Far beyond the beaches of the Southern California mainland, our ship “The Vanguard,” set out to the open sea from Oxnard harbor past circling gulls and large brown sea lions loudly grunting on sandy peninsulas. Soon we rolled and pitched in the swells of the Santa Barbara Channel toward the distant Channel Islands with the smallest being Anacapa.

 As we held tight to the railings, we watched numerous dolphins splashing joyfully in the dark waters. A cold northern wind blew across our bow as we churned slowly toward Anacapa and the larger isles. 

Our on-board naturalist provided us with interesting facts about the Chumash aborigines who originally inhabited the islands for some 7,000 years according to radio-carbon testing of ancient village sites. (Their descendants now live back on the mainland). The ancient ones brought with them scores of wild foxes and unintentionally field mice and an occasional skunk, of all things, that hid under the planks of their wooden canoes. 

The island foxes evolved over the millennia into creatures 25% smaller than their mainland counterparts. After an hour or so we approached the rugged, volcanic cliffs of Anacapa’s shoreline. Our naturalist pointed out a huge “forest” of sea kelp swaying in the waves. Just off our starboard side a dusky brown California pelican splash-landed to float by us nonchalantly.

 Our ship proceeded around Anacapa past a giant white-Guana covered cliff with hundreds of black cormorants contributing even more white Guana while perching high above. And a little beyond, we spotted a tall white lighthouse and Coast Guard buildings spread across the breadth of the island. Then, we noticed a National Park Service sign posted on the lower side of a cliff. 

These volcanic islands were proclaimed a National Park in 1980 by President Jimmy Carter. Before that they had been a National Monument. Our ship edged up close to an open sea rock arch reminding me of the Delicate Arch in Utah’s Arches National Park except that its base stood deep beneath the sea. All too soon our ship reversed its course away from magical Anacapa and back toward the distant mainland. Perhaps someday we will return there to camp overnight under brilliant stars.