PREVIEW…. two old jokes from the boating world. BOAT stand for Bring Out Another Thousand, or Ten Thousand…. And the two happiest days in a boaters life. First happy day is the day you buy your boat, and second happiest day is the day you sell her. Depending on story teller those days can be reversed. I will know in three years if this story is true….
So you know I heard about the boat and slip for $100,000.00. I knew nothing about the boat, only that the previous owner had lived on her part time for four years, and in my mind living on a boat sounded cool. A sweet, lazy Cannes inspired romantic picture. Why Cannes? Santa Barbara, with its weirdly wonderful orientation to the sun, is the considered the “California Rivera.” The mountain ranges around SB run east to west rather than the usual north south (like the AlleghenyMountains on the east coast ). Due to some quirky geography the city actually faces south. Sunny south. And for someone from the Minnesota tundra the orientation sounded amazing.
I pictured drinks on back of the boat-all California wines for sure. Vineyards are movie producer and actor second careers. Locally sourced truffle goat cheese and artisan crackers every night. Sun. Lots of sun. Plus I could imagine Minnesota friends lining up to escape minus 65 degrees weather. Desperate February calls at midnight asking to come to California for even just a weekend. I am a dreamer and swallowed the kool aid. Whole pitcher. Willingly.
A bit of orientation. The Santa Barbara Harbor, 132 Harbor Way, was actually constructed in the 1920’s-with a $200,000.00 gift-matched by city funds- from wealthy philanthropist, Max Fleishman, who wanted a place to park his 250 foot wood yacht, The “Haida.”
That was the 1920’s. The location morphed. From fishing harbor and yacht home to bustling mini city. The location is jammed. With buckets of variety. Official businesses: The Harbor Patrol and The Coast Guard. Museum: The MARITIME MUSEUM. Home Depot of the boat world: WEST MARINE. Buy or sell your dreamboat: THE CHANDLERY and SUNSET KIDD. Hungry: try BROPHY’S clam chowder and watch the sunset overlooking boatland; starving and slim wallet- head to quick and affordable ON THE ALLEY where meals are served on picnic tables, and you can toss leftovers to pesky pigeons eager to table hop for fries. ENDLESS SUMMER has a great second floor view of harbor, music and drinks. BREAKWATER RESTAURANT serves all meals inside and out -plus monster size ice cream cones. Sushi lovers find SUSHI GOGO-an always packed tiny corner joint overrun with starving locals, tourists and sleepy dogs, Fresh fish: at the end of a tatty white 1920’s style wood building is THE SANTA BARBARA FISH SHOP. Open the screen door to the past. Glass cases crammed with local, farmed, frozen, fresh and imported fish, shellfish, hot off the press Ahi or salmon poke, made to order umi, shucked on demand oysters, and lots of other goodies. This man made peninsula is also home boating safety classes, a surfboard rental shop, the SANTA BARBARA YACHT CLUB and so much more….
The owner. Our first meeting was in front of West Marine-a small-but efficient boat owner heaven store that carries everything from pink boat soap served up in gallon containers to Danforth anchors, wet weather and sun and sea gear for men and women. From West Marine we walked toward the breakwater- a lazy C curve of concrete dotted with flags that protects the harbor. Over 1,100 boats rest behind that protective wall. Sail boats of all dimensions -from training wheel size lift and carry small boats used to teach sailing to mini sailors-to an 1835 sailing vessel-THE SPIRIT OF DANA POINT, used by the Maritime Museum in the Tall Ship Program to teach fourth graders about life “on board” for a night each year. The harbor is home to seriously neglected floating wrecks-already broken down by time, relentless UV and salt to multi million dollar exclusive floating cities with serious staff. Fat old fishing boats with cool story book names like The Spaniard and Nana occupy multiple rows closest to the harbor. One assumes this makes for easy unloading of catch. Or it maybe because they have been here far longer than the newbie boat owners.
ACTUAL, REAL TOTAL COST OF THE BOAT.