The RCC Pilotage Foundation is grateful to Francis Hawkings for allowing us to publish his notes, arising from his extensive knowledge of the area.
The Channel Islands of Southern California break into two groups. To the north are four islands running east to west from Point Magu on the mainland: Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa and San Miguel. These are all easily accessible from Channel Islands Harbor (part of the town of Oxnard), Ventura or Santa Barbara. Further south lie Santa Barbara Island, Santa Catalina, San Nicolas and San Clemente. These lie closer to the Los Angeles and Long Beach/San Pedro mainland harbours.
The islands make a lovely cruising ground in all seasons. I recommend them as a stopping point on a cruise down from Alaska to Mexico. The islands are enjoyable and the mainland towns have all the facilities you can imagine.