Marina del Rey Amenities for Boaters

Marina del Rey, located northwest of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), is a beacon to boaters who love being on the ocean while accessing the culturally iconic towns of Venice and Santa Monica at the same time.

If you are arriving at Marina del Rey by sea, you will usually find westerly winds blowing from the direction of Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz islands in Channel Islands National Park. Entering and leaving the marina generally is a bit easier early in the day before the wind kicks up.

At the harbor entrance is a long jetty guarding the marina from ocean waves, allowing boaters to navigate on calm water as they embark on a voyage or prepare to find a slip in the marina. Make sure to douse your sails and get your dock lines and fenders ready before entering the short channel. Although you should not find any boats anchored inside the channel, vessel traffic can be rather tight on a busy weekend.

Be aware there is some shoaling at the jetties leading to the harbor. Buoys have been placed to mark the shoals and boaters are warned to stay clear of the jetties to avoid these hazards. As with the rest of the Southern California coast, the winter months bring much lower tides than those we see at other times of the year. Bear this in mind as you pass through the harbor entrance, staying a bit farther from jetties than you would during the warmer months.

To make navigation through Marina del Rey easier, study a chart of the marina and surrounding area before entering. Using a chartplotter for navigation will make your entrance far easier, especially if you are arriving at night. The electronic chart should offer at least a rudimentary layout of the marina entrance and dock layout to help you navigate the area.

If you need to anchor temporarily outside the marina, you will be in the open roadstead just off the beach with only partial protection from the outer breakwater, which lies at a right angle to the parallel jetties leading into the harbor. In settled weather, you can probably stay at anchor for a couple of nights as you prepare to continue your coastal journey. If you prefer more comfortable surroundings, call the harbor master on Channel 16 to arrange for a slip before motoring into the marina.

If entering at night, you will recognize the north breakwater with its red navigation light flashing every six seconds, and the south breakwater with a green light flashing every six seconds. Once inside the breakwater, you will see the channel markers on the north and south jetties. The north jetty has a green light flashing every four seconds, and the south jetty has a red light flashing every four seconds. After you are safely inside the channel, hail the harbor master by VHF radio on Channel 16 for further instructions on how to proceed through the marina and find an open slip.

The harbor is organized in a manner making it fairly easy to find your way to a slip. There are eight basins, lettered A through H, so if you have already been assigned a slip, it should be fairly easy to find your way on the downloadable harbor map at visitmarinadelrey.com/sailing. The average depth of the harbor is 15 to 21 feet, so you should have zero concerns about running aground, even at an extreme low tide in winter.

Services in Marina del Rey Harbor range from fueling to dry storage and haulout facilities. Dry-dock storage for power boats up to 40 feet long is available at Dock 77 on Mindanao Way and mast-up sailboat storage can be found adjacent to the public boat launch ramp on Fiji Way.

There is also storage for smaller boats, including dinghies, stand-up paddle boards, kayaks and rowing shells. These items are stored outdoors on racks where they can be chained and padlocked and accessed easily by their owners.

For better protection, look into renting a garage or storage unit to store a small vessel or extra equipment at the Boat Yard. Space tends to be in short supply, so call well in advance to get your name on the list, just in case storage space is not currently available.

You will find the fuel dock at the west side of the main channel near the entrance to Basin A. The fuel dock offers unleaded gas, diesel, CNG tanks and pump-out services.

If you need to haul out your boat and paint the bottom or work on the prop, you will need to contact the Boat Yard to set a date for hauling out. Wherever you haul out your vessel, it is always best to arrive at least 10 minutes early and alert yard staff of your arrival by VHF or cell phone. This way, they will be able to put either a Travelift or a mobile boom crane, depending on the size and type of your vessel, in place to haul out your boat and place it on stands so that you can undertake your maintenance project safely.

If you prefer to leave painting and maintenance to the professionals, The Boat Yard offers comprehensive services, including bottom painting, gelcoat, fiberglass, woodwork, engine repowering and overhauls, fuel and exhaust systems, HVAC and refrigeration.

There is much to see and enjoy at Marina del Rey. If possible, first drive to the marina, take a long walk around the boardwalk, chat with boat owners and marina staff and then put together a plan to arrive on your own vessel. This way, you will know precisely where you will take a slip or seek other marina services. Be safe and enjoy!