Catalina was the preferred destination for our weekly boating excursions. Avalon, at the southern end, was too crowded, so we usually went to the Isthmus, or sometimes an outlying harbor such as 4th of July. Anchoring was always worrisome; the grasses on the bottom made setting some types of anchors difficult. Bill swore by his Danforth. One time, forced to anchor in really deep water when we were using a new Wishbone anchor, it caught well; in fact, too well. We could not get it up at all and lost an expensive anchor and at least 125 feet of chain. Anchoring brought up another factor: wind and the afternoon cocktail hour. While examples really flourished at the Channel Islands, good, scary examples abounded at Catalina as well. People would set their anchor, and not test its set properly, then quickly shut off the engine and hoist the cocktail flag. Then the afternoon wind would come up. And, boats would start to pull their anchors and, if you were unlucky, yours as well. With fenders and feet, ropes and vocal chords, crews hopped about trying to minimize damage and distress. Finally, everyone would settle down to enjoy the evening. And they were usually beautiful and peaceful at the island.
One of my favorite places was the Isthmus. It was easy to get ashore -- unlike 4th of July -- and walk to the restaurant and then by the Civil War Bunkers (yes, there was an outpost on the island) and past or through, the herds of buffalo; climb the fence and walk to the seaward side of the island. There is a harbor here on both sides, but the seaward one was unpleasant to get to unless the weather was very calm.
Our visits to Catalina were not limited to boat trips. Bill was also a pilot and he loved the Catalina Airport. Famous for its buffalo burgers. And, its scary take-offs. Actually, landing could also be exciting as fog banks sometimes obscured the runway until the "last moment." However, there was nothing quite so stomach wrenching as taking off and then have the island drop below you. While I was not on this specific trip, Bill and the the blind buyer from a major corporation we dealt with, flew over from LA to Catalina for lunch. He had been a pilot in the Korean War and later became blind; flying was his passion and so, for the trip across, he flew the plane while Bill gave him instructions on the course and altitude. It was one of his most memorable lunches.
But, with the exception of a few airplane flights, most trips to Catalina were by boat.