…and the jacuzzi, the 80-ft long pool, the surf, the Punta Mita anchorage, and the 4-mile distant Tres Marietas Islands
Punta Mita Beachfront Condos Call now for reservations! 415.269.5165 www.puntamitabeachfrontcondos.com
MARINA de LA PAZ full service marina
Friendly, helpful, fully bilingual staff Located Downtown • Protective piling & sheetpile breakwater Hardwood docks • Plug-in Internet • Cruisers’ clubhouse Electricity • Potable reverse osmosis water • And more!
TEL: 01152 612 122 1646
email: marinalapaz@prodigy.net.mx
www.marinadelapaz.com Apdo. Postal 290, La Paz, 23000 Baja California Sur, Mexico
www.MarineLube.biz
Page 52 •
Latitude 38
• January, 2016
but Newport has always been welcoming. Assume that you can anchor 72 hours for free or get a mooring for a very reasonable amount. Three to five days, depending on how much you like the beach scene. Dana Point: You can anchor free for 72 hours inside the breakwater at the west end, and we've anchored for free outside the marina on the east end. One day is probably enough. Mission Bay: You can anchor at Mariners Basin free for 72 hours. If you have a good dinghy, you can explore the far reaches of Mission Bay, which can be fun one time. One day. San Diego Bay: There are three free anchorages: The A-5 at Glorietta Bay off Coronado Island, where you can stay for 72 hours; La Playa Cove, A-1, which is a 72-hour weekend-only anchorage between the San Diego and Southwestern YCs; and the A-9 anchorage off the Coast Guard base, where boats registered outside San Diego County can anchor for as long as three months. Permits are needed for all three, although you can get them online for the A-5 and the A-1. You must apply in person for the A-9, which holds only 20 boats. Catalina: State Land leases give large areas of control to the city of Avalon and the Catalina Island Company. Boats are forbidden to anchor within 100 yards of the moorings. However, there are areas within their jurisdictions where you can anchor. There is a two-week time limit, although we're not sure how strictly it's enforced. In addition, there are places outside of Avalon and Catalina Island Company's granted areas of jurisdiction where you can anchor for an unlimited amount of time. Near the 'big city' of Avalon they tend to If you can take the afternoon slop, you can be roll-your-brains- anchor on Harbor Reef, as 'Profligate' is seen doing here, for as long as you want. Outside out in the afterthe boundary at Cat Harbor is even better for noon spots that we monohulls. wouldn't recommend. We used to anchor Profligate atop Harbor Reef, which is just off the south side of the Isthmus, for months at a time in the summer. This was and remains perfectly legal, as it's outside the Catalina Island Company's area of jurisdiction. However, if you're on a monohull or a smaller cat, it can get uncomfortable when the wind from the 'fan' blows out in the afternoon and sets your boat broadside to the northwesterly swell. It usually dies down about sunset. Another area outside a limiting jurisdiction is just outside a line between Pin Rock and Cat Head at Cat Harbor on the backside of the Isthmus. It's usually pretty well protected, and Doug Oudin, who used to run Two Harbors, tells us there is a catamaran that's been anchored there legally for the last five years. If you're into hiking, mountain biking and so forth, you could enjoy a few weeks. There are supplies and Internet. Then you have the other Channel Islands. To the best of our knowledge there are no restrictions on how long you can anchor off these islands. Even if there were, the State Lands Commission has no agency — meaning boats or personnel — to enforce time limits. Anchoring off these islands is more or less self-regulating, as every two weeks or so you'd probably want to return to land for supplies and Internet access. Returning to land is no big deal, as it's 25 reaching miles both ways between the islands and Santa Barbara, and less than 20 miles between
LATITUDE / RICHARD
JUST YOU AND THE SEA… LETTERS
