SeeCalifornia.com

If it takes an hour to ride a high-speed Catamarin to Catalina Island from Long Beach and another hour for the return trip, how come the fastest waterskiers can make the round-trip in just under 51 minutes? They must be going really fast–and they are! The 65th Annual Catalina Ski Race takes place on Saturday, July 20, 2013, attracting teams from around the world who seek the ultimate challenge in waterski racing.

The 62 mile-long race on the Pacific Ocean to Avalon and back starts and finishes near the Queen Mary. Spectators from around the globe can be found lining Queen Mary’s docks in effort to get the best view of the start and finish. There are 19 different classes in which to participate; from novice to expert. There are two different starting categories: Boats that are 21 feet long or smaller, and boats between 21 feet and 43 feet. The smaller boats start 7 minutes before the large boats. At 8:53 a.m. sharp the boats line up for the 9 a.m. race. See: catalinaskirace.net