Best anchorages and harbours in California

Bethel Island Marina

Marina on Dutch Slough at the south end of Bethel Island, freshwater Delta about 80 km east of San Francisco.

Big Break Marina Holdings LLC

Marina of 120 berths on Big Break, a tidal slough off the San Joaquin River near Oakley, in the California Delta.

Blu Harbor Marina

Marina of 64 concrete berths at the junction of Smith Slough and Redwood Creek, in Redwood City.

Blue Water Yacht Harbor

Marina of 81 berths on Richardson Bay at 55 Liberty Ship Way, in the Marinship area of Sausalito.

Boathouse Marina At Locke

Full-service marina at 13900 River Road, Walnut Grove, on the Sacramento River next to the historic village of Locke.

Breakwater Cove Marina

Small marina tucked behind the Coast Guard pier at the north end of Monterey harbour, around 80 berths.

Brentwood Marina

Marina on Indian Slough in Knightsen, eastern Contra Costa County, California Delta.

Brickyard Cove Marina

Full-service marina in Brickyard Cove at Point Richmond, on the eastern side of San Francisco Bay.

Bridge Marina Yacht Club Inc

Private yacht club on the San Joaquin River at the south end of the Antioch Bridge, founded 1953 in the California Delta.

Brisbane Marina

Municipal marina on the western shore of San Francisco Bay at Brisbane, California, about 7 nautical miles from the Bay Bridge.

Brother's Island Marina

Sailboat-oriented marina with 175 berths on Brannan Island, Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, north of Antioch.

Buck's Landing

Small non-motorised launch site on Gallinas Creek, north-east of San Rafael, between Santa Venetia and China Camp State Park.

Cabrillo State Marine Reserve

Anchorage along the Cabrillo State Marine Reserve off Point Loma, San Diego, on California's south coast.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, E

California Yacht Marina

Private marina in the West Channel of Los Angeles Harbor, San Pedro, California, the closest mainland marina to Catalina Island.

California Yacht Marina - Wilmington

Family-run marina at Berth 202 in Los Angeles Harbor, on the Wilmington peninsula in California.

Carefree Boat Club of Channel Islands Harbor

Members-only powerboat club at Channel Islands Harbor in Oxnard, no public berth.

Carefree Boat Club of Ventura Harbor

Boat club base at 1198 Navigator Drive in Ventura Harbor, California. Members reserve power boats up to 27 ft from a shared fleet kept in slips ready to use.

Carol's Harbor & Marina

Small marina with launch ramp on Sandmound Slough, Bethel Island side of Oakley, California Delta.

Cerritos Bahia Marina

Small City of Long Beach marina on Alamitos Bay near the Cerritos Channel, off Pacific Coast Highway, California.

Channel Islands

Large recreational harbour at Oxnard in Ventura County, southern California, set back from the Pacific behind an offshore breakwater.

Channel Islands Yacht Club

Private yacht club on the south basin of Channel Islands Harbor in Oxnard, between Ventura and Point Mugu in southern California.

Channel Marina

Small Richmond Inner Harbor marina on the south shore of the Santa Fe Channel, East Bay of San Francisco Bay.

Cherry Cove

Mooring cove on the west end of Catalina Island, west of Two Harbors, with a sand bottom.

• Paid
• Sheltered W, SW, S

Chula Vista Marina

Large marina in the South Bay of San Diego, California, at Chula Vista, with concrete docks and a park-like waterfront.

Coyote Point

County-run marina on the west shore of San Francisco Bay at San Mateo, with 425 wet berths for boats up to 75 feet.

Coyote Point Marina

Public marina on the western shore of San Francisco Bay at San Mateo, sheltered behind Coyote Point.

CRC Marinas

Operator of four marinas inside Newport Harbor, totalling 455 berths between Bayside, Balboa, Bayshore and Villa Cove. Main office at 1137 Bayside Drive, Corona del Mar.

Dagmar's Landing

Small private marina on the Sacramento River at Walnut Grove, just below the road bridge in the California Delta.

Dana Landing Marina

Marina of 140 berths on five pontoons at 2630 Ingraham Street, in the heart of Mission Bay, San Diego.

Dana Point Marina Co

Marina inside Dana Point Harbor, between Los Angeles and San Diego, with more than 2,200 permanent berths split across East Marina and Dana West Marina.