Oceanside, CA Harbor

[N4061]

For those on the west coast who are looking for a destination or stop over I would like to recommend Oceanside, CA. harbor. Recognizing safe harbors along the west coast can be few and far between, Oceanside is no different being 30 miles north of the San Diego and 30 miles south of Dana Point. For years we passed it up when traveling north from SD until two years ago when we stopped over for the night and enjoyed it. Fast forward to today and we live only 13 miles from the harbor and downtown. Not knowing Oceanside very well we heard it was a "military" town (Cape Pendleton Marine Base is just to the north) and not worth visiting. Last year when we started visiting we were pleasantly surprised to see the revitalization and new building taking place while still maintaining a small town fee. While the harbor remains original it is very well kept and clean. The water is clear allowing 6 feet of visibility looking down from the docks which wasn't possible in San Diego. The docks look newer or at least well kept and there are about 12 - 16 guest slips.

Harbor patrol presence is large and comforting and the Sea Port Village is filled with restaurants. Entrance into the harbor is wide but you will want to understand beam see's before committing your entrance. From the harbor you can walk to downtown (10 -15 minutes) and visit new restaurants, hotels and microbreweries. The Oceanside Pier is also located in the heart of downtown and one of the largest on the west coast. Being located 30 miles north of SD the water is very clean and great for fishing and surfing. Lots to do and a great place to enjoy your boat.

John T
N4050, N4061, N3522, H38E - former owner

 

[Sticky]

From what I understand the slip fees are reasonable too compared to the rest of Southern California.

 

[Crusty Chief]

Was a favorite of ours when we traveled south, gosh that seems so long ago. But only 2 years ago.

 

[Paul Ham]

I just checked the slip wait list at Oceanside Harbor - she said 4/5 years.

 

[Comodave]

Yes, it will be a long wait. As to transient docking, I had a 46’ trawler and called them looking for overnight dockage. They said they didn’t have anything over 42’. But this was back in 2003 so it may have changed now.

 

[ancora]

Oceanside Harbor is under pressure for slips as Dana Point marina was sold to a trust fund baby who just raised the rates to coincide with Newport Beach, hence the exodus.
Oceanside slips go with the boat that is sold. Some people will buy the boat and sell it, just to get the slip.

 

[Fletcher500]

Oceanside Harbor is under pressure for slips as Dana Point marina was sold to a trust fund baby who just raised the rates to coincide with Newport Beach, hence the exodus.
Oceanside slips go with the boat that is sold. Some people will buy the boat and sell it, just to get the slip.

DP harbor was not "sold". An operator/developer (DPHP) took control of the long term lease a few years ago. Prior to that, I believe there were two different lease operators who had it (west and east). The County of Orange continues to own it. Many of the tenants in DP are long term slip renters and pay a very low rate in comparison to other marinas in so-cal. The new operator (DPHP) is going to, or have already raised slip rates, but they are still considered reasonable compared to other places. However, the docks in DP are in absolute horrible condition and that includes the electrical supplies so the tenants are not happy about any rent increases which is understandable. I believe the new docks are starting to go in now and the entire marina will be redone over the next few years. The renderings of the project and the new retail spaces look great.

 

[Opu]

Oceanside and Dana Point

We moved from DP to Oceanside about 9 years ago. DP was aging and the revitalization “project” had been under discussion since 1997 with no end in sight. There is finally some activity starting; I noticed last night that a block of slips has been emptied, presumably so construction can begin. Meanwhile the aging hasn’t stopped….

The DP slip fees were jacked up last October. My 34’ slip in Oside was raised to $600/month in January; a 35’ slip in DP is $900.

 

[N4061]

Dana Point and other marinas

Visited DP yesterday for lunch and noticed a section of slips on the north side of the bridge were empty as others mentioned. I recall the first time we visited DP (around 2003), we were looking at Selene's and Nordhavn's and I was told then the marina was to be updated. Almost 20 years later and it appears work has commenced. I will be interesting to see if the shopping area and restaurants get a face lift.

While the docks in Oceanside are in good condition the little Seaport Village area could use a facelift. We noticed the old Jolly Roger restaurant is going through some type of update with artificial grass installed around the building but not sure what the plan is for the building itself. We heard it may use for weddings and larger social gatherings. Also noticed a new art gallery store opened a couple of weeks ago not far from the small yacht club side of the marina. I have to give the city of Oceanside credit for keeping the marina, streets and parking lots in nice condition.

On the subject of marina's, we have been following the recent transfer of ownership of the Sunroad Marina in SD Harbor Island to Safe Harbor Marinas. It appears this company now owns or is associated with 130 marinas around the USA and growing. While I have not seen any significant physical changes with original Sunroad Marina I know the slip fees have increased since we left (not surprising). Safe Harbor publishes a very nice magazine twice a year which you can pick up in the marina office for free. Well worth the read and some may find it informative when traveling and looking for a transit slip or fuel dock.

John

 

[ancora]

Visited DP harbor while the cofferdam was still up before any pilings were driven. Years later we got a 20' foot slip on the island, before the east end was built. We had a slip at Sunroad while waiting for a slip to become available at Southwestern YC. 30 years ago, nice marina but did not like being close to the noisy airport. We live in Oceanside, but the 44 mile trip to our boat in San Diego is worth it.