# Bareboat to Catalina Island



## mmeyer31

Hi all,

We are looking to charter out of SoCal for an approximate week long trip to Catalina Island. We chartered out of Long Beach a couple of years ago with Marina Sailing. The trip was great and a good learning experience for us, being relatively new sailors on our first multi-day sail on our own. The boat was an older Catalina 34 that was scheduled to be retired from their fleet the following year, but was the only choice left in this size range due to our last minute reservation. We were pleased with how the boat handled, but the condition left a little to be desired. It showed its age much more than other 20+ year old boats we have chartered. It also had a lot of the owner's personal possessions crammed into most of the storage locations and wasn't as clean as other boats we have chartered. Overall, not a bad experience, but we have had better. Marina Sailing was fairly responsive to problems with the boat both before departure and once we arrived at Catalina. There were a few things that were bigger issues for us such as the dinghy not being registered (needs to be registered to be used in Avalon), which they told us about, but not until we showed up on the day of charter. Again, not a huge deal, but it meant that we had to pay for the shuttle boat each time we went ashore in Avalon, while a perfectly good dinghy sat idle on the foredeck. I would give Marina Sailing decent marks, and I wouldn't steer anyone away from them, but if there are better options, it would be good to know if there are charter companies in the area that others have had better experiences with. 

I was wondering if anyone has recommendations for other bareboat charter options in the vicinity of Long Beach, Dana Point, Marina del Ray, or other similar locations. There are some very good charter options out of San Diego, but we would prefer to sail out from points further north to keep it to a one day trip there and back.

Thanks for any input.

Best wishes,

Mike


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## kiprichard

Blue Pacific in Marina del Rey. We found them to be very good. Ask to talk to Jason or Silvia.
ASA Sailing School and Charter Boat Services Southern California - Marina del Rey, Southern California (CA)


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## mmeyer31

kiprichard said:


> Blue Pacific in Marina del Rey. We found them to be very good. Ask to talk to Jason or Silvia.


Thanks Kip! I was leaning towards them based on their web site and a phone call to them last week. It is nice to have some independent validation. They have a nice looking fleet, and they were very friendly on the phone. I will let them know that you sent me.

Best wishes,

Mike


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