San Diego Harbor Question
 

While a blizzard rages outside I am surfing the web and dreaming....... I am looking at a satelite photo of San Diego Harbor and see what looks like an anchorage with all the boats perfectly lined up way too close and not all facing the same way. Can someone help me understand what is going on in this picture ? Thank you in advance. -Greg

Link to Google Maps:
https://www.google.com/maps/@32.7221.../data=!3m1!1e3

I kept my boat at Shelter Island twenty years ago and then that was just a typical mooring field. It looks like they have installed fore and aft buoys to keep the boats lined up and pack more in. They do the same thing at Catalina Island but that is to keep them pointed to the swells rolling in which are often crosswise to the wind. At Catalina they weren't packed anywhere near that tightly.

David

Correct, this is commercial basin or what was once called America's Cup Harbor. My boat is in the next harbor to the east on Harbor Island. It's a very nice place to keep a boat but is right next to the airport so there is a lot of jet noise and soot to deal with.

Thanks guys. I've never seen a 2-ball mooring field before. That's got to be a real challenge for a single hander!!!

You pick up the bow and put the loop over the bow cleat. Then walk aft holding onto the line. There is another line to tie off at the stern, or a loop depending on the harbor.

So how expensive are these moorings compared to dock rates? I need to spend a few days in San Diego before heading South into Mexico, anchoring out in the bay doesn't seem to be an option.

They were reasonable at the time, 10 years ago, but since we moved to Michigan I have no idea what they go for now.

There are some anchorage areas in the harbor, Glorieta Bay on Coronado Islancd is great, another by San Diego Yacht Club not far from Harbor patrol office, you do need to check in with Harbor Dept and obtain permit. There are some visitor slips at the Harbor office dock, first come first serve, need to be there early in morning.

I keep my boat in that mooring field (America's Cup Harbor). It's the best field in SD, with a 7+ year waitlist for a ball. Part of the reason is how absurdly cheap it is - I was paying $1200/mo at Kona Kai (probably the nicest marina in SD, but I couldn't find anything appreciably cheaper at 45'LOA), and the mooring ball is $145 or so per month, up to 54'. That buys a lot of boat parts.

Moorings are Catalina-style as described. They are indeed tight. Single-handed with a breeze on things can get dicey, but it's pretty easy to plan for calm conditions in San Diego. I love it there.

If you're looking for a transient slip, you can get them as described above, but you can also sublet a mooring ball from someone who's not using theirs, for 2x the standard monthly rate - so under $300/mo. Very cheap way to stay in SD for a few months! Disclaimer: if you sublet my ball while I'm off cruising for the summer, they'll cut me a check to refund me my monthly fee! Here's the contact: Welcome to the San Diego Mooring Company!