Day 18    Tuesday, December 30, 1997

Pacific Ocean (San Diego) - Santa Catalina Island

We arrive to Avalon on Catalina Island around 9 a.m. after a calm overnight passage. The Harbor Patrol assigns us "berth" 214 and we moor onto the nicely aligned buoys (USD 28/night).

I go ashore to check out the ferry times for a possible return trip home the same day. The town is very nice-- small and compact. Located in a narrow valley, it clings the mountains on both sides. In the end, I decide to stay another couple of days and celebrate New Year's here. It will be different, for sure.

In the afternoon, I meet up with the others and we all have pizza and beer at Anthony's Restaurant. Afterwards, I take a city tour which gives a nice scenic overview of the town and the surroundings. Only about 3-4,000 people live in the 1 square mile town of Avalon, but about 9,000 visit every day at high season. This is low season, though, and I think the counter at the pier only listed a few hundred visitors today.

View from a hill

Harbor in dusk

I return back on the boat around 6 p.m. for a nap, but can't really sleep. Instead, I strap myself up into the hammock and watch the town descend into darkness.

Avalon by night

Around 7 p.m., Ken and I return to town to shoot some pool (I win, 2:1). Ray, Ashikin, and Eric join us at the local comedy club at 9 p.m.. After the show and a bit too many drinks, we have some fast food (clams & fries) before returning to the ship at 23:30.