bobbed in the water, others swayed in the blackness, their reflective yel- low eyes glowing at the dead end. Soon I was joined by a bevy of sleek, ultra-curious juveniles. However, it was the two resident bulls with their knobby heads that had my complete attention. Territorial by nature, they charged toward me like two torpe- does. One bumped the hull near my bow, then splashed me with a flipper bash. It was my cue to paddle away following a faint beam of light over 1200 feet away.
Anacapa Island
As the southeast end of Santa Cruz Island projected its broad finger toward West Anacapa Island, I felt the swirl of current pull me past San Pedro Point and into the Anacapa Channel. The west end of the narrowest of islets loomed on the horizon only three miles east of me. I enjoyed a steady down-coast cur- rent, light northwest winds and the company of some sleek swimming
sea lions to the last island completing my solo circumnavigation.
Once there, I had the island to my- self. Except for thousands of western gulls and brown pelicans, not even a ranger was stationed there. While pitching my tent I heard the calls of a peregrine falcon as it swooped with precision from one cliff-side perch to the next on the south side of the islet a mere 50 paces from my tent. Side-blotched lizards scampered at my feet and sunned themselves on warm rocks rapidly doing push-ups.
The next morning I packed up my gear and raced the rising sun down to the Landing Cove. I stuffed my hulls with my tent, sleeping bag, cache of food and other items and paddled up the front-side of the island. I kayaked in and out of a throng of sea caves, craggy cor- ridors, cathedral-like arches and between rambunctious sea lions. They let me tag along while I hurried back to Santa Cruz Island, specifi-
cally Scorpion Anchorage to catch the Island Packers catamaran back to the mainland. v
Chuck Graham is a freelance writer and photographer living in Carpinteria, CA. He leads guided kayaking trips at the Channel Islands National Park, and has been a beach lifeguard for 18 years. His stories and photos have appeared in Backpacker, Canoe & Kayak, Paddler, Wavelength, Trail Runner, Shutterbug and The Surfer’s Journal. He’s also the editor of DEEP Magazine.
Photos by Chuck Graham.
More information on Channel Islands National Park can be found at
www.nps.gov/chis
California Kayaker Magazine 15
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32