Island Packers

Last updated
Island Packers
Company type Private
Industry Transportation
Founded1968;56 years ago (1968) [1]
Headquarters
Ventura, California
,
United States
Area served
Channel Islands National Park (Anacapa Island, Santa Barbara Island, Santa Cruz Island, Santa Rosa Island, San Miguel Island)
Key people
Bill M. Connally, founder
Services Ferry transport
Website islandpackers.com
Footnotes /references
[2]

Island Packers is an American passenger ferry service that operates scheduled trips between Channel Islands National Park and mainland California. The company began service in 1968. [1]

Contents

In January 2024, Island Packers entered a new 10-year contract with the National Park Service. [1] Additionally, Island Packers offers a variety of tours, including whale watching cruises, wildlife cruises, and bird watching cruises. [3]

Operations

The company provides transportation to all five islands within Channel Islands National Park: Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel and Santa Barbara Island. [4]

Access to Santa Barbara is suspended during breeding season to protect the California brown pelican. [5]

Ports

Island Packers operates two harbors on mainland California:

Fleet

Island Packers currently operate four vessels: [6]

NameTypeLength (Feet)Passenger CapacityTop SpeedBuiltNotes
Islander Catamaran 134 feet (41 m)14927 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph)2001First catamaran operated by Island Packers
Island AdventureCatamaran65 feet (20 m)14927 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph)2004
Island ExplorerCatamaran65 feet (20 m)14927 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph)2013
Vanguard Monohull 65 feet (20 m)8118 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)1991

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Anacapa Island is a small volcanic island located about 11 miles off Port Hueneme in Ventura County, California. The island is composed of a series of narrow islets 6 mi (10 km) long, oriented generally east–west and 5 mi (8 km) east of Santa Cruz Island. The three main islets, East, Middle and West Anacapa, have precipitous cliffs, dropping off steeply into the sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Channel Islands (California)</span> Archipelago off the coast of southern California, US

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Channel Islands National Park is a national park of the United States, which consists of five of the eight Channel Islands off the coast of California. Although the islands are close to the shore of the densely populated state, they have been relatively undeveloped. The park covers 249,561 acres (100,994 ha), of which 79,019 acres (31,978 ha) are federal land.

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The Anacapa Island State Marine Reserve (SMR) is a protected marine reserve located off the coast of Southern California, encompassing the area of water immediately north of Anacapa Island. Established to safeguard the marine ecosystems and biodiversity of the region, the reserve is one of the thirteen Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) of the larger Channel Islands National Park network.

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Anacapa State Marine Conservation Area was established in 2003. It was established as one of thirteen Channel Islands Marine Protected Areas in 2003, and "re-established as part of the statewide MPA Network in 2012." It shares a border on its northern side with the Federal Anacapa Island Marine Conservation Area. On its eastern side it shares a border with the Anacapa Island State Marine Reserve.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "One of Calif.'s best national parks is also its most expensive" . Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  2. "The Story of Island Packers" . Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  3. "Wildlife trips" . Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  4. ""Book Your Trip"". August 2024.
  5. "Current Conditions - Channel Islands National Park" . Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  6. "Meet the Team" . Retrieved August 22, 2024.