Sept 7: Catalina Harbour Trip

 

We were ready to start our cruise to Catalina Island at 8:30 am. The fuel tank was full, the water tanks were full, we had bait for fishing and Fran had more than enough food for the six days we would be gone. Of course we also planned to eat fresh fish.

As we were cruising to Catalina we spotted the Catalina Ferry. It was a beautiful day and the water was very blue with the mountains in the background. We estimated a 5 - 6 hour cruise. We typically would see dolphin but today we didn't spot any. I did, however, spot a blue Marlin jump clear out of the water. Also spotted a couple sea lions.

Two Harbors pics and history

In the link, one picture is taken from the north and the other the south. Cat harbor, where we moored, is on the south. In the picture on the right, south is at the top.

You'll see a small inlet leading to Cat harbor on the south. North is a larger, but not as protected opening to the Isthmus marina. There is an isthmus connecting the north and south sides. The marina on the north side is where our yacht club friends were going to moor. Activities were planned Friday and Saturday which we wanted to participate in. But we wanted to spend more time and moor in Cat Harbor. We arrived in Cat Harbor Tuesday to enjoy the island and fishing before the yacht club gathering. It was only about a 1/4 mile, very easy, walk between the two sides. You'll see in some of the pictures where we were moored. 

Our boat, Reyna II, moored in Cat Harbor.
We took the dinghy in to get to shore.
The view to the right is the open ocean.

Here are pictures of the road between the north and south sides of the island. Reminded me of Australia.

This pelican was on this buoy
most of the time we were here.
He chased the sea gulls away if they
 landed on it while he was gone.

Wednesday morning we awoke to a perfect day. I got everything ready for dinghy fishing while Fran made an almost healthy breakfast. Fruit, hard boiled eggs and croissants with jelly.

Fran in the dinghy as we headed out to the ocean

Away we went, headed for the open ocean. If you review the map above, you'll see we were able to troll east and west from our opening with some protection. As it turned out, the seas were calm and crystal clear

As soon as we exited the harbor and turned along the shore we started catching Bonito. They fight hard and I know they are good to eat. At least I think so. Fran said they don't eat them because she was told they don't taste good but was willing to try them.

 

It's difficult to describe the beauty and majesty of the south side of the island. The weather was great and we were dinghy fishing Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and a short trip Saturday.

We dinghied along the shore for several hours each day. The rock formations, clear blue water, and pristine landscapes were incredible. There were also small waves breaking against the rocks and shooting water out of blowholes. We could see 20-30 feet down to the bottom where the kelp was anchored and growing to the surface. There were a lot of bait fish and Bonito swimming among the kelp. 

I was hoping to catch a halibut. Fran said it was possible but we didn't have live bait which would work the best. Turned out I did catch my first ever halibut. It was tiny (even smaller than it looks because Fran held it way out toward the camera.) But it was still fun. 

Bonito

We caught plenty of other fish. Mostly Bonito. We caught probably 30 or so. They fight like crazy and are fun to catch, but we only needed a couple for dinner so most were catch and release.

Halfmoon blue perch

Fran caught what I think is a halfmoon blue perch. We weren't familiar with it and we had enough fish so back it went. 

Calico Bass

Also caught a few Calico Bass. 

We had Bonito and Calico bass every night for dinner. Fran did try the Bonito and agreed with me that they were delicious. I cooked the fish on the grill. You can't get fish any more fresh!

We walked to the north side of the island daily to meet with other boaters from the yacht club. Thursday we met Sondra and Sue at the restaurant/bar for cocktail hour. Sondra's husband passed away recently but she loves boating and decided she could learn to handle the boat. She and her friend Sue were doing great. Except, the water maker quit working. (A water maker filters ocean water through osmosis so it is very safe for drinking.) They were carrying little water because they had a water maker, but if you want water at the Isthmus you buy it in jugs at the General Store. So Sondra and Sue were taking the dinghy in to shore to shower, etc. I offered to take a look at it the next day but explained that I never had a water maker. 

Sondra and Sue met us at the Isthmus the next morning to take us to their boat. Our dinghy was on the other side. Sondra asked me to drive the dinghy because it had a steering issue making it difficult to turn the steering wheel. Another issue to check out. Plus the engine was not running properly. I enjoy boat projects so I jumped right in.

Chip, another yacht club member who also never had a water maker, and I spent some time investigating and eventually figured out how to get it going. Sondra and Sue were extremely grateful and invited us to cocktails and dinner on their boat Friday night. 

Sondra demonstrated her new water pistol. It shoots water pellets used to chase away seagulls, sealions on the dock etc. The water pellets don't hurt them, but they don't like it enough to stay around. 

Sondra is an excellent cook and the dinner was great. Shrimp, Italian sausage, spinach, bow tie pasta and stewed tomatoes. Chip and his wife brought a wonderful cheesecake for dessert! 

I suggested Sondra get some gasoline additive the next morning to eliminate moisture that might be causing the outboard problem. Sondra told me Chip had already greased the steering cables but that didn't help the steering. We put the fuel additive in and took a dinghy tour around the north side of the island. The engine ran a little better but not cured. But, it continued running so we kept going even though the steering was getting more difficult. Of course we were mostly going straight.

White cliffs of Catalina

The tour was wonderful. The water, cliffs and landscape are different from the south side. Fran pointed out what she called the White Cliffs of Catalina. Fran is definitely into geology and explained these white cliffs have the same makeup of the White Cliffs of Dover. Basically years of limestone built up from sea invertebrates.

View from the aft deck of Sondra's boat. Campground on the hill.

We had a very enjoyable barbecue dinner in a park picnic area. Everyone brought their own BBQ item and a side dish or dessert. It was a feast. Unfortunately, I neglected to take pictures. At the BBQ I talked with Glen, and he was familiar with Sondra's steering issue. The cables need to be replaced. No way to repair them. So at least now Sondra knows. 

We stayed until after dark. Fortunately there are no lights on the path going back to Cat Harbor. The stars were amazing. The Milky Way was out in full glory. Fran is also an astronomer so I learned several new constellations. Riding back to the boat in the dark was very peaceful and beautiful. Because it is a mooring field, anchor lights are not needed. So the lights from the few boats did not diminish the stars.

Fran suggested we cruise around the west side of the island to return home. It would take about an hour longer but she knew I would enjoy the geology. The weather from the west could be a problem but it sounded like favorable winds. Turned out the wind gods were with us. It was perfect. The geology again was different. 

The picture on the left shows clearly how the  tectonic plate pushed the crust up to form the island. 

 (The small state of California insert on the map below shows the general north/south location. Note the little red star.) I'd been to Avalon before, which is on the north side of the island. It has several marinas, housing, restaurants, glass bottom boats, etc. Fun but very touristy. We were on the South side, Cat Harbor. Fran told me the south side, and in particular, "Cat Harbor," was much more remote and unchanged for thousands of years. She promised a quiet mooring, beautiful scenery and great dinghy fishing.

This map has rock names I have never heard of but I looked them up. What's interesting is that the rocks that were exposed came up at an angle so there are many different levels exposed right there on Catalina Island. The lawsonite-blueschist with tectonic blocks are quite blue. Hard to show in a picture. It was definitely worth going around the west end. 

Fran explained that the island was formed by subduction. 

The definition of subduction is the process that occurs when two tectonic plates meet at convergent boundaries, and one of the plates moves under the other one due to gravity and differences in density. The boundary area where this occurs is the subduction zone. We could see where the tectonic plate pushed the crust up at an angle causing the formation of the island.

How was Catalina Island formed

More detailed How Catalina Island was formed

We had wonderful weather for the cruise home. It was a great trip. It takes a while to get the dinghy off the bow, pack everything up and clean up, so by the time we were finished it was time to head home. It was a great trip.