Our new boat

We bought a new boat this winter. It is an 18' Parker Center Console with a 125 hp Yamaha outboard. We got pretty lucky and found it used here in Southern California from a man who took great care of it. We've been watching out for these boats for over a year.

Eventually we'll power the boat with a fuel efficient four stroke or hi tec two-stroke. It also has a great top, radar and plenty of space for campers and gear. I can't wait to take it out for a spin.

Parkers are made in North Carolina and designed for the ocean use. Two other camps on Catalina own one or more Parkers so we are confident it will be a great boat for us.

We'll set the boat up primarily for water-skiing and wakeboarding, and I'm sure we'll use it for some snorkeling trips.

We're still looking for another Parker so if you see one let me know!

Winter at Camp

Some people ask what winter is like on Catalina and at Howlands Landing. Every winter is different but there are some things that are similar from year to year.

Years ago when summer camp ended, everything was locked up and everyone left until the following May when a work party returned to get ready for the summer. That changed as our spring and fall programs grew in the 1990s.

These days the similarities from one winter to the next include the fact that we don't have any guests at camp from the Friday before Thanksgiving until early March and that only a few staff remain at camp through the holidays and into the New Year. Camp is definitely quiet. There are no meal time announcements, no piles of luggage arriving or leaving camp and no long lines at the camp store.

There is plenty of work to be done in the winter. Painting is a big part of the winter. With over 50 buildings at camp there is always something to paint. There are lots of smaller projects that can be addressed when cabins are empty, bathrooms are unused and everything at camp takes a well needed break. Sometimes there is a cabin to replace or some renovations to be made. These are the projects that can't be done when campers are in camp.

Storms are a big part of the winter months. We either talk about too much rain or not enough rain. The absence of rain, like this winter so far, is very noticeable. While less rain makes it easier to get repairs and maintenance done around camp, the island needs rain to replenish itself after a long dry summer and fall. A few years ago we had so much rain that camp turned into a swamp and we needed 2x6 plank walkways through parts of camp to keep our feet somewhat dry.

In winter, the weather cools off. The sun hides longer in the morning and disappears earlier in afternoon behind the ridge to the east of camp. The air is damp. After a hard rain the water runs from the valley behind camp through the wash to the ocean. When the sun shines on a warm winter's day, there are few places I have been that are as picturesque as Howlands Landing.

Each year when the last guests leave camp, we move the float away from the dock to a mooring in deeper water so that any winter storms don't break the float away from its anchors and crash it on the shore or worse into the the pilings of the dock. Anything that could blow away in a storm is put away.

Sometime after the New Year, the hills start to turn green. Flowers bloom. Days lengthen. The ocean begins to slowly warm from the mid 50s to the lows 60s. By the time the campers return, the quiet of camp seems out of place and we are ready for loud meals, campfires and the bell ringing three times a day. Winter is a time of planning, projects and rejuvenation.

Welcome to the Catalina Island Camps Blog

I haven't ever been a big reader of blogs but recently it was suggested to me that I should write a blog for Catalina Island Camps to share some of the work that goes into planning for our camp season. So the CIC Blog is born. I hope to share with the campers, staff and parents some of the things that go into preparing for a year at Catalina Island Camps which will include our Spring and Fall Catalina Environmental Leadership Program (nicknamed CELP), our summer camp program, the Jean-Michel Cousteau Family Camp in August and our Weekend Group Programs.

We have programs operating at Howlands Landing from March through just before Thanksgiving. Each year over 5000 people visit us at camp. Visits range from 3 days and 2 nights for our CELP or Weekend group programs to the handful of campers who attend summer camp for 4 or more weeks in the the summer. Of course, there is a handful of staff who live year round at camp and many more who work 9 or 10 moths of the year.

The programs on the island are supported by our mainland office in Altadena. There are 6 of us in the office making the administrative arrangements for all of the guests to safely get to and from camp. Anytime you want to call us to ask a question or give us some important information, you will speak to one of us in the Altadena office. We share the office with Tom Sawyer Camps, a day camp that operates four different programs in the Pasadena area.

The CELP season starts next week when the 19 staff arrive for two weeks of staff training. We have partnered with Jean-Michel Cousteau and Ocean Futures Society to be one of the Ambassadors of the Environment programs. CELP is a school group program that teaches ecological principles to students as part of their science curriculum. Schools come for 3 to 5 days and participate in a wide variety of hands on activities that teach them about the ecosystem around Howlands Landing.

While some of us are getting ready for the start of CELP (hiring staff, updating curriculum, preparing and buying equipment, communicating with schools, making transportation arrangements and all the other details), some of us are preparing for our first weekend groups in April. Finally, our biggest administrative job each year is summer camp. Each year almost 600 families send 700 campers to CIC for 1, 2, 3 or 4 week sessions. We hire over 60 staff each year to live with, guide, teach and supervise the campers. There are so many details we must manage in preparing for camp -- from marketing, registration, transportation, staff hiring and training, food service, facilities and equipment to camper records, mailings, websites, schedules and medical staff that it takes plenty of careful planning and coordination from the CIC team.

Finally, Family Camp is a fun week for us. Jean-Michel Cousteau comes to camp with other members of his team from Ocean Futures Society for a late August adventure on Catalina. Families enjoy a week that is much like a summer camp week with lots of activities plus they get to spend time with Jean-Michel in the water and on land. He will tell stories of his latest adventures that make us all feel like we are on a expedition with him.

I returned just this weekend from Austin, Texas where I attended the American Camp Association annual conference. We were treated to some amazing keynote speakers, including David Elkind, Neil Howe and Michael Wood. I also had time to attend workshops on waterfront safety and training, current risk management issues, staff meeting ideas, supervision, staff training and conflict resolution. One of the highlights each year at the ACA conference is the exhibit hall where I get to look at all kinds of great gear and services for camp. This year I was shopping especially for a new water trampoline and slide for the swim area. In addition to all this, we had time to eat some great Texas BBQ at Salt Lick and Stubbs (both famous Austin restaraunts). Another great part of the conference is seeing all my camp director friends from across the country. Each year we get to share whats happening in our camps so we all can offer the best experiences for the campers.

On my way to Austin I stopped in El Paso for a visit with a camp family who lives there and to share CIC with their friends. It was a great visit. I don't get to see many of the campers outside of camp or meet all of the campers' parents so it was a treat for me to do both at the same time. I'd like to do more home visits to share CIC with those who are interested.

E mail me at tom@catalinaislandcamps.com with your comments or topics for future entries into the CIC blog