Catalina Island Sailing Trip

Our sailing trip to Catalina has come and gone but I can definitely say this trip will stick with us for a lifetime. Not only did we get the experience of finding out the gender of our sweet baby A, we also got to do something that we've never done before in our 12 years together. 

The Reveal

Never in a million years would I have thought I would find out the gender of my first child on a sailboat, but I guess never say never! Our sailing vacation was booked about 2 months before we ever found out we were expecting so I was extremely nervous about the timing of it all and if I would even be able to make it. My first trimester was pure hell so the though of a vacation where I would be stuck on a boat in the middle of the ocean was not ideal. Thankfully the timing worked out in our favor and I turned 14 weeks and finally the morning all day sickness was over and I could enjoy myself on our trip! 

My husband and I went back and forth on how we wanted to do our gender reveal, should we have a party? should it just be the two of us? what about the boat? Our doctor had the results a week and a half before our trip so we thought the timing was perfect to go ahead and find out what baby A was on the boat! My husband actually came up with the idea to raise a pink or blue flag on the sailboat, and I honestly had never seen that done before in all my Pinteresting so I was definitely on board! My friend Melanie had the results from our doctor and all we had to do was buy a pink and blue flag on Amazon (and of course celebration cupcakes for after) and we were set! 





I've gotten a lot of questions about if we were surprised or if we wanted a boy or girl first, etc. Honestly it's hard to say, when you aren't pregnant you of course plan out how things will go and "I'm going to have 2 boys and then a girl, etc" but that's not how life works. You don't get to make those calls (well technically you can if you have $$) but you know what I mean, it's not up to us, it's up to God and he is blessing us with a little girl first and that's 100% okay with me! 


The Trip

Okay enough about baby A, let's get into the trip details! This trip came about because a guy my husband and I work with, Nick has a huge sailing background and him and his wife plan a sailing trip every year with some friends. We knew we had to jump on the chance to join this year because how often are you friends with someone who is a real life boating captain on the side? Nick made everything super easy, sending us boat options, videos of what the cabins looked like, etc. We were honestly all down for whatever was the most reasonably priced and had enough cabins for 3 couples. If you are lucky enough to know someone who can sail and they agree to be your captain, the cost of a trip like this goes down significantly. 


What you'll pay for on a sailing trip: 
Renting the Boat-We split this among 3 couples.
Provisions-Fancy word for groceries, but I promise you will need to stock the boat with tons of liquids, lunch items and snacks, cleaning supplies, and alcohol if you aren't pregnant lol. 
Food on the Island-The food was slightly overpriced, but it's what you can expect for a travel destination. 
Mooring-This is a fancy term for "parking" the boat at the island. 
Cabana Beach Day-Trust me you will want to do this, it was the best part of my trip!


Catalina Island

We flew into LAX and took a 15-20 minute Uber ride to Marina Del Ray. Catalina Island is about 40 miles from where we were docked at the Marina and by sailboat it took us about 5-6 hours to get there. We definitely took our time switching between using the motor and opening up the sail. I will say I am 100% a motorized boat kind of girl, it was super scary if you've never been on a sailboat how much they tip sideways. I know they are technically supposed to be like that but to a newbie who is not fond of the water, it's terrifying! 

I will say the best part of my sailing adventure had to be all the dolphin encounters we had! They loved following beside the boat and jumping around, it was almost like they were putting on a show for us! 


When we finally got to the island I felt like we were in another country! The architecture and colors of the buildings and not to mention all the boats, it was stunning! If you aren't a boating person there are ferries that will take you to the island and there are a few boutique hotels on the island to stay at as well. If you are looking for a weekend getaway spot, I would definitely say Catalina is the perfect place to go. It's a small island but there is just enough to do to make a fun relaxing weekend! 






One of my favorite days of our trip was our "Cabana Day" at the beach club. I knew we made the right decision to book the Cabana when we were greeted with fresh strawberry smoothies and our own butler! The service, the white sandy beach and the super comfortable lounge chairs made for such a relaxing day. 



We stayed at Catalina for 2 nights and then on the 3rd day we sailed over to another part of the island called Two Harbors. This island was less developed and more of a laid back vibe compared to Catalina, but still very cool to explore. I would suggest if you decide to go visit Two Harbors for the day pack some comfy shoes for hiking. This place is perfect for outdoorsy people who like to explore (not so much pregnant people like me lol) The island had a local market for groceries and souvenirs and one beach club restaurant, so I wouldn't say this is a place you would want to stay for a week long vacay, but I was definitely glad we got to spend a day there to explore. 



Overall this trip was one for the books that I will never forget. I got to share a special moment with my husband that I will cherish forever and I conquered my boating fears by stepping outside of my comfort zone. I highly suggest checking out these locations if you are planning your next vacation.

 There is so much more I could say about this trip but It's already taken me this long to publish this post so feel free to message me with any questions! 

Thanks for following along! XO