CATALINA CROSSING TOO!!!!!!

[Fiskadoro]

Originally Posted by makobob

So Fishwisperer619, let us see if we can put together a fun, safe trip to Catalina for Sept/Oct of 2014. Do we want to camp and fish for a few days and paddle back. Or just do the paddle over? What do YOU want to do, how do you envision this trip. We definitely will need a support boat, for safety and to carry some gear to keep yaks lighter.
Figuring 2mph means 11 hours to cross, might not take that long but.......... so people do need to be in shape. And we will need to do shorter paddles together but we can set that up. If there is interest then let's just do it.

Weather is crucial.

People paddle and row the channel but they do it when the weather is good, with a predictable weather pattern, and some times of year are more predictable then others.

I'll be honest Sept October is iffy.

I fish for Billfish Off Avalon in a small skiff that time of year and weather wise it's not a very predictable time of year. Almost every day starts out flat then around noon wind comes up from west. Some days it's 5-10 knots of wind some days it comes up 20to 40 knots rips down the channel and generates 10ft confused seas.

Several times on days where there was supposed to be just mild conditions I've seen winds come out of nowhere. Sometimes it happens so fast so quickly that you actually see the whitewater before you feel the wind.

There have been times I just barely made it back to the shelter of the island and another time I tried to beat the wind back and ended up fighting the wind half the night and barely made it back to shore.

Here's some pics that I dug up from a Catalina Marlin trip that time of year.

9:00 AM


2:00PM (Almost same location coming back in 9ft seas.)


I kid you not the worst conditions I have ever been in on my skiff anywhere ever, happened right in the exact area you want to cross, during that time of year, on a day they forecast little or no wind.

I could of died, I know of other people who have died in similar wind events in small boats under 20 feet.

This is a known weather pattern and I've got stuck at the island for days because of it.

Actually I researched this before and I think the best time of year to paddle across is coming up shortly, flat calm late winter conditions are the most predictable. The guys who do it also start out in the middle of the night so that they can be across before noon.

You may think this is easy or safe but if you get caught in a fall wind event in that channel in the kind of kayak that you guys fish your going to be in big trouble even if you have a support boat.

Just saying, Jim

[makobob]

Originally Posted by Fiskadoro

Weather is crucial.

People paddle and row the channel but they do it when the weather is good, with a predictable weather pattern, and some times of year are more predictable then others.

I'll be honest Sept October is iffy.

I fish for Billfish Off Avalon in a small skiff that time of year and weather wise it's not a very predictable time of year. Almost every day starts out flat then around noon wind comes up from west. Some days it's 5-10 knots of wind some days it comes up 20to 40 knots rips down the channel and generates 10ft confused seas.

Several times on days where there was supposed to be just mild conditions I've seen winds come out of nowhere. Sometimes it happens so fast so quickly that you actually see the whitewater before you feel the wind.

There have been times I just barely made it back to the shelter of the island and another time I tried to beat the wind back and ended up fighting the wind half the night and barely made it back to shore.

I kid you not the worst conditions I have ever been in on my skiff anywhere ever, happened right in the exact area you want to cross, during that time of year, on a day they forecasted little or no wind.

I could of died, I know of other people who have died in similar wind events in small boats under 20 feet.

This is a known weather pattern and I've got stuck at the island for days because of it.

Actually I researched this before and I think the best time of year to paddle across is coming up shortly, flat calm late winter conditions are the most predictable. The guys who do it also start out in the middle of the night so that they can be across before noon.

You may think this is easy or safe but if you get caught in a fall wind event in that channel in the kind of kayak that you guys fish your going to be in big trouble even if you have a support boat.

Just saying, Jim

So guys what say if we are serious about this we set it up for next MARCH. Comments please. AND Jim, thank you for keeping us all safe.

[Fiskadoro]

Originally Posted by makobob

So guys what say if we are serious about this we set it up for next MARCH. Comments please. AND Jim, thank you for keeping us all safe.

Thanks. I've spent a lot of time at Cat and it can be brutal. I'm all for this but be careful and choose your days wisely.

[FLORIDA BOY!]

Does the marina del rey flyer still take kayaks? Does anyone know how many? How about a one way King harbor to cabrillo in the summer when the days are long. This would be great practice for a longer trip and alot of areas to fish. Anyone down for that?

[Squid Vicious]

Jim...isn't fall the best time ?...oct,nov...west wind isn't as bad as summer forsure....

[Fiskadoro]

Originally Posted by Squid Vicious

Jim...isn't fall the best time ?...oct,nov...west wind isn't as bad as summer forsure....

Not fall so much as Winter, I think it's best before a Santa Ana event where you have a weak high pressure system over the Mojave that's not strong enough to generate a Santa Ana but strong enough to stop any onshore winds.

I'm not a meteorologist but the deal is that when the desert warms the warm air rises and the resulting low surface pressure pulls in cooler denser air off the ocean which passes over us at the coast. In the early fall we have a slightly cooler air temperature on the coast, but the desert is still warm and offshore outside the islands the water and air get colder faster do to the cold California Current. The greater the temperature difference between the desert and offshore the more intense the displacement effect. So when the desert warms up in the fall the effect is intensified due to the colder temps offshore.

Catalina Channel acts like a funnel, channeling the air (wind) coming in from offshore increasing it's speed as it comes down the channel. Though I'm not sure how all the variables work sometimes cold air from offshore rushes through the channel displacing warmer air on the coast, and it can become a sustained longer pattern.

I know that September October it can get really bad much worse then I've seen it in the Summer. The winds can be more intense and last longer. It's almost like a mini cold front the cold air comes in from offshore and then continues to blow for a extended period. If I had to guess I would say the offshore air is cold enough it continues to displace the warmer desert air even at night after the sun goes down and the thermals stop, but it only seems to happen in the fall.

In the winter the temps are more balanced because the California Current does not get that much colder, so the sea and land temperatures get more similar and things get balanced out. Then when you then get a weak high pressure system in the desert (like before a Santa Ana) it blocks the cold air from coming in from offshore, creating a extended period with no wind. Too much pressure and you get the reverse winds or Santa Anas, but with the right amount of high pressure you get an extended calm. Supposedly those no wind periods are the ideal times to paddle across but they only happen during the winter not the summer.

At least that's how I think it works.

Jim

[SDROB]

Not sure If Id be willing to make the paddle across but camping and fishing Catalina Island is definitely on my bucket list.

[Squid Vicious]

Originally Posted by Fiskadoro

Not fall so much as Winter, I think it's best before a Santa Ana event where you have a weak high pressure system over the Mojave that's not strong enough to generate a Santa Ana but strong enough to stop any onshore winds.

I'm not a meteorologist but the deal is that when the desert warms the warm air rises and the resulting low surface pressure pulls in cooler denser air off the ocean which passes over us at the coast. In the early fall we have a slightly cooler air temperature on the coast, but the desert is still warm and offshore outside the islands the water and air get colder faster do to the cold California Current. The greater the temperature difference between the desert and offshore the more intense the displacement effect. So when the desert warms up in the fall the effect is intensified due to the colder temps offshore.

Catalina Channel acts like a funnel, channeling the air (wind) coming in from offshore increasing it's speed as it comes down the channel. Though I'm not sure how all the variables work sometimes cold air from offshore rushes through the channel displacing warmer air on the coast, and it can become a sustained longer pattern.

I know that September October it can get really bad much worse then I've seen it in the Summer. The winds can be more intense and last longer. It's almost like a mini cold front the cold air comes in from offshore and then continues to blow for a extended period. If I had to guess I would say the offshore air is cold enough it continues to displace the warmer desert air even at night after the sun goes down and the thermals stop, but it only seems to happen in the fall.

In the winter the temps are more balanced because the California Current does not get that much colder, so the sea and land temperatures get more similar and things get balanced out. Then when you then get a weak high pressure system in the desert (like before a Santa Ana) it blocks the cold air from coming in from offshore, creating a extended period with no wind. Too much pressure and you get the reverse winds or Santa Anas, but with the right amount of high pressure you get an extended calm. Supposedly those no wind periods are the ideal times to paddle across but they only happen during the winter not the summer.

At least that's how I think it works.

Jim

...sounds like your a meteorologist
...sounds right though...I think I spend more time fishing Catalina in fall than winter more than summer and spring too...you know

[William Novotny]

Originally Posted by Fiskadoro

Not fall so much as Winter, I think it's best before a Santa Ana event where you have a weak high pressure system over the Mojave that's not strong enough to generate a Santa Ana but strong enough to stop any onshore winds.

I'm not a meteorologist but the deal is that when the desert warms the warm air rises and the resulting low surface pressure pulls in cooler denser air off the ocean which passes over us at the coast. In the early fall we have a slightly cooler air temperature on the coast, but the desert is still warm and offshore outside the islands the water and air get colder faster do to the cold California Current. The greater the temperature difference between the desert and offshore the more intense the displacement effect. So when the desert warms up in the fall the effect is intensified due to the colder temps offshore.

Catalina Channel acts like a funnel, channeling the air (wind) coming in from offshore increasing it's speed as it comes down the channel. Though I'm not sure how all the variables work sometimes cold air from offshore rushes through the channel displacing warmer air on the coast, and it can become a sustained longer pattern.

I know that September October it can get really bad much worse then I've seen it in the Summer. The winds can be more intense and last longer. It's almost like a mini cold front the cold air comes in from offshore and then continues to blow for a extended period. If I had to guess I would say the offshore air is cold enough it continues to displace the warmer desert air even at night after the sun goes down and the thermals stop, but it only seems to happen in the fall.

In the winter the temps are more balanced because the California Current does not get that much colder, so the sea and land temperatures get more similar and things get balanced out. Then when you then get a weak high pressure system in the desert (like before a Santa Ana) it blocks the cold air from coming in from offshore, creating a extended period with no wind. Too much pressure and you get the reverse winds or Santa Anas, but with the right amount of high pressure you get an extended calm. Supposedly those no wind periods are the ideal times to paddle across but they only happen during the winter not the summer.

At least that's how I think it works.

Jim

Thanks for this info, I learned quite a bit from this post and it really puts things into perspective as far as event planning for an endeavor like this and what to be mindful of.

[William Novotny]

Originally Posted by FLORIDA BOY!

Does the marina del rey flyer still take kayaks? Does anyone know how many? How about a one way King harbor to cabrillo in the summer when the days are long. This would be great practice for a longer trip and alot of areas to fish. Anyone down for that?

Flyer no longer allows kayaks

[ful-rac]

I thought they went out of business...

[Fishwhisperer619]

Originally Posted by Fiskadoro

Weather is crucial.

People paddle and row the channel but they do it when the weather is good, with a predictable weather pattern, and some times of year are more predictable then others.

I'll be honest Sept October is iffy.

I fish for Billfish Off Avalon in a small skiff that time of year and weather wise it's not a very predictable time of year. Almost every day starts out flat then around noon wind comes up from west. Some days it's 5-10 knots of wind some days it comes up 20to 40 knots rips down the channel and generates 10ft confused seas.

Several times on days where there was supposed to be just mild conditions I've seen winds come out of nowhere. Sometimes it happens so fast so quickly that you actually see the whitewater before you feel the wind.

There have been times I just barely made it back to the shelter of the island and another time I tried to beat the wind back and ended up fighting the wind half the night and barely made it back to shore.

Here's some pics that I dug up from a Catalina Marlin trip that time of year.

9:00 AM


2:00PM (Almost same location coming back in 9ft seas.)


I kid you not the worst conditions I have ever been in on my skiff anywhere ever, happened right in the exact area you want to cross, during that time of year, on a day they forecast little or no wind.

I could of died, I know of other people who have died in similar wind events in small boats under 20 feet.

This is a known weather pattern and I've got stuck at the island for days because of it.

Actually I researched this before and I think the best time of year to paddle across is coming up shortly, flat calm late winter conditions are the most predictable. The guys who do it also start out in the middle of the night so that they can be across before noon.

You may think this is easy or safe but if you get caught in a fall wind event in that channel in the kind of kayak that you guys fish your going to be in big trouble even if you have a support boat.

Just saying, Jim

So when would you suggest making the trip?
For me, I was hoping for a paddle out ob friday, fish all day saturday, main land on Sunday. My only concern is keeping the catch cold. Put a big cooler on tge support boat? My current semester ends in may so june july August would be ideal for me but as fiskadoro said weather is crucial. Plus I want this to be a group decision. Are the majority of us in SD or are some of us further north? Maybe a bbq at the bay to talk things over as a group?