Table Of Content
Giant kelp beds, schools of fish, coral banks, and shear walls make this a diver’s paradise. Waters in the summer can reach over 70 degrees Fahrenheit and photographers flock to this island for some of the best wide-angle photography available in California. The first European visitor to the Channel Islands in 1542, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, a Portuguese explorer, made no mention of this island. Sixty years later, the island was named by Spanish explorer Sebastian Vizcaino, who visited the island on December 4, 1602, the feast day dedicated to Santa Barbara. The island was infrequently visited in subsequent years, owning largely to its sparse vegetation and lack of a reliable water source. Santa Barbara Island did play host to an assemblage of seal hunters, squatters, fishermen, and the occasional whaling ship off its shores.
Featured Ports in the Channel Islands
We are a local, family-owned company that employs professional crew with decades of experience. It takes a lot of human power, planning, and training to operate a safe and sound fleet and team, and we take pride in the expeditions we run. The Whale Heritage Area (WHA) recognizes & accredits destinations that support / demonstrate responsible and sustainable whale & dolphin watching tourism. Island Packers is proud to be one of over 30 local organizations to promote sustainable practices to ensure the conservation of the Santa Barbara Channel. Other special trips for birding and trips to special areas of Santa Cruz Island that are property of The Nature Conservancy are available as scheduled. On certain sailings we offer two types of cruise fares; Freedom and Saver Fares.
TOP-RATED FERRY TRIPS TO CHANNEL ISLANDS NATIONAL PARK
Given it’s ample 77-mile coastline, Santa Cruz Island has vast number of kayaking destinations that you are able to visit with Channel Islands Expeditions. In fact, traveling with CIX is the only way to see a vast majority of the island’s scenic shoreline, as most of the island itself is closed to conventional tourism. San Clemente Island is the southernmost of all eight of the Channel Islands and is located 113 nautical miles (nm) from Santa Barbara.
Cruising in Southern California's Channel Islands - Sail World Cruising
Cruising in Southern California's Channel Islands.
Posted: Tue, 26 Jul 2016 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Coastal Kayak
This ghost forest was formed by caliche sand castings of plant roots and trunks. Come springtime, San Miguel’s wildflowers are spectacular due to the abundance of fog and moisture. Keep a sharp eye out for the Island fox, Spotted skunk, and Munchkin dudleya (Dudleya gnoma); one of the six endemic plant species on the island. The ranching period on Santa Cruz began with a small sheep ranching operation managed by James Barron Shaw and grew to be one a well-recognized operation by the 1860’s.
This area of the ocean is known to have more marine mammals in its waters than any other area on the planet. Your luxurious Channel Islands cruise will bring you to the picture-perfect St. Peter Port, where a medieval fortress and a charming city center await. Visit the Castle Breakwater lighthouse that has guided ships safely into the harbor since 1867. Enjoy a delicious seafood lunch along the colorful restaurant-lined street, The Pollet, and take in the sweeping views of the coast from Havelet Bay. You’ll find Guernsey and its neighboring islands both enchanting and intriguing, and a luxury cruise with Celebrity is the best way to discover this quaint archipelago.
How do I get off the ship if we're at anchor?
We have created this Baja cruising guide to help you select the trip and ship that are best for your interests, ability and budget. Consult this month-by-month guide for travel planning tips on the many Baja seasons for gray whales, whale sharks, mobula rays, enjoyable Baja weather and more. Weather permitting, go kayaking, hike one of the many trails or simply relax ashore.
CELEBRATE LIFE'S MILESTONES
Bishop Rock is one of the peaks in the underwater mountain chain that rises to within 6 feet of the surface and is marked by a nearby warning buoy. It was named for the clipper ship Stillwell S. Bishop that struck the rock in 1855 and with a patched hull limped its way back to San Francisco. Nine Fathom spot is about 4.5 miles Northwest of Bishop Rock and rises to about 60 feet below the surface.
She also features a shallow draft, allowing her Captain to navigate the inner reaches and provide more intimate experiences. Relaxing and educational, the wildlife cruise is a great way to discover the marine environment and spend quality time with friends and family. A small cooler with a single handle or a backpack will help to protect your food from the small animals and birds that populate the islands year-round. Travel time to Scorpion is a little over an hour and Prisoners Harbor, on direct route is about one and a half hours. Frequently, our boats land at Scorpion Anchorage to offload passengers and gear before continuing to Prisoners Harbor. On these trips travel time to Prisoners Harbor can be 2 hours or more with a beautiful cruise along the rugged shoreline of Santa Cruz Island.
Life On Board
Lying just off the coast of Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly are an archipelago of small islands with their own subtropical microclimate, where the surrounding waters are a haven for a rich diversity of wildlife. The dramatic cliffs and azure blue seas around Sark offer tranquil vistas, while Alderney has untouched landscapes and a quaint charm, with hidden coves and winding pathways. On all of Island Packers’ trips to the Channel Islands we cruise with an eye out for wildlife, especially everyone’s favorites, whales and dolphins. There are two seasons each year where we specifically go out into the waters of California’s Santa Barbara Channel and the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary.
Travelers visiting Prisoner’s Harbor on Santa Cruz Island have the option to participate in a rewarding, rugged hike along the Pelican Bay Trail. These hikes are escorted by an Island Packer naturalist along coastal bluffs, and through pine tree groves, oak trees, and multiple deep canyons. Scenic views and an excellent opportunity to spy unique wildlife highlight this strenuous hike along the wetter northwest portion of the island. In the winter, as many as 30,000 individual seals and sea lions of five different species can be seen at one time on Point Bennett, where they breed and birth their pups. Other wildlife includes the Island fox (Urocyon littoralis), a species that is found only on the Channel Islands.
100+ combined years of experience, 7 continents explored, decades of expedition cruising around the world & here to help you find & book your dream trip. The 100-guest National Geographic Venture is a state-of-the-art, purpose-built expedition vessel made for exploring coastal waters, shallow coves and fast-moving channels while sailing with the luxury of supreme comfort. Kids under the age of 18 at time of travel save $500, at double occupancy. Skilled staff members are trained in organizing activities that inspire curiosity in young people of all ages.
Our trip was less about visiting the islands though and more about experiencing the rich marine habitat that surrounds them. Almost every national park in the U.S. is easy to get to, but the Channel Islands are separated from the mainland by miles of ocean. What this cruise offers is unique and effortless access to wild beauty and pristine nature for 5 days/4 nights, using a ship as a base camp.
A thirty-nine-foot, cylindrical tower and a fog signal were built near the highest point on the eastern end of the island. Four Spanish-style, white stucco houses with red tile roofs were provided for the keepers and their families. Today, there is a museum on the island which houses the original crystal and brass Fresnel lens from the light beacon.
The low rises of the sea cliffs can often be shrouded by marine haze or fog giving the island an air of mystery. The dominant plant community on the island is coastal bluff scrubland, with giant coreopsis (Coreopsis gigantea) and coyote brush (Baccharis pilularis) the most visible components. The few trees present today, including California fan palms (Washingtonia filifera) were introduced in modern times. However, early written accounts and the remains of ancient plants in the form of calcareous root casts, known as ‘caliche,’ indicate that, prior to 1860, brush covered a portion of the island. Hiking on Santa Barbara Island will provide you with one of the most remote island hiking experiences of any of the Channel Islands. Don’t be fooled, the steep incline of this island can offer a challenge to just about anyone, but just beyond that you will find five miles of hiking trails with gentle rolling hills and breathtaking panoramic ocean views.
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