Catalina
October 2–4, 2026
Weekend at a glance
Catalina Castaways, co-hosted by the Vikings and the Rough Riders. Registration closes Sunday, September 27 — we cross on one boat, booked off the sign-up list, so get in with the Y before then.
The boat sails at 8:45am on Friday from 400 Main St, Newport Beach, and leaves the island again at 11am on Sunday. Wear your loudest aloha shirt.
Catalina is not like the other nine. Campus by the Sea sits in Gallagher’s Cove, two and a half miles up the coast from Avalon, with no road to it. You arrive by boat, at the camp’s own pier.
You sleep in a cabin, not a tent. Bunks and mattresses are there; bedding is not, so bring a sleeping bag — or sheets and a light blanket — and a pillow. There is no electricity in the cabins, so a flashlight is not optional, and lanterns have to be battery ones: gas is banned island-wide.
All meals are provided, buffet style in the dining hall. Tell the Y about allergies when you register — the kitchen handles nuts, gluten and dairy routinely. Every group washes up after one meal; that is how the camp runs.
The waterfront is the weekend: swimming, snorkelling, fishing, paddleboards and kayaks, with camp gear and a swim float. Life jackets on anything that floats, and a California licence from sixteen up. The beach is rock, not sand — water shoes are the one thing the camp calls essential. Ashore there is hiking, volleyball, basketball and gaga ball.
Two pins to earn: knot tying in the daytime, star navigation after dark. And Nā ʻŌpū Lele, the big splash — decorate your dads, then judge the belly flop contest.
No cell service and no wifi, anywhere in camp. Tell people at home they will not hear from you until Sunday. It is also technically a dry camp.
Everything you bring, you carry — off the boat, along the pier, up to the cabin. Pack light, put your name on every bag, and leave wheeled carts at home; the boats will not take them.
The weekend
Friday, Oct 2
400 Main St, on the Newport Peninsula. Check in an hour before — the boat will not wait.
Saturday, Oct 3
Camp gear. Life jackets on anything that floats; snorkellers swim in pairs.
Decorate your dads, then judge the belly flop contest.
Sunday, Oct 4
Getting there
There is no road to Campus by the Sea. We cross together by boat from Newport Beach and land at the camp’s pier.
The boat sails at 8:45am on Friday from 400 Main St, Newport Beach, on the Newport Peninsula. Check in an hour before — boarding starts half an hour before sailing, and the boat will not wait for a late car. Coming home, it leaves the island at 11am on Sunday and has most families back around half twelve.
Parking at the dock is not covered by the camp fee, and the meters on Main Street are not the answer. Use the all-day lot at Balboa Pier and budget for a day rate; keep off the residential streets, where the time limits and the street sweeping both end in a ticket.
You carry your own luggage to the cabin, so pack light and put your name on every bag.
What to pack
Catalina — cabins and the boat
Bunks have mattresses. The camp provides no bedding.
The camp no longer supplies these. Pillowcase too.
Every campout, this one included.
The flyer is not kidding.
Not optional — there is no electricity in the cabins.
The beach is rock, not sand. The camp calls these essential.
One-piece for girls, trunks for boys, cover-up to and from the beach. Not in the dining hall.
Hot showers, in the central bath pavilion. Water is scarce — keep them short.
Original container, handed to your circle leader. No nurse on site.
Keep food out of the cabins — storage is in the dining hall, and the critters are good.
Battery only. Gas is banned island-wide.
California, from sixteen up — pier included.
Cards for five dollars and over.