The Condor Express, Santa Barbara’s whale watching and charter vessel, suffered an electrical fire at its Sea Landing dock on Saturday afternoon.
No one was on board at the time, and the fire was confined to the wheelhouse area thanks to a quick-acting off-duty firefighter who saved the day.
A new wheelhouse will be designed from the original blueprints and fitted to the vessel with all new navigation instrumentation. The work will be done in the Ventura Harbor Boat Yard. No time frame has been determined yet for the Condor’s return to duty.
Plans are under way to find a replacement vessel and resume the normal whale-watching schedule. With the passing of Capt. Fred Benko, his wife, Hiroko, will take over management of the business.
“The Condor Express will sail again soon,” Capt. Mat Curto said.
Stay tuned for updates on the Condor Express website by clicking here.