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Passage Planning · The Crossing · Mooring · Return

Your First Time to Catalina

Catalina is the trip every Southern California owner buys the boat for — and the one most never make. Do it once with a professional aboard and it becomes your home run, not your someday.

Investment
from $150
Format
2–3 days
Where
San Diego ↔ Catalina
Request Free Intro Lesson Call 858-230-5079
53ft Marquis motoryacht — first Catalina crossing training from San Diego
The Program

What this actually is

The crossing itself isn't the hard part. It's everything around it: the go/no-go weather call, fuel and range planning, picking up a mooring can in a crowded field at Avalon with an audience, the swell working into the anchorage at 2am, and the return leg when the afternoon wind is up. Those are the things that keep boats in San Diego.

This program does the entire trip on your boat, with you in command and me as your first mate. You make the decisions — I make sure they're good ones, and I'm there for the moments that only experience handles. After one properly-run round trip, every future Catalina run is just a repeat.

Who It's For

You'll recognise yourself in one of these

It's been 'next season' for three years

The boat can do it. The gap is a first crossing done with confidence instead of dread. That's a one-trip fix.

The mooring field is the fear

Picking up a can at Avalon in July is genuinely sporty. We train it, then do it for real — with backup standing next to you.

You want the family's first trip to be great

One bad first Catalina trip can sour a crew for years. One great one creates a family tradition.

The Curriculum

What we cover

01
Passage planning session

Weather windows, routing, fuel and range, float plan, contingencies, and the gear check — done together before departure day.

02
The crossing

You run the passage. Watch routine, traffic management, position discipline, and crew comfort over a real offshore leg.

03
Arrival and mooring

Avalon or Two Harbors mooring pickup — briefed, rehearsed, then executed. Plus anchoring options when the field is full.

04
Island seamanship

Harbor etiquette, weather watching at anchor, shore boat logistics, and keeping the boat happy overnight.

05
The return leg

Afternoon wind strategy, the go/no-go call in reverse, and the homecoming into San Diego — closing the loop on the full skill set.

A boat that's never left the bay isn't a cruising boat yet — and neither is its owner. One round trip to Catalina changes both permanently.

Straight Answers

Questions owners actually ask

Is my boat capable of the crossing?
Almost certainly — it's about 70 nautical miles from San Diego and made routinely by well-prepared boats from 35 feet up. The planning session includes an honest readiness check of your specific vessel, and anything that needs addressing gets flagged before we commit.
Who's in command during the trip?
You are. I'm aboard as your first mate — advising, backing you up, and stepping in only if safety requires it. The point is that you make this crossing, not that you watch me make it.
Do we go to Avalon or Two Harbors?
Your call in the planning session. Avalon is the classic first trip; Two Harbors is quieter and often an easier first mooring experience. Plenty of trips do one out, the other back.
What does it cost?
Training starts from $150. Every program is scoped to your boat, your goals, and the hours involved — and you get a fixed quote before we book anything. No hourly surprises.
Start Here

Request a free intro lesson

One hour on your boat, at your dock. No charge, no obligation. You'll get a straight read on where you're at, what to work on first, and whether this program is the right fit. If it's not, I'll tell you.

Or just call
858-230-5079

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