Planning a raft up in a remote picturesque location is a great way to unwind far from the stresses of day to day life.

What may surprise you is that there are three such locations right here in San Diego that are perfect for rafting up.

There is something magical about swinging around on the hook with your friends that makes the experience not unlike being hundreds of miles away. This is also an excellent way to make boating fun for a significant other who doesn’t like the rough seas occasionally found on the way to Catalina.

Recently I planned and participated in such a fun raft up and have a few tips about preparation, location, and boat handling to pass along.

Before any nautical undertaking, planning ahead is essential. At the very least inspect your ground tackle being sure to check all of the connections and attach points. If you have not recently marked your rode at regular intervals so you know how much you have paid out, this is a good time to do it.

Check all of your navigation, anchor, interior lights, flash lights, depth gauge, and instruments. Your engines and generators should be tuned up and have plenty of fluids.

Plan to arrive at your anchorage of choice with empty holding tanks, topped off water tanks, and fully charged batteries. No matter where you are going, complete the maintenance at least a week ahead of time as you never know how long any particular item might actually take.

While there are many around San Diego, my three favorite raft up locations are Mariners Cove in Mission Bay, Glorietta Bay, and La Playa Cove.

Mariner’s Cove:

If you are looking for Mariner’s Cove, you will find it located on the port side of the channel after entering Mission Bay. No permit is needed and you can stay for up to 72 hours.

Glorietta Bay:

Before anchoring in Glorietta Bay or La Playa Cove you need to call the Harbor Police at 619-686-6272 or stop by their office ahead of time. As you enter Glorietta Bay, the anchoring area is located on the starboard side beyond the last red channel marker.

For La Playa Cove, the anchorage is located in between the Southwestern and San Diego Yacht Clubs. Always use common sense and verify that your vessel has the proper draft according to your charts before attempting to go anywhere that you are not familiar with.

Scout out the location ahead of time. On the day of the raft up, have the largest vessel with the heaviest ground tackle arrive first in the middle of where you want your group to be. Be mindful of other vessels in the area, anchor swing, tide changes, and what a wind shift would do.

Have a prearranged VHF frequency with your friends such as Channel 68 to coordinate the maneuvers and say things like “Please don’t come near me until you have your fenders out and lines ready” or “you are going too fast”, or any other heckling you deem necessary.

Place your fenders at the height of the widest part of your boat, not dock height. Generally keeping the lines taught between boats that are rafted up together makes it easier to move from boat to boat. It can be easier to set additional anchors from the second or third boat by using a tender and then taking up the slack with the windlass.

Be careful of where you set your anchors so that they do not tangle. As soon as you are settled, turn off your engine start battery(s). Note your position relative to other nearby boats and landmarks so that you will be aware if you drag an anchor or if a vessel near you does.

If your chartplotter has an anchor alarm, use it. If you need a refresher on anchoring, plan to spend an afternoon with a qualified captain before your raft up (for less heckling on the prearranged VHF frequency).

It may seem that there is a lot to it, but with proper preparation, rafting up is a blast and a fun way to escape with your boating friends. With well maintained boats, the right location, and proper boat handling technique, you will be surprised at just how much fun you can have without leaving town.

Feel free to contact me if you have questions about rafting up or are interested in joining me with South Coast Yachts for our next planned raft up on May 15th.

Jay Bernstein is a Licensed Captain and a Yacht Broker for local Beneteau dealer South Coast Yachts. He welcomes your feedback, ideas, and suggestions. Feel free to call him at 619-265-6226 or email him at jay@scyachts.com.

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