Southern California Marinas for Liveaboards
- Thread starter RTB
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We live on our boat in Alamitos Bay, in Long Beach It's great, but the wait list was many years. I'd recommend Kona Kai www.konakaimarina.com in San Diego. I believe they don't have much of a wait list and they also have a very reasonable liveaboard fee for the first year.
kona kai is THE most expensive marina in all of san diego bay. there are no under 35 ft slips and for 50 ft liveaboard it is exactly 2000 dollars us per month--and that was 1 1/2 years ago.
Ouch... that's not much for California. Other than Port Angeles it's not much for Washington. In SF Bay area try Petaluma in the north bay.
Further south? It's hard to find anything much less in that price range and after a few months you run afoul of something called the Tax Equalization Board unless you stay well below the radar. California unless you live and work there is a 'sail by' state. Consider Mexico if retired.
It's hot as hades right now so if you are completely full time you learn to add a few fans and with your size boat an AC unit. try cruising south rounding the tip of Baja and check out in this order La Paz, Puerto Escondido, San Carlos and Guaymas, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta and at leasst down to Mansanillo. the trick is to cruise south after hurricane season anchoring as much as possible and north for the hurricane season to San Carlos and Guaymas where the insurance is in effect and it's close to the border and Tucson. The money you spend at the marina during the hurricane or hot season, including electricity is balanced by the superlative cruising and anchoring during the sailing season. Ergo... until the meltdown up north catches up it's a very affordable place to be. Ev en at an anchorage up north if you can run your own generator it's ....nice.
I can't think of any place I stopped at on the trip south, that would cause me to stay long term in California when the Mexican Riviera is right next door.
As for crime? I have heard zero shots fired down here and perhaps two dozen sirens in six months. Not like the two dozen a day in San Diego.
Michael D
SV Se Langt
permanently gone
Further south? It's hard to find anything much less in that price range and after a few months you run afoul of something called the Tax Equalization Board unless you stay well below the radar. California unless you live and work there is a 'sail by' state. Consider Mexico if retired.
It's hot as hades right now so if you are completely full time you learn to add a few fans and with your size boat an AC unit. try cruising south rounding the tip of Baja and check out in this order La Paz, Puerto Escondido, San Carlos and Guaymas, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta and at leasst down to Mansanillo. the trick is to cruise south after hurricane season anchoring as much as possible and north for the hurricane season to San Carlos and Guaymas where the insurance is in effect and it's close to the border and Tucson. The money you spend at the marina during the hurricane or hot season, including electricity is balanced by the superlative cruising and anchoring during the sailing season. Ergo... until the meltdown up north catches up it's a very affordable place to be. Ev en at an anchorage up north if you can run your own generator it's ....nice.
I can't think of any place I stopped at on the trip south, that would cause me to stay long term in California when the Mexican Riviera is right next door.
As for crime? I have heard zero shots fired down here and perhaps two dozen sirens in six months. Not like the two dozen a day in San Diego.
Michael D
SV Se Langt
permanently gone
if there are no hurrycames forming actively, it is great sailing south in summer in mexico.
is when those brats begin to swirl--even when only 50 percent--then wait. north of mag bay including mag bay, is safe from hurrycames.
most pacific named storms go nw out to sea. they do produce heavier seas and slightly more associated storm activity, depending on if you are in monsoonal trough.
it isnt gonna kill anyone to sail in hurrycame season if they do it intelligently. there are weather windows--just compute your passage length and harbor hop more --go to places with wifi unless you have special status with the universe, and go when no storms are building. there are some great places to harbor hop if you look hard,especially if you have a shallow draft.
if it is predicted to have named storm hit mexico--stay mag bay an north. in sea of c--find local knowledge.
if fishermen are heading in--will be windy weather--follow em into port.
pacific can become very quiet between storms.
is the insurance lobby that is limiting y'alls sailing times. not mother nature. she doesnt hate sailors or need to give em anything if they wreck. she takes no prisoners nor pander to anyone's special needs.
keep aware of weather every day. it will change. people are sailing on the pacific south of cabo san lucas and south of mazatlan even now. folks are still changing locations in these summer months. some are motoring some are sailing. some are doing both.
in a sloop when cruising, motorsailing is usually with main up for stability. you will have much less rolly action and you will not be as tired from constantly raising and lowering it every few hours--figure out the sail plan for light winds and motoring--sail smart.
if ye make it to banderas bay in summer--is plenty of warning prior to an expected hit--and excellent sailing in banderas bay when they are offshore. even to the day prior to hit. this place is spozedly a natural hurrycame hole...i am still watching closely from north coast of banderas bay.
my marina rent is 38cents, us, per foot. i pay monthly in summer, or low season.
is my repair season, but i sail with others occasionally when is necessary. boat leaves la cruz in winter for more southerly locations.
is when those brats begin to swirl--even when only 50 percent--then wait. north of mag bay including mag bay, is safe from hurrycames.
most pacific named storms go nw out to sea. they do produce heavier seas and slightly more associated storm activity, depending on if you are in monsoonal trough.
it isnt gonna kill anyone to sail in hurrycame season if they do it intelligently. there are weather windows--just compute your passage length and harbor hop more --go to places with wifi unless you have special status with the universe, and go when no storms are building. there are some great places to harbor hop if you look hard,especially if you have a shallow draft.
if it is predicted to have named storm hit mexico--stay mag bay an north. in sea of c--find local knowledge.
if fishermen are heading in--will be windy weather--follow em into port.
pacific can become very quiet between storms.
is the insurance lobby that is limiting y'alls sailing times. not mother nature. she doesnt hate sailors or need to give em anything if they wreck. she takes no prisoners nor pander to anyone's special needs.
keep aware of weather every day. it will change. people are sailing on the pacific south of cabo san lucas and south of mazatlan even now. folks are still changing locations in these summer months. some are motoring some are sailing. some are doing both.
in a sloop when cruising, motorsailing is usually with main up for stability. you will have much less rolly action and you will not be as tired from constantly raising and lowering it every few hours--figure out the sail plan for light winds and motoring--sail smart.
if ye make it to banderas bay in summer--is plenty of warning prior to an expected hit--and excellent sailing in banderas bay when they are offshore. even to the day prior to hit. this place is spozedly a natural hurrycame hole...i am still watching closely from north coast of banderas bay.
my marina rent is 38cents, us, per foot. i pay monthly in summer, or low season.
is my repair season, but i sail with others occasionally when is necessary. boat leaves la cruz in winter for more southerly locations.
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