[CINC] Island Adventure: 6/18

[paul jr petrich]

Ahoy Island People,
 Today Captain Lee masterfully guided 125+ passengers to E, Santa Cruz Island into stiff winds and heavy swells. Once on the island, a wonderful day unfolded for all aboard, including 96 4th graders and chaperones plus teachers from two GATE classes at Christa McAuliffe School in Oxnard. Island Adventure crew members Paige. Dani, and Jean did a fantastic job in dividing up the school group and leading them on a specially designed hike and program designed by IPCO. Mike stayed aboard to take the remaining aboard to Prisoners Harbor with Lee. As their were also multiple guided kayak groups at Scorpion, and all successfully ventured out in the stiff winds, I had it easy. I had only 4 hikers on my Cavern Point hike, all in a family from Portland , Oregon. They stayed with me to Potato Harbor, and another family of overnight campers joined us. 
 As we approached Potato Harbor, we all observed a fox chasing a mouse for 30 yards, at full speed, across our path. An, of course, even in very stiff winds, the perennial pair  of under-appreciated Ravins, always there, escorted us from Cavern Point to Potato. The first transition stop at the campground, also had a fox visiting us, that force a change in my script.
 A finish-the-day hike up Scorpion Canyon had me bump into returning hikers who thought they saw a Scrub Jay. However, at that same location they referred to, I saw instead, with a confirming 2nd look, a Butcher Bird ( Logger Head Shrike ). 
 Captain Lee got us all back to port at day's end with no one getting wet. On the return trip all the kids aboard were excited about sharing their experience on the island, seemingly unconcerned that ocean conditions were not right for contact with dolphin.