Thanks Paul.
I lived withing 15 minutes of the Channel Islands harbor for 15 years. I had a 22" Pacific City dory and a 32 Alden Choy Lee motorsailer. Spent a lot of time out at the islands and in that channel. There are now blue whales in that channel!
Having been to both, I’d take Santa Cruz Island any day. If you ever have time to extend, take a trip out to San Miguel Island when the elephant seals haul out to breed.
A lot of history around those islands. Diary of a Sea Captains Wife covers about 1915 to 1950 or so including when Santa Cruz was home to movie studios in the 1920’s at a camp run by Ira and Margaret Eaton and covers the rum-running days.
Spanish Explorer Juan Cabrillo is believed to be buried out there. The Painted Cave on Santa Cruz is huge!
Catalina is pretty touristy but the string Anacapa to San Miguel is still very wild. South-running currents up to 6 knots are dangerous for divers. If you can’t see the kelp. Don’t go in. Great Whites, Makoes, occasional Tiger sharks and Orcas show up when the sea lion pups are born.
That channel and those islands are wild and amazing.
I used to deliver McGregors. They were made in Cost Mesa.
Eugene, are you sure they weren’t Grey whales on their way down to Scammons Lagoon in Baja? They’re very common in that cahnnel this time of year, but Humpbacks are not.
Kenton, the mist was tall and slender. Greys have a pretty distinctive heart shape blow mist, so I am sure they were not Greys. They crossed our stern pretty far back. We saw two of their backs and 4 blows before they dove and we did not see them again. I was not at the helm so I spent a good 20 minutes looking back to see if they would surface again…but no luck. Doing additional homework it is possible they were Blue wales, the mist from their blows fit the description.
Cool! There were no blues in the channel when I was there. I left in 94 so have been out of touch with channel life. I may be wrong about the Humpbacks by now.