The story of Bentwing begins with a disabled, endangered brown pelican — although the storyteller is quick to mention that brown pelicans actually shouldn’t no longer belong on the endangered species list.
“You see him all the time around the harbor, and one wing is badly damaged,” Capt. David Bacon tells his audience of passengers aboard the SOFTIN vessel, WaveWalker.
Young Bentwing was excluded by the other pelicans because he was different. Eventually, he begins a career helping local “fisher folk” find the best spots in return for compensatory fish.
When he helps a veterinary surgical team out for a day of fishing, they offer to fix his damaged wing. Bentwing thinks about it — he would be able to fly just like the other birds. The pelican declines the offer.
Bacon lowers his voice to speak the part of the pelican: “This wing may be a problem, but I can get by. It’s part of what makes me accepted and unique. I’m sticking with it.”
The story holds significant meaning within the developing nonprofit service, Seafaring Opportunities for Those in Need.
“Over the years, many of the people in our private charter groups fit into a category we want to serve now,” Bacon said. “It always ended up that those trips on a very personal level were the most meaningful. SOFTIN allows us to focus on serving folks who desperately need to feel useful and involved.”
SOFTIN is the brainchild of four compassionate and energetic founders — Bacon, his daughter, Capt. Tiffany Vague, Ramona Lisa McFadyen and Debbi Bencomo. For many years, the seasoned charter vessel crew has organized private groups excursions throughout the Santa Barbara Channel for fishing, sightseeing, whale watching, photography and research.
All four founders serve as corporate officers on the SOFTIN board of directors. McFadyen is the grant writer for SOFTIN as well as the chief financial officer and staff photographer/videographer. After gaining experience as a crew member for three years, McFadyen says, “I wanted to share my knowledge of the sea with those who need it most.”
Bencomo is chairman of the board and organizes fundraising. She has a special connection with many of the people served by SOFTIN, as she has been professionally designing and fitting prosthetics for the past 29 years.
“I look at my involvement with SOFTIN as an extension of that part of my life,” Bencomo said. “Being able to give someone the opportunity to experience an adventure at sea is truly amazing.”
Vague, who recently earned her captain’s license, serves as program manager for SOFTIN and secretary of the board.
Bacon, a longtime seafaring professional and businessman, serves as president and executive director.
Last August, the foursome began the long process toward developing a nonprofit organization that could effectively serve people with special needs through a carefully developed seafaring curriculum.
“To start a nonprofit organization from scratch is a monumental project,” Bacon said.
Just last week, 11 months after the glimmer of an idea surfaced, SOFTIN received its 501(C)(3) nonprofit status. It is now officially kicking off fundraising efforts to aid the budding organization.
Part of the plan to fund SOFTIN is revenue from three children’s books Bacon has written, with Bentwing as the hero.
“There’s one about (Bentwing) and a calico bass saving trapped lobsters,” said Bacon, who is waiting on illustrations to finish the series.
So far, SOFTIN has found disadvantaged groups through social connections; however, Bacon says the organization will rely on “tailor-made” collaborations with other nonprofit organizations serving the same special people.
“We do what we do best,” said Bacon, whose collaboration concept includes the SOFTIN crew establishing a memorandum of understanding with local agencies. The passengers will be chosen and transported to/from the WaveWalker by their specific organization.
The six-hour outing begins with a safety talk, life jackets and, of course, the story of Bentwing.
“Part of what we do while we are taking people around the harbor following our comprehensive curriculum is wrap it with the real mission — finding Bentwing,” Bacon said. The crew reminds passengers to keep an eye out, because “we owe the pelican a fish.”
Passengers learn about harbor life, vessel types, marlinspike seamanship, water quality and marine debris prevention, fundamentals of bait loading, commercial fishing, recreational angling ethics and sea creatures, among other topics.
“The learning experience alone for the people we cater to is tremendous,” said Bencomo.
The crew also teaches the basic use of rods, reels and tackle while engaging in some catch-and-release fishing.
“The idea is just to introduce them to it, so they can fish for recreational purposes or for subsistence purposes,” Bacon said.
Creating a basic sense of self-worth within passengers is key; part of what SOFTIN wants to do is engage passengers in observational research projects such as monitoring species counts near Marine Protected Areas.
The founders are no strangers to marine research projects. Bacon represents recreational anglers on the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary advisory council, in association with the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, and has been involved, along with McFadyen and Vague, in research projects monitoring Marine Protected Areas. In his spare time, Bacon writes his popular Captain’s Log column for Noozhawk.
Over time, SOFTIN foresees forming a research team, made up of disabled and impaired people, that would partner with larger organizations such as the NOAA in providing data they collect at controlled locations.
The Wavewalker Charter service takes about 120 trips annually, and as funding permits, the group will phase out recreational trips as it phases in SOFTIN trips, with a goal of running the nonprofit organization full time.
“When you leave land, you may still see it, but you are in a different world,” Bacon said. “Mother Nature rules out there.”
Now in go mode with a board of directors and official nonprofit status, the SOFTIN crew is looking forward to providing seagoing opportunities to those they believe are most in need.
Noozhawk intern Mollie Helmuth can be reached at mhelmuth@noozhawk.com.