Delayed Tourists Leave Catalina

Most of the estimated 1,200 tourists stranded overnight on Catalina Island by howling winds and high seas Sunday were ferried back to the mainland by cruise ships this morning, the Sheriff’s Department said. But the seas were still “choppy enough where smaller private boats are not even venturing out, and those that are, are turning back,” a department spokesman said.

The tourists, who left San Pedro, Long Beach and Newport Beach on Saturday for overnight trips, “seemed to be having a good time” in local hotels, said Bob Maguglin, whose Catalina Cruises ships shuttled about 500 tourists back today. “If you’re going to be stranded somewhere, you might as well be stranded on a nice Pacific island.” The unexpected crowds forced a few tourists to find lodgings in local churches, he added.