We had reservations with Island Packers to leave from Ventura Harbor at 9 a.m. The plan was to buy breakfast and some Subway beforehand. I had thought that the dock was about 20 minutes away, so I had a mild panic attack when the GPS said it would take us an hour! Fortunately, it was just a glitch, so we were able to arrive on time (i.e., early).
There was a large group of students from Pomona College that had a bunch of camping gear, so they loaded first. Our plan was to just stay for the day since we were not up for a hike-in camping experience.
Having had some boat experience, we grabbed an inside table first thing. Once the boat started, we were free to roam the cabin and surrounding deck. I am prone to motion sickness, so I prepared myself by taking Dramamine beforehand. I also had an arsenal of mango ginger candy from Trader Joe’s and ginger ale. Almost as soon as the boat started, it was a REALLY bumpy ride. The waves were incredibly choppy, so I headed towards the back of the boat and kept my eyes on the horizon. Meanwhile, the kids were thrilled and headed to the front with D so they could fully experience the impact of each wave. I think it is safe to say that our kids do not get seasick!
The captain called everyone’s attention to a school of dolphins that were nearby.
There were so many of them and we were told that they like to “play” in the wake of the boat. So cute!
Because they are so fast, it was difficult to get good shots of them. D took a video which captures more of their movement.
Yes, we had some Chinese tourists with us. Yes, we can laugh at their accent/comments, but only because D is also Chinese! haha.
Our destination was Santa Cruz Island, Scorpion Ranch. Because a recent storm damaged the landing pier, we had to unload by skiff. I was a little apprehensive about this after watching the video on the Island Packers website, but it turned out to be quite easy. We wore flip flops on the boat and skiff and brought socks and running shoes for the island.
This where the boat usually lets the passengers off.
On the skiff…
It was about a 1 hour, 15 minute boat ride (with dolphin watching stop), and then another 20 minutes to unload by skiff. I was relieved to finally be on land!