Annual Charity Regatta Supports Visiting Nurse & Hospice Care

 Spectator boats including Hatsumi escorted Regatta guests to the race route to experience the action up close. (Photos: Fritz Olenberger)

Source: Santa Barbara Yacht Club

The Santa Barbara Yacht Club’s (SBYC) 15th Annual Charity Regatta took place on Saturday, September 7 benefitting Visiting Nurse & Hospice Care (VNHC) – a nonprofit healthcare organization that has served our community with compassion and trusted care for more than 111 years. The Charity Regatta was an exciting day of races, rides on a variety of spectator boats at sea, and delicious food, and shared times with good friends onshore. The event raised $123,000 with this year’s theme of “Celebrating the VNHC Rehab Team.”

The VNHC Rehab Team consists of a combination of more than 30 Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, and Speech and Language Pathologists. They work diligently to help patients enhance and restore functional ability and quality of life to those with physical impairments or disabilities, recovering from surgery, or living with a chronic challenge. They give thoughtful treatments and care to over 2,000 patients, and make over 21,000 visits each year to help them live well.

A total of 24 vessels participated in the afternoon of competitive racing with Jeff Grange leading Venom to victory in its class and Skookum winning among her class under skipper George Brown. Sincere gratitude goes out to all the race boats that participated: Average White Boat, Brio , Bulldog, Bullish, II Cardremmian, CatNip , Escape, Ferdinand, Fling, Jib & Tonic, Mocos, Pleione II, Remedy, Rock & Roll, Sea Note, Sirocco, Skookum, Sleeper, Swift, Tachytoo, Titanium, Top Shelf, Venom, and Warrior.

Regatta guests had the opportunity to join the racers out on the course aboard any one of an impressive procession of 15 spectator boats. Onboard, guests were treated to wines donated by Rusak Vineyards and a memorable afternoon thanks to the owners of these participating boats: Aurora, Convivial, Encore, Favored End, Hatsumi, Hook 77, Isla, Kala, Lost in the Harbor, Ottersea. Sonador, Sugar, Torqua, X Ta Sea, Yabsolutely, and Zeeno.

Throughout the event, members and guests of the Yacht Club enjoyed an early brunch and late afternoon buffet prepared by Chef Michael Blackwell while they watched all the action from shore. As guests made their way through a dazzling array of silent auction items, emcee David Moorman kept everyone informed and entertained along with music by retired policeman and singer David Gonzales, Ross Harper’s steel drums, Spencer Vincent, and Paradise Kings.

Bobbi Bennett, a renowned California-based photographer, donated one of her signature creations by Stoked Surfboards to the Charity Raffle which stoked interest throughout the day. She also offered to donate 10% of sales of any of the beautiful boards she had on display at the Regatta to VNHC.

The 2019 Charity Regatta was organized and hosted by Co- Chairs Nick Sebastian and Francie Lufkin, and SBYC Commodore Scott Deardorff, along with committee members Sammi Beach, Marilyn Goodfield, Shari Guilfoyle, Lailan McGrath, Lil Nelson, Suesan Pawlitski, Beverly Toole, Brittany Avila Wazny, and Gail Young.