Hi, work demands will make me spend more time in Newport Beach CA from September, so I am thinking of buying and keeping a cat around there. Was told that it is not allowed to launch boats from public beaches. Does anyone have any intel on locations and storage options in Orange county? A non-sailor suggested that Dana Point may be one such place. I understand that Mark Talla is (was?) based there, but he seems to have vanished from cyberspace.
Thanks, Ivan
Checked Dana Point Embarcadero Marina - rent runs $110/month for an 18ft cat. This is about twice what I pay in Italy (EUR 500/yr). Is this comparable to storage/ramp fees elsewhere in the US?
Your best bet for beach launching in So. Cal is the Long Beach area. The claremont st "ramp" is a concrete strip that takes you within feet from the water line, no surf (because of the break wall) and if you get hooked up the ABYC, you can have some great racing.
Besides, in Newport Beach, it is now a misdemeanor to "fly a hull" within the confines of the harbor!!! Can you believe it!!
Hope this helps.
Michael
A cat USA 187
Oh please tell me that some politician doesn't know enough about catamarans to even know what "flying a hull" means!?
The "no hull-flying rule" doesn't surprise me - Newpot is a relatively tight harbor with many older boat owers.
Thanks for the advice - Claremont is just 30 min away if traffic allows (on I405, so a bit of a stretched assumption).
I really would like to do this every day that I am there, after work (i.e. after 3pm), so having the boat fully rigged and by the water is the only way. Is ABYC my best shot at getting mast-up storage for an A-cat?
I realize that there are likely tons of yacht clubs in So. Cal. but from experience not all are beach cat - friendy, and even fewer have space.
ABYC does indeed have mast up storage, and a great A cat schedule. Furthermore, they have a descent launching facility for multi-hulls.
Stop by and check it out!
Though in Seattle,......from the area!! (and boy do I miss it!!)