The Vanguard was a fine boat. Clean and well maintained. Large enough for the open sea in the channel. The Vanguard was run by Island Packers Tours .

The trip was suitable for all ages. Here, one family lead an elderly man with a cane down the gangway. Children would enjoy this tour as well.

A large upper deck was available for the hearty folk. Twenty persons could ride up there, but this day's cruise was much less crowded.

Two strong and polite men aided all passengers with safe boarding. Access was up three steps to the boat, then down two to the boat's deck. Although wheelchairs could not be boarded, with this level of competent help, even the disabled could take this trip.

The pilot house for the crew only, featured a throwing ring with a beacon as one of many aids should anyone fall overboard.

The Vanguard featured lots of seating. Here was the rear, main deck. There was also seating at the bow, and up on the second deck. One bathroom (head) was available on the main deck.

Inside was additional seating, as well as counters at which to eat. A mini-kitchen sold food.

Snacks were for sale inside. Everything from tea and coffee to cookies and pop corn. Candy bars too, for those needing a quick boost in energy.

The menu inside read:

Drinks: hot cocoa $2
water, soda, coffee, tea, chai $1
Food: hot pocket, corn dog $3
popcorn, bagel, cup 'o' noodle $2
candy, chips, nuts, cookies $1
fruit, oatmeal, ice cream $1
english muffin $1
Mmm .. Pizza $4

The tour left from the lovely Channel Island Harbor in Oxnard, California. Here the outbound tour passed the Coast Guard Station.

Channel Island Harbor is protected by a simple maze of breakwaters. Channel lights on poles marked the entrance for approach at night. What appears to be a ship in the distance is actually an oil rig platform.

The harbor entrance divided one beach from the next. Here a man stood on the southern beach and watched the tour boat depart.

The Vanguard motored out past the breakwater with its green sign and light and cormorants gathered on the rocks.

The trip from Oxnard to Anacapa Island takes an hour. Here the Vanguard is barely two miles from the departure shore.

Four miles from shore, the Vanguard passed by the "Gina" oil rig platform . Anacapa Island was still barely a smudge on the horizon.

Forty-five minutes after departure, the first view of Anacapa Island came into view. Once this near, the Island grew in size quickly as we approached.

Stream after stream of pelicans departed the Island and flew toward the mainland. Here was one line of them gliding over the water .

The Island was composed of an exposed volcanic ridge. It pokes up from the sea at intervals, making the Island out of a string of smaller islands and rocks.

The Vanguard motored slowly parallel to the Island. A loudspeaker was used to narrate the history and geology of the island.

The volcanic stone of the island was exposed to the sea and, over time, eroded into interesting caves and arches.

The Vanguard cruised slowly beyond West Island for a view of Middle Island. Anacapa is composed of three sub-islands called West, Middle, and East. Smaller rock outcroppings divide the three larger parts.

Middle island is wide with stone hills covered with thin grass. Native American Chumash tribe used to move from one sub-island to the next by walking at low enough tides.

Cormorants nested along the cliff faces of Middle Island.

California Brown Pelicans were gathered by the hundreds . Here were a few on a nearby rocky shore.

Near to shore the water became shallow and clear and took on a much more green coloration.

The shallows near shore were littered with rocks, kelp, and birds.

White crowned, black rocks were rimmed with the gold of kelp.

Rocks jutting from the shallows divided Middle Island from East Island just visible to the left.

The gap that was the opening between Middle Island and East Island, when viewed alongside, appeared very difficult to cross by foot.

Another of several holes through outcroppings. Each as scenic as the next.

East Island's cliffs formed a dramatically gray background to a long rock jutting from the sea and capped with pelicans.

The lighthouse on East Island was the last lighthouse built (in 1912) by the United States Lighthouse Service.

The only dock was on East Island. It was closed for repairs of the staircase. Here is where day visitors and overnight campers are dropped off when the dock is open.

Pelicans perched on the rocks near the top of the (currently closed) stairway.

A National Park Service patrol motored past to insure that nothing was being done to damage the park or its surrounding Marine Reserve.

A huge rock just west of East Island was loaded with pelicans.

A large natural arch lay at the western-most end of East Anacapa Island. Crowned with a thorn of birds, it is slowly eroding larger until eventually it will become two rocks.

East Island as viewed from the west just beyond the natural arch.

Seal Lions were found lazing on the rocks on the north side of East Island.

The view of the Natural Arch as seen from the north looking south with the coast of Oxnard behind.

The side of the island facing the mainland was filled with birds. The side of the island facing the open sea was filled with sea lions.

The north side of East Island was a sheer cliff face that bared itself toward the open sea.

The tour ended and the Vanguard motored back past East Island bound for the Oxnard shore.

We said goodbye to East Anacapa Island and left it in our boat's wake.

A couple miles into the trip back, the voyage encountered several bottlenose dolphins. They played at a distance from the boat. After a while they began to swim alongside the boat inside its bow-wake. Here was one such dolphin as it surfaced to breathe.

On the distant shore, the old Oxnard Factory built in 1899 came into view.

As the voyage neared shore, the beaches of Oxnard came into view.

Back inside the harbor channel, we passed an out-bound sloop.

Back inside the Channel Islands Harbor, two grebes were seen floating mid channel.

A fisherman walked home for lunch as the voyage concluded just at lunchtime.