Around Catalina By Folding Kayak
My girlfriend, Diana, and I completed a semi-circumnavigation around
Catalina on Labor Day Weekend in our Feathercraft double. Our route took us
from Two Harbors on the lee side, around the West End to the windward side,
finally finishing in Avalon. Using a folding kayak allowed us to avoid
having to make the long crossing, as we took the boat and our camping gear
as baggage on Catalina Express.
Our boat assembly in Two Harbors after the fast hour and 15-minute crossing
from San Pedro generated a lot of interest, as bystanders came by to watch
and ask questions about the kayak and our trip. We launched into two-inch
surf after grabbing a burger at the restaurant in town, and made the
relatively short five-mile paddle to Parsons Landing, where we camped the
first night. There were literally hundreds of boats taking all the moorings
between Two Harbors and Emerald Bay. This changed completely as we rounded
Arrow Point, however, as there were suddenly no boats and no signs of
civilization. The contrast between Labor Day crowds and a feeling of near
total remoteness was a theme that would repeatedly mark our trip.
We launched around 9:00 a.m. on day two, again into non-existent surf, and
paddled around the West End. The backside of the island in this area was
spectacular, particularly Eagle Rock and Ribbon Rock. Here, we encountered
some small swells for the first time, but there was no wind and conditions
were very calm. Again, there was a sudden transition from remote beauty to
civilization as we rounded Catalina Head and landed in Cat Harbor for a
paddling break and lunch. It was a little strange walking the half mile
across the Isthmus and having lunch again at the restaurant where we started
a day earlier. This time the crowds were much greater, but our burgers
tasted that much better after our morning 12-mile paddle.
After lunch, we paddled off for Little Harbor, where we would camp and take
a rest day. Again, the transition to remote beauty was almost immediate,
and I don't remember having seen a single boat along the way. The sky was
sunny, there was no wind, and no swell. Our landing at Little Harbor was
easy, as it is very sheltered and there was no surf. The campground is very
pretty, with grassy areas to set up tents on, palm trees, picnic tables,
running water and showers. We were fortunate to have reserved a camp site
right next to the beach, so we didn't have to carry the boat and our gear
far. Unlike Parsons, Little Harbor is a large campground. Although much
more comfortable than Parsons, it was crowded and became noisy at times with
weekend revelers. Our first night was interrupted as a group of teenagers
who had way too much to drink partied on the beach until after midnight.
Overall, though, everyone was friendly and well behaved, and a number of
fellow campers came by to visit and ask about the boat and our trip. The
next day we slept in, had a big breakfast of coffee, hash browns and
scrambled eggs, and then lounged on the beach after taking a hike to the
bluffs overlooking Cottonwood Cove.
On day four, we got up early to break down our camp, pack, and launch by
8:00 o'clock for the fairly long 16-mile paddle to Avalon in time to catch
our ferry back to the mainland. Some of the campers came by to send us off,
and we again launched into non-existent surf. Diana's motivation for the
day was the promise of a "Big Olaf's" waffle ice cream cone in Avalon
(actually, it was my motivation too), and whenever we felt tired we said we
were "paddling for Big Olaf's." The shoreline from Little Harbor around to
Ben Weston Point, China Point, and Salta Verde Point was, in my opinion, the
most beautiful of the trip. The shore was accentuated by huge rocks with
crashing surf, offshore reefs and kelp beds, and schooling baitfish which
occasionally skipped along the surface fleeing our boat as we came upon
them. At about three feet, and coming from both the northwest and
southwest, the swells were a bit bigger today, but still quite small and
easily manageable. With the northwest swell and a light breeze behind us,
we were able to get the additional boost and thrill of surfing the swells
for short stretches. The sensation in the big folding double felt a lot
like a sleigh ride.
After passing Salta Verde Point, the Palisades loomed ahead of us -- large
cliffs rising up to 1,500 feet above the ocean. We began our transition
back into civilization again, this time more gradually, as we began to
encounter fishing boats. Around Silver Canyon, we were buzzed by a couple
of young men in a skiff who seemed to enjoy our alarm as they bore straight
in on us while we waived our paddles to warn them off. Unfortunately, this
is one of the hazards of sea kayaking in Southern California. The beauty of
the surroundings and the good conditions soon made us forget the intrusion,
however, and we set our sites on Church Rock near the east end of the
island. The problem of seeing Church Rock from several miles away was that
it seemed to take forever for us to get there, and a current running against
us didn't help. When we finally arrived, we decided to paddle between the
rock and the island. When we got to the narrow channel, Diana asked from
the front cockpit, "Hey, why is the water in front of us all churned up?"
It turned out that the current was racing through the gap like a river. We
decided to just power through it and within a couple of minutes we were out
into calmer water.
In the last leg around the east end and into Avalon, we predictably
encountered more and more boats. We landed at Descanso Beach at around 1:30
in the afternoon, then walked into town for our ice cream and lounged around
for a while. After four days of paddling and camping the remote areas of
the island, Avalon and its Labor Day crowds were pure culture shock at
first, but we quickly adjusted to the quaint tourist town and its bustling
activity. We returned to Descanso Beach, where we had lunch in the
beachside restaurant, and then we broke down the boat and packed all our
gear. We had a cab take us and our bags containing the boat and camping
gear to the dock in time to catch our fast ferry back to the mainland.
For those who want to take an adventurous multi-day trip with a non-hardcore
paddling partner, doing Catalina in a folding double like we did may be a
good option. We were never too far from civilization, although we often
felt we were, and we were fortunate to have excellent conditions. Of
course, like anywhere, the conditions can become much more challenging,
particularly on the backside of the island, and you'll want to be prepared
with appropriate paddling skills and safety equipment. Last October, for
example, we did a trip entirely on the lee side of the island (from Two
Harbors to Parsons, and then back to Avalon), and had a Pacific storm come
through with rain, high winds, and rough water conditions. After our trip
this weekend, we're already talking about returning next year to do a
complete circumnavigation.
Gareth Evans
Submitted on September 7, 2001