The Channel Islands
Located about 30nm off the shore of Ventura, California, the Northern Channel Islands offer up a rugged California experience for true adventurers. This trip is not for the faint of heart — the islands can experience high winds and swell. But for those that love the thrill, they payoff is exceptional — remote surf, offshore fishing surrounded by uninhabited cliffs and kelp paddies, and secluded anchorages to enjoy a glass of whiskey or a cold beer after an exhilarating day.
Every trip to the islands is unique and we’d love to help you scheme up an awesome adventure and get it on the calendar. The voyage from del rey to the islands and back involves a significant amount of sailing time. If your days are limited, we can also arrange pick up in Oxnard/Ventura/Santa Barbara to make for a much shorter sailing time to the islands.
“Captain Geoff is not only an expert sailor who can safely handle the beautiful sailboat Alchemy in any situation, he is a very personable host who can accommodate all types of people and sailing needs. I have seen many charter boats in my couple years of being a sailing addict in the Bay, and I think Alchemy Sailing is by far the company with the most beautiful boat and the most likable captain.”
Emily & Rosie Yurko
Traveled to Catalina aboard the s/v Alchemy in July of 2020
Get some inspiration from some of our previous trips…
In Search of Surf
Boards loaded up in search of surf. Surf was down but adventure was up.
First Catch
Greg’s grandfather was a fisherman but Greg had never caught a fish. He has now.
Island Hikes
Sure the watery bits are gorgeous but could the land part be even better?
Marmetta Reef
Scored Marmetta all to ourselves. A rarity but sure will make surfing the mainland tough.
These are just examples of some our favorite go-to sails… If you have any ideas in mind feel free to get in touch and we’ll make it happen!
Sample Itinerary
Every trip to the island is truly unique. Every group sets out with different goals. Every trip encounters different weateher which To really get an appreciable experience out here you really need to set aside a minimum of three days to make it worth while. Toss in a fourth day and now you have some options. Just as some food for thought, give me four days and my ideal itinerary might look something like the following.
Day 1: Transit to the Island
The first day we load our gear in the early morning hours (even better we packed up the night before) and leave the dock at approximately 0700 in the morning. The trip from Del Rey to Smugglers Cove on Santa Cruz Island can take about 10 hours. It’s a full day and typically involves a fair amount of motoring but can be gorgeous. Last time we did this we were surrounded by whales and dolphins. Arrive in smugglers around 5-6pm with plenty of time to get the anchor set, pour a cocktail, and make some dinner.
Day 2: Fish, Surf, Coches
We’ll get an early start today and start motoring up the south side of the island to check the surf at Marmetta Reef. It doesn’t tale a ton of South swell to make for a super fun wave. I’ve also had great luck catching rockfish on the way there so if we were feeling fishy we might make a pitstop for a quick fishing session. Hopefully we find some waves and surf for a couple of sessions till our arms are about to fall off. We’ll take off in the early afternoon and head for Coches Prietos Anchorage just a few miles west. We’ll set the hook, swim, snorkel, and paddleboard. Wrap up the evening with a tasty dinner and hit the rack in anticipation of more waves.
Day 3: Surf, West End, Painted Cave, Pelican Bay.
Here’s where it gets tricky. If we do find waves, it is soooooo tempting to spend the whole day surfing. In fact we might be best to just head straight to the west end but the lure of surf ultimately wins. We sail back to Marmetta early in the morning and catch a few more hours of hopefully crowdless surf. To make the rest of the day work we are back on the boat and pulling the anchor at 1000 at the latest. We’re off to sail around the West End which is gorgeous but can be a rough and wet ride. The total distance to our anchorage is an ambitious 33 miles. Along that route however is the famous Painted Cave. If the swell looks safe enough we’ll splash the boards and the dinghy for a trip into one of the largest sea caves in the world. Our evening will end at one of my favorite anchorages, Pelican Bay. Again, evening cocktail, games perhaps, and ideally some fish tacos.
Day : Morning hike and sail home.
It is too tempting to spend all of your time on and in the water at the island but the hiking on the island is spectacular and makes you appreciate this area on a different level. The Last day I love to start the day with a dinghy ride to the beach and a long hike to stretch the legs. We have a full day sail home which after our hike we’ll get started. We’ll set sail at a reasonable hour in the mid to late morning hours and set a course around Anacapa and homeward. Too lazy to make breakfast before setting sail, we’ll make a killer plate of breakfast tacos to enjoy on our downwind sail home. Perhaps with a side of mimosas or micheladas. The sail home is when I finally start to relax and settle into a zen state. At this point I’m already planning the return trip. We’ll get into the marina a fair bit after sunset exhausted in the best of ways.
Follow our journey.
