17th Annual Santa Barbara Yacht Club Charity Regatta
Tops $2 Million as Cumulative Raised for VNA Health
For 17 years, the Santa Barbara Yacht Club has graciously hosted a Charity Regatta – a full day of fun with friends enjoying boat races, spectator boat rides, music, dancing, and dinner at the beach – while supporting the great work of VNA Health. But in 2020 and 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and orders from both the California and Santa Barbara County Public Health Departments, the events were cancelled. However, the Santa Barbara Yacht Club (SBYC) persevered through the COVID challenges and continued to fundraise to benefit the charitable community programs of VNA Health.
On September 11th, 2021, the SBYC once again raced their boats and raised a record-breaking $313,000 — more than doubling its goal of $150,000. And for the first time, the Yacht Club also hosted a Memorial Boat, the Sul Mare, captained by Commodore Andra Escola. Flowers donated by the Hawaii Youth Opera Chorus and Hogue & Co. were scattered on the open sea in honor of loved ones and for the 20th Anniversary of 9/11. Singer Dave Gonzales and Trumpeter James Watson performed, which was broadcast on the Yacht Club’s VHF channel to the beach and to all the boats and on Facebook Live. SBYC Regatta Co-Chairs Francie Lufkin and Nick Sebastian made sure everyone could enjoy the event!
The 2021 Charity Regatta winners were:
- PRHF: Valhalla
- CHRF: Escapade
Raffle Winners were picked by Blakely, Breck & Briar Cordero
- Farm Cart Organics & Good Plow Restaurant: BECKY & JEFF BERKUS
- Board Wine Basket and SBYC Dinner for Eight: SHEILA & TOM CULLEN
- Thomas Dabney’s Famous Lobster Dinner: TOM MOLYNEUX
Tremendous thanks to SBYC, and our generous sponsors and donors, for their steadfast dedication to support VNA Health for 17 years! Your support helps Santa Barbara families live in health and dignity through VNA Health’s comprehensive home health, palliative, and hospice care programs!
Thank you again for your support to make the Santa Barbara Yacht Club Charity Regatta an exceptional success! We could not have done it without you!
2021 CHARITY REGATTA SPONSORS
ADMIRAL
Carolyn & Philip Wyatt
Wyatt Technology Corporation
Thank you Carolyn and Philip Wyatt for your landmark donation
and launching our ADMIRAL Sponsor Level.
COMMODORE
Ann & Ed Brady
Thank you to Ann & Ed Brady, VNA Health Board emeritus member,
for offering a gift of $15,000 for our VNA Health Board of Directors
to match with Regatta sponsorships.
Sheila & Thomas Cullen
The Whimsie Fund
VICE COMMODORE
Mary & Dick Compton
REAR COMMODORE
Karen Handy
B.P. Moser Trust
Diana Katsenes
STAFF COMMODORE
Becky & Jeff Berkus
Brenda Blalock & Alan Porter
Karen & Jack Byers
Mr. & Mrs. Timothy Casey
Eusebio Cordova
Heather & Alex Craigie
Leslie & Scott Deardorff
Pamela Dillman Haskell & Christopher Haskell
Barbara & Shawn Fabian
Shari & William Guilfoyle
Jane & Norm Habermann
Penny Jenkins & Gregg Hackethal
Christine & Michael Holland
Kenneth Kraus & Perry Gibson
Francie & Peter Lufkin
Karen & Ed Marini
Lil & Stan Nelson
Helen & Ben Phillips
Laura Schlessinger
Nick Sebastian
The Shevitz Family
Debbie Snyder & Brian Johnson
Cynthia & Ted Thoreson
Kathy & Christopher Thrash, MD
Judy & George Writer
Gina & Alex Ziegler
Gail & Bob Young
2021 MEMORIAL BOAT
On September 11, 2021, Santa Barbara Yacht Club (SBYC) offered a unique Remembrance Ceremony as a way for club members and local residents to honor a loved one that has passed, and also to pay tribute to those lost in 9/11.
Although the live event was cancelled, SBYC opened the Charity Regatta with a beautiful tribute from Commodore Andra Escola’s boat, Sul Mare. Music was provided by vocalist David Gonzales and trumpet player James Watson, while flowers were scattered into the open water in memory of loved ones by Taylor Escola.
Special thanks to Peter Trow for filming the ceremony and to Eric Peterson for photography. BIG THANKS to Brad Schaupeter for arranging the race and coordinating the VHF radio broadcast and Facebook Live to share with the crews on the boats and club members on the beach.
Memorial Boat Tribute Names
Alan Ziegler
Barry Berkus
Bernadeen Yee
Bill Davis
Bob Alsworth
Bob Crum
Bob Kallman
Bradford Dillman
Chad Drier
Dorothy Blalock
Dorothy Sebastian
Ernie Brooks
Gail Berkus
Gary Wilcox
George Potter, Sr.
Harold Shapiro
Jane Crum
Jeffrey Thrash
Lad Handelman
Mark Noble
Nicholas Sebastian, Jr.
Peggy Mulligan
Peter Churchill
Richard Teraoka
Rosalie Harrington
Ruth Kallman
Shirley Oliphant
Tom Kelleway
Tom Mulligan
Tom Thoreson
Vera Mae Potter
Wayne Colahan
Winifred Cregar
Yolanda Ross
FLOWERS DONATED BY
2021 CELEBRITY SKIPPERS
We were honored to share that the 2021 Celebrity Skippers are VNA Health First Responders to COVID. In the first 18 months of the pandemic, VNA Health cared for over 140 COVID patients. In the face of the pandemic, VNA Health maintained its end-of-life hospice care, rehabilitative therapies, and skilled nursing care programs for over 600 patients each day. As well, their commitment to their community programs and services (Serenity House Subsidized Care, Loan Closet, Music Therapy, Pet Therapy, Bereavement Care, We Honor Veterans) continued uninterrupted. VNA Health played (and continues to play) a vital role in our healthcare community’s response to COVID.
2021 CHARITY REGATTA COMMITTEE
Andra Escola, Commodore
Francie Lufkin, Staff Commodore and Charity Regatta Co-Chair
Nick Sebastian, Charity Regatta Co-Chair
Beverly Toole
Brenda Blalock
Carol Kallman
Lailan McGrath
Linda Seals
Maggie Mabuchi
Pat de Giorgio Lynn
Richard Nahas
Shari Guifoyle
Suesan Pawlitski
2021 RAFFLE
Raffle Participation is exclusive to Charity Regatta Sponsorships and SBYC Member Packages
For any other questions, please contact Lailan McGrath at Lailan.mcgrath@vna.health or 805-690-6218