Finally getting around to posting this. A couple friends and I sailed my MacGreggor 25 to Catalina and back last weekend for the first time and we had one heck of an adventure. Here's how it all went.
Friday Night after work I finished up loading all my stuff into the boat and got on the road up to San Clemente. I spent the night at my buddy Josh’s house and we made plans to leave for Long Beach at 8am. Well as usual, Josh was a little slow to be ready (I swear he’s really a girl) and his girlfriend and I were ready and waiting when he finally got into the truck at roughly 8:30. The drive to the launch ramp was pretty uneventful, but we discovered one problem while rigging the boat. Josh and his girlfriend had forgotten to pack blankets for the night. After discussing a few different options we finished getting the mast up, got the boat in the water, then I finished getting everything ready to sail while they ran the truck over to the nearest wal-mart and picked up a sleeping bag. Problem solved. As soon as they got back we cast off….about an hour and a half behind schedule.
It was a pretty nice day for being out on the water, and once past the breakwater we hoisted the sails and shut down the motor. Unfortunately the winds were coming from Catalina so we began our voyage on a course that wasn’t as optimal as we would have liked. After a couple hours it shifted in our favor though and we were able to aim for Avalon on a pretty close haul. About 15 miles out the wind and waves really picked up and we were having fun! Our little boat was getting a bit over powered though, so we took the sane approach and reefed the main down 3’ or so, which leveled things out and actually gained us some speed. We were averaging close to 7mph at this point. Unfortunately however due to our late start and indirect course we still had a lot of water to cover before sundown which was coming fast. As the sun started getting low the temperature took a pretty big decline, and we still had some big chop that had been periodically spraying us quite heavily. We were cold, and wet, and I wont lie for the first time in a very long time I was actually getting a little seasick. I’m gonna go ahead and blame the remnants of last weeks cold for that, or maybe the fact that I wasn’t the one manning the tiller for a change. Regardless we were all very very happy to arrive in Avalon…..very much in the dark. It had taken us about 7 and a half hours to get there.
Once near the mouth of the harbor I hailed harbor patrol and told them I was requesting a mooring for the night. They responded “give us a couple minutes, we’re trying to find you something fairly sheltered, as we’re expecting weather tonight.” We all looked at each other somewhat confused. All of us had checked the weather for Avalon, and the forecast was clear skies and light winds. When we met the patrol boat we asked them and they told us they were expecting rough seas and gale force winds after midnight. Apparently we hadn’t looked at the right weather services. Oops.
The Harbor Patrol was very helpful and guided us to our assigned mooring and also assisted us in getting properly tied up. We then changed into some drier clothes, aired up the dinghy and rowed the 20’ to the nearest dock. Wind and water were still quite peaceful at this point, if a bit chilly. We got some dinner and walked around a bit, stopping at the arcade for a few games, and the casino to check out the architecture. Then we paddled back to the boat to relax and get to sleep.
Around 6:30 I woke up to the sound of wind howling through the rigging and the dinghy beating against the hull (it was tied up alongside). After a few seconds of trying to figure out where I was I realized that I was moving…..a lot. The boat was pitching and rolling rather violently for being tied up in a harbor. When I slid the hatch open and poked my head up I saw that they weren’t lying. The wind was blasting and the harbor was alive with choppy waves breaking against the seawall. It was quite a sight, one I think I was enjoying a lot more than Josh and Amber, who had indulged in a few more adult beverages than I had the night before. Once we were all up and moving I tried calling for the shore boat, as it was obvious that trying to row my little inflatable dinghy would be a suicide mission. No response. After a couple tries we switched channels and called Harbor Patrol. They informed us that the shore boat was not running in those conditions, and were kind enough to offer us a ride themselves. We gladly accepted, and Josh packed a backpack while we waited to be rescued.
Once on solid ground we walked to a restaurant and got some breakfast, then headed inland. Once we were a block or 2 from the shore we were completely sheltered from the winds and it was quite the beautiful day. It felt really odd calling work to tell them that we might not be there on Monday because we were stranded due to bad weather, yet there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and we were enjoying a beautiful day on land. After walking around for an hour or 2 we found ourselves at the mini golf course and had a wonderful time playing Tiger Woods.
Afterwards we planned to check out the Casino tour but took a walk back to the harbor on our way. When we got there the water was still rough, but not breaking against the sea wall anymore and the winds had calmed considerably. By now it was nearly noon and we knew that if we were going to leave it would have to be right away. We stopped into the harbor patrol office and discussed conditions with them. They suggested we give it a go, and if it was still rough a mile out to turn back. We hurried down to the docks, got another ride back to the boat and cast off once again.
Getting out of the harbor was a bit rough, with pretty large swells, but not terrible. Once clear of land we set the sails again and found that not only had the winds settled, but they had also shifted. In the morning the wind was coming straight from the north, the direction we needed to go, but now we were able to plot a course straight for Long Beach. The farther out we got the better it got as well. The wind continued to shift to the west and the sun was warming up nicely. We averaged just over 5.5mph over the entire length of the crossing and at times were holding steady at around 7. Coming to the Long Beach breakwater we encountered our only large commercial vessel of the journey, and had to alter our course and drop the jib for a minute to slow enough so as to not occupy the small opening at the same time. We made sure to give it plenty of space, as I have no desire to play chicken with oil tankers. Once it exited the harbor we raised the jib again and made our way back to port. We ended up hitting the dock exactly 5 and a half hours after leaving Avalon, a full 2 hours faster than the previous days voyage.
It was one hell of a weekend. It was miserable and challenging at some moments, but incredibly fun at others. Definitely an adventure, and one I look forward to doing again. Next time I think I’ll check the marine weather report a little more closely though. Even so, I’m amazed at how well the boat handled everything. Our only issues were a little water splashing up through the hole where the keel locking pin goes in, and one $4 plastic jib sheet fairlead that broke, but never slowed us down at all. Not bad for a boat as old as I am that I have less than $3000 into.
Friday Night after work I finished up loading all my stuff into the boat and got on the road up to San Clemente. I spent the night at my buddy Josh’s house and we made plans to leave for Long Beach at 8am. Well as usual, Josh was a little slow to be ready (I swear he’s really a girl) and his girlfriend and I were ready and waiting when he finally got into the truck at roughly 8:30. The drive to the launch ramp was pretty uneventful, but we discovered one problem while rigging the boat. Josh and his girlfriend had forgotten to pack blankets for the night. After discussing a few different options we finished getting the mast up, got the boat in the water, then I finished getting everything ready to sail while they ran the truck over to the nearest wal-mart and picked up a sleeping bag. Problem solved. As soon as they got back we cast off….about an hour and a half behind schedule.
It was a pretty nice day for being out on the water, and once past the breakwater we hoisted the sails and shut down the motor. Unfortunately the winds were coming from Catalina so we began our voyage on a course that wasn’t as optimal as we would have liked. After a couple hours it shifted in our favor though and we were able to aim for Avalon on a pretty close haul. About 15 miles out the wind and waves really picked up and we were having fun! Our little boat was getting a bit over powered though, so we took the sane approach and reefed the main down 3’ or so, which leveled things out and actually gained us some speed. We were averaging close to 7mph at this point. Unfortunately however due to our late start and indirect course we still had a lot of water to cover before sundown which was coming fast. As the sun started getting low the temperature took a pretty big decline, and we still had some big chop that had been periodically spraying us quite heavily. We were cold, and wet, and I wont lie for the first time in a very long time I was actually getting a little seasick. I’m gonna go ahead and blame the remnants of last weeks cold for that, or maybe the fact that I wasn’t the one manning the tiller for a change. Regardless we were all very very happy to arrive in Avalon…..very much in the dark. It had taken us about 7 and a half hours to get there.
Once near the mouth of the harbor I hailed harbor patrol and told them I was requesting a mooring for the night. They responded “give us a couple minutes, we’re trying to find you something fairly sheltered, as we’re expecting weather tonight.” We all looked at each other somewhat confused. All of us had checked the weather for Avalon, and the forecast was clear skies and light winds. When we met the patrol boat we asked them and they told us they were expecting rough seas and gale force winds after midnight. Apparently we hadn’t looked at the right weather services. Oops.
The Harbor Patrol was very helpful and guided us to our assigned mooring and also assisted us in getting properly tied up. We then changed into some drier clothes, aired up the dinghy and rowed the 20’ to the nearest dock. Wind and water were still quite peaceful at this point, if a bit chilly. We got some dinner and walked around a bit, stopping at the arcade for a few games, and the casino to check out the architecture. Then we paddled back to the boat to relax and get to sleep.
Around 6:30 I woke up to the sound of wind howling through the rigging and the dinghy beating against the hull (it was tied up alongside). After a few seconds of trying to figure out where I was I realized that I was moving…..a lot. The boat was pitching and rolling rather violently for being tied up in a harbor. When I slid the hatch open and poked my head up I saw that they weren’t lying. The wind was blasting and the harbor was alive with choppy waves breaking against the seawall. It was quite a sight, one I think I was enjoying a lot more than Josh and Amber, who had indulged in a few more adult beverages than I had the night before. Once we were all up and moving I tried calling for the shore boat, as it was obvious that trying to row my little inflatable dinghy would be a suicide mission. No response. After a couple tries we switched channels and called Harbor Patrol. They informed us that the shore boat was not running in those conditions, and were kind enough to offer us a ride themselves. We gladly accepted, and Josh packed a backpack while we waited to be rescued.
Once on solid ground we walked to a restaurant and got some breakfast, then headed inland. Once we were a block or 2 from the shore we were completely sheltered from the winds and it was quite the beautiful day. It felt really odd calling work to tell them that we might not be there on Monday because we were stranded due to bad weather, yet there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and we were enjoying a beautiful day on land. After walking around for an hour or 2 we found ourselves at the mini golf course and had a wonderful time playing Tiger Woods.
Afterwards we planned to check out the Casino tour but took a walk back to the harbor on our way. When we got there the water was still rough, but not breaking against the sea wall anymore and the winds had calmed considerably. By now it was nearly noon and we knew that if we were going to leave it would have to be right away. We stopped into the harbor patrol office and discussed conditions with them. They suggested we give it a go, and if it was still rough a mile out to turn back. We hurried down to the docks, got another ride back to the boat and cast off once again.
Getting out of the harbor was a bit rough, with pretty large swells, but not terrible. Once clear of land we set the sails again and found that not only had the winds settled, but they had also shifted. In the morning the wind was coming straight from the north, the direction we needed to go, but now we were able to plot a course straight for Long Beach. The farther out we got the better it got as well. The wind continued to shift to the west and the sun was warming up nicely. We averaged just over 5.5mph over the entire length of the crossing and at times were holding steady at around 7. Coming to the Long Beach breakwater we encountered our only large commercial vessel of the journey, and had to alter our course and drop the jib for a minute to slow enough so as to not occupy the small opening at the same time. We made sure to give it plenty of space, as I have no desire to play chicken with oil tankers. Once it exited the harbor we raised the jib again and made our way back to port. We ended up hitting the dock exactly 5 and a half hours after leaving Avalon, a full 2 hours faster than the previous days voyage.
It was one hell of a weekend. It was miserable and challenging at some moments, but incredibly fun at others. Definitely an adventure, and one I look forward to doing again. Next time I think I’ll check the marine weather report a little more closely though. Even so, I’m amazed at how well the boat handled everything. Our only issues were a little water splashing up through the hole where the keel locking pin goes in, and one $4 plastic jib sheet fairlead that broke, but never slowed us down at all. Not bad for a boat as old as I am that I have less than $3000 into.
