It’s Anchors Aweigh for Santa Catalina Island

The summer invasion is on as visitors swarm ashore to this island town that resembles a picturesque port in the Mediterranean. Every day a flotilla of ferryboats sails into the horseshoe-shaped harbor that seems worlds away from the Los Angeles megalopolis.

This season it’s easier than ever to escape the mainland for a salt-air sojourn to Santa Catalina Island. Five boat companies operate daily round-trip service to Avalon, giving you a choice of departures from San Pedro, Long Beach, Newport Beach/Balboa and San Diego.

The San Diego-Catalina sailings were inaugurated in June with a 210-passenger high-speed catamaran from California Cruisin’. The sleek Catalina Fast Cat has two decks of enclosed seating and makes the 82-mile crossing in 3 1/2 hours.

Departures are daily at 7 a.m. from the B Street pier at the Embarcadero along Harbor Drive in downtown San Diego. The return run leaves Avalon at 6 p.m. Cost of the round trip is $39, including a continental breakfast and evening hors d’oeuvres. Children 2 to 12 pay $23. Reservations: (619) 235-8600.

The fastest boat to Avalon--90 minutes--is Catalina Express, which operates out of Los Angeles Harbor in San Pedro. You can choose from 10 departures most days during summer, with the first run at 7 a.m. and the last at 7:30 p.m. Return trips operate between 9 a.m. and 9:30 p.m.

Open Top Deck

Passengers enjoy the sun and ocean air on the open top deck or relax in reclining airplane-type seats in the main cabin. Three of the company’s boats carry up to 145 people, and the capacity of a fourth vessel is 55. All have snack bar and cocktail service. Catalina Express also has daily 90-minute service to Two Harbors on the island’s northwest end.

Round-trip fares are $25 for adults, $15 for children 2 to 12, and $1 for children under 2. Bicycles and surfboards can be carried aboard for $3 each way. Reservations: (213) 519-1212.

Also operating from San Pedro, as well as Long Beach, is the veteran of island ferry services, Catalina Cruises. Its red-and-white fleet makes the 22-mile crossing to Avalon in two hours. As many as 700 passengers board the triple-deck vessels that feature inside and outside seating and refreshment service. It runs daily boats from Long Beach to Two Harbors, too.

Rates for a round trip from either mainland port are $21.90 for adults, $11.70 for ages 2 to 12 and $1.20 for children under 2. Reservations: (213) 775-6111, (213) 514-3838 or (714) 527-7111.

The summer schedule for all Catalina excursions is in effect through Labor Day.

If you’re in a hurry, or if the thought of seasickness keeps you from weighing anchor to Avalon, two companies provide quick helicopter service.

Helitrans makes the 15-minute flight from the Catalina Terminal in San Pedro to Avalon’s Pebbly Beach every hour on the hour from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fridays and weekends. All other days the scheduled times are 8 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Return flights are 25 minutes past the hour. A seat in a six-passenger jet helicopter costs $48 one way, $86 round trip. Call (213) 548-1314 or toll-free (800) 262-1472 for reservations.

Island Express charges the same fares for its flights to Avalon’s Pebbly Beach, from Catalina Terminal in San Pedro and from the helipad near the Queen Mary in Long Beach. The six-passenger jet helicopters depart almost every hour on the hour from 8 a.m. to sunset. Reservations: (213) 491-5550.

To reach the Catalina Terminal in San Pedro, drive south from Los Angeles on the Harbor Freeway (Interstate 110) to the Harbor Boulevard exit and follow signs across that street to the pier parking area.

Getting to Long Beach

To get to the Catalina Cruises pier in Long Beach, head south from Los Angeles on the Long Beach freeway (Interstate 710) toward downtown and keep right for the Golden Shore exit. (Do not take the Port of Long Beach/Queen Mary exit.)

If you’re sailing from Long Beach, go on deck to see the Queen Mary and Spruce Goose dome before passing the harbor breakwater. Also watch for porpoises that sometimes play in the boat’s wake during the ocean crossing.

In Orange County, Avalon-bound visitors can board the Catalina Holiday at the Balboa Pavilion on the Balboa peninsula in Newport Beach. The 500-passenger vessel, with both open and enclosed decks, makes one round trip every day in the summer.

The boat leaves at 9 a.m. and embarks for home again at 4:30 p.m. The crossing takes 2 1/2 hours each way; snacks are available on board. Adult fares are $22, ages 2 to 12 are $11, and under 2 costs $1.25. Reservations required: (714) 673-5245.

All ferryboats disembark passengers at the outer Avalon jetty, providing a panorama of the mile-square town and its landmark Casino. You can tour this grand ballroom and movie theater that was built in 1929 by William Wrigley Jr., the gum-making millionaire who once owned most of the island.

A host of other excursions are offered for Avalon visitors, including a glass-bottom boat trip, coastal cruise and motor tour of the island’s interior. For details and tickets, head to the visitor information center opposite the green Pleasure Pier. Walk there from the ferry pier or hire a taxi if you’re carrying luggage for an overnight visit.

Most visitors get around town on foot, but you can also rent bicycles or gas-powered golf carts. A popular stroll is along the bay on pedestrians-only Crescent Avenue and Casino Way. That’s where you’ll find all sorts of lodgings, restaurants and gift shops.

Bathing Beaches

Flanking the Pleasure Pier is Avalon’s minuscule bathing beach, where space to spread your towel usually is at a premium. An alternative sunbathing place is beyond the Casino at private Descanso Beach. The entry fee of $4 ($2 for children under 12) includes a towel and beach chair. You also can rent boogie boards, rafts and snorkels. A big draw at Descanso is its open-air beach bar.

If you’re looking for activity, sign up for a sport-fishing trip or rent a boat to cruise along the coast. There are scuba excursions, too, for novices and certified divers. You can also take a high-flying parasailing ride from Avalon Bay.

Three blocks inland is a nine-hole golf course open to the public, and you can have some family fun playing pitch ‘n’ putt or miniature golf. Visitors learn about the island’s history at the free museum in the Casino, and Catalina’s endemic plants are on display at the Wrigley Memorial and Botanic Garden.

A free 40-page guide, “Catalina Discovery,” describes other things to do in Avalon, along with accommodations and eateries. Pick up a copy at the Catalina Island Chamber of Commerce office on the green Pleasure Pier, open daily.

You also can call the chamber at (213) 510-1520 for information and direct connection to Avalon’s hotels, ferryboat operators and tour companies. Summer hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.