Avalon Harbor Activity Report - September 2017

2017-10-19
City of Avalon

Two of our Harbor Patrol crew performed life saving acts this month.  September 11, Sanitation Worker Kiya Hernandez, while walking on Crescent Avenue on her lunch break, saw a man with his hands to his throat, choking.  She remembered her first aid training and immediately performed abdominal thrusts, dislodging the substance that caused his choking.  September 14, Harbor Patrolman Greg Warner, noticed a kayaker in the water in the Lovers’ Cove area.  The man was trying to hold his young child in the air, attempting to get back on the kayak.  The man was about to go under when Greg arrived, saving both the man and his child from drowning.  Thank you, Kiya and Greg, for being in the right place at the time and not hesitating to do the right thing!

Labor Day weekend was, of course, very busy, even with many schools starting earlier this year.  All moorings were occupied and about a dozen boats were at anchor.

We were wrong is thinking that summer was over after Labor Day!

Avalon was proud to host the 58th Annual Catalina Crossing Outrigger Race.  The event brought over 60 outrigger canoes and 80 chase boats.  On Saturday the 9th, 64 Women’s and Co-Ed teams completed the race with the Rincon Outrigger Canoe Club taking 1st place in the Women’s category with a time of 4:03:41 and the O Kalani Outrigger Club taking 1st place for the Co-Ed category with a time of 4:18:29.  For the first time in several years, Avalon had a Women’s team in the race and they finished with a time of 5:28:36!  On Sunday the 10th, 60 Men’s and Co-Ed Masters teams completed the race with Paddling Connection taking 1st place in the Men’s category with a time of 3:57:32 and Tohi Vea taking 1st place in the Men’s Masters category with a time of 4:07:04.  The Avalon Men’s team also did a great job with a time of 5:26:50!

The Southwest Yacht Club was in Avalon Harbor 9/10 through 9/17 with about 20 boats.

The second annual Avalon Billfish Challenge was held September 19th to the 21st.

The third Annual Catalina Wine Mixer was held from the 22nd through the 24th at Descanso Beach and brought even more attendees than last year.  The weekend kicked off on Friday with a showing of the movie Step Brothers, which inspired the event, viewed at the historic Casino Theatre.

On the 23rd, over 30 boats that participated in a Poker Run from Long Beach to Avalon spent the day enjoying our great weather and patronizing our shops and restaurants.

And finally, the Catalina Film Institute held the Catalina Film Festival from the 27th through October 1st!  With over 100 films shown over the five days, the whole town participated by providing venues for the showings.

Whether water-based or land-based, all these events bring boats to the harbor!

September 2017 stats are as follows:
People aboard boats: 8,256
Vessels Moored: 2,064
Vessels Anchored: 158
Moorings Sold / Transferred: 1
Citations Issued / Discharges: 2/0
Total Cruise Ship Passengers: 20,901
Average Temp – High: 74
Average Temp – Low: 64
Average Sea Temp: 70
Rain: .00
Rain Days: 0
Weather Warnings: 4 SCAs

***Winter rates are in effect from October 15th until Palm Sunday (3/25/2018).