Anacapa would be the closest island to Santa Cruz and if you cross between
them early, you should be able to beat the afternoon winds. There are lots
of caves to explore by kayak at Anacapa as well as Santa Cruz.

You could also arrange to have Island Packers pick you up from Anacapa so
you don't have to paddle back to Santa Cruz. If you want to camp at Anacapa,
you'll have to use the winch at Landing Cove to hoist your boats up. That
can be a real challenge.

Good luck,

Steve Holtzman
Southern CA

"Greg Meyers" wrote in message
om...
Hi Everyone,

Thanks for your responses. We have no intention of making the crossing
from the mainland. We will be taking a boat with our gear and kayaks
to the island. I'm thinking we'll explore Santa Cruz and maybe one
other island. Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Greg

Anacapa would be the closest island to Santa Cruz and if you cross between
them early, you should be able to beat the afternoon winds.

I guess technically you are correct, but I read approximately four nautical
miles between Anacapa and Santa Cruz, and approximately five nautical miles
between Santa Curz and Santa Rosa - which at my typical cruising speed of four
NM per hour comes out to a fifteen minute differential. Big wow! The big bugger
here is the distance between campgrounds - which, as I stated earlier, is
substantial between Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz.
In the past there has been an issue with Island Packers (your ride over and
back) taking composite boats over to the islands. I don't know how that all
stands these days, but if any members of your group intend to use something
other then plastic boats you might want to make a specific inquiry as to the
current status on this issue.
Don't let the little details deter you from this trip. It's really not at
all as complicated as it sounds on this news group, and our channel islands
really are worth the effort.

Scott
So.Cal.

They do allow composite boats, but having seen how the boats are handled,
I'd be wary.

Geoff

"Ki Ayker" wrote in message

In the past there has been an issue with Island Packers (your ride over
and
back) taking composite boats over to the islands. I don't know how that
all
stands these days, but if any members of your group intend to use
something
other then plastic boats you might want to make a specific inquiry as to
the
current status on this issue.

Don't let the little details deter you from this trip. It's really not at
all as complicated as it sounds on this news group, and our channel islands
really are worth the effort.

Great. A couple more questions.

Where will Island Packers drop us off? I'm trying to figure out which
campgrounds to try to reserve and when. We'll probably just stick to
Santa Cruz since our trip will be shorter than we would like.

Thanks again and again.

Scorpion Cove or Anchorage is where you want to be....

Geoff

"Greg Meyers" wrote in message
om...
Don't let the little details deter you from this trip. It's really
not at
all as complicated as it sounds on this news group, and our channel
islands
really are worth the effort.

Great. A couple more questions.

Where will Island Packers drop us off? I'm trying to figure out which
campgrounds to try to reserve and when. We'll probably just stick to
Santa Cruz since our trip will be shorter than we would like.

Thanks again and again.