace down a loose electrical connection under the gally counter. :mrgreen:
 
Lori Ann":3bdbgq7n said:
Am wondering if the Channel Islands, Catalina, and other California cruising areas. are as busy or busier than the San Juans at the same time of year?
Click to expand...

Sorry, I should have been more explicit. I was wondering what the prime cruising months were like in both places. Whether boating in the Channel Islands during, say, August, is more or less crowded than the San Juans.

Thanks.
Warren
 
Summer weekends are very crowded at Catalina. :smiled
Right now is our best cruising weather- unless the Santa Ana's pick up :shock:
The northern Channel Islands where I cruise, fish, dive do not have the same amenities as Catalina, but some of the anchorages get crowded all the same.
 
I would say that the Northern Channel Islands are less crowded, but Catalina is more crowded. But in both places there are hidey holes which one can get into with the C Dory.

I first noted the C Dory in the late 1970's when one of the older 22's went to Catalina from Long Beach almost every weekend of the year. At that time, I said I'll own one of those when I get older...I had large sailboats at that time.

I would suggest that you want to go across the Channel to Catalina in the early hours; leave before 10 AM for the best trip. The boats will pound as the chop comes up--and you have to slow down, and put the bow down. They are plenty sea worthy for almost any thing I ran into during the 50+ years I lived in the Long Beach area.

At speed the C Dory seems stable to me, as long as you are on a plane. I have gotten sea sick on occasion, but never in a C Dory. At anchor, they seem to roll a little less than the deep "V" hulls, but they are still a fairly small boat. I have always been able to sleep in the C Dories--but I have slept in hurricane force winds on ocean crossings, so that may not be a good criteria... I feel that the CD 22 is an excellent Boat for S. Calif. Waters. There are lots of places you can anchor which are not available to most boats. I nearly always anchor both fore and aft--with the bow facing out of the cove. This keeps the bow into the swell. Also a Magna "Flopper stopper" could be used on the C Dory to decrease any roll if it was a problem.
 
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