Innovation. Leadership. Creativity. Women working in and around the Santa Barbara Harbor provide much to the community – contributions showcased in the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum’s Women of the Santa Barbara Harbor exhibition. Running through the end of May, the show spotlights 13 remarkable women of the harbor and waterfront community.
Featured women are Hiroko Benko, Jaime Diamond, Jessica Gray, Christine Healy, Kaia
Kababik, Holly Lohuis, Francie Lufkin, Stephanie Mutz, Stella Nicodemus, Jeanette Prusinski, Lieutenant Christina Sandstedt, Kimblery Selkoe, and Victoria Voss.
“The women featured in this exhibition contribute to the vibrancy of the Santa Barbara Harbor through their innovative business models, creativity, and incredible leadership,” said SBMM Deputy Director Jessica Tade. “They have left an indelible mark within the harbor community, and beyond.”
Women of the Santa Barbara Harbor showcases the many roles and experiences of the
participants – from commanding a schooner to advocating for marine conservation. Inspiring stories include:
Hiroko Benko
Hiroko Benko is the president of the Condor Express, Santa Barbara’s premier whale watching boat located in the harbor. Sightings include huge pods of dolphins, migrating gray and humpback whales, sunfish, and even orcas. Benko loves inspiring others to learn about and appreciate the beautiful and diverse ocean bordering Santa Barbara.
Her late husband, Fred Benko, founded the Whale Corps in 1995, and now, after many decades of advocacy, the Santa Barbara Channel is designated as the ninth Whale Heritage Area in the world. “My favorite part of this job is introducing our guests to and providing them with the opportunity to see the marine life in the Santa Barbara Channel,” said Benko.
Christine Healy
Christine Healy is the executive director of the Central Coast Ocean Adventures Foundation(CCOAF) and captain of the schooner Mystic Whaler, which hosts the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum’s Tall Ship educational program. Healy grew up by the ocean and was mentored in sailing by Jennifer Kaye, owner and skipper of Woodwind and Woodwind II. For Healy, it was racing these sailboats in Annapolis, Maryland that helped hone her skills.
As captain of the Mystic Whaler, Healy sails the ship, while also training her crew and making sure Coast Guard regulations are met. “My favorite part of this job is watching students transform when they step on the ship,” said Healy. “The students discover new things about themselves and their capabilities.
The Tall Ship program allows them to unplug from technology and experience a place of learning without distraction. The imagination is sparked for those who might not have ever really thought much about sailing, our oceans, and the environment.”
Kaia Kababik
Kaia Kababik is the education director and owner of Paddle Sports Center and Channel Islands Expeditions (CIE). Paddle Sports Center offers kayak, surfboard, and SUP rentals so people can enjoy the harbor from the water. CIE provides single and multi-day boat trips to the Santa Barbara Channel Islands, offering the opportunity to experience one of America’s most remote National Parks.
Over the last decade, Kababik has worked extensively in the educational realm, developing marine education programs for K-12 students, providing marine pollution presentations, hosting beach clean-ups, and providing camps and after-school programs.
She is inspired by her hero Sylvia Earle, her husband, and her co-founders of Save the Mermaids, a nonprofit created in 2010 focusing on ocean conservation. “My passion is to directly connect youth and adults to the ocean in ways that allow them to experience the magic of our local coastal marine environment and the Channel Islands National Park,” said Kababik.
Women of the Santa Barbara Harbor is on view in the public hall of the Waterfront Center
Building through May 29, 2024. This exhibition is free to the public. As a complement to the contemporary vignettes, SBMM offers historical exhibits on women in Santa Barbara’s history including Wives & Daughters: Keepers of the Light; Julia Williams and the Santa Barbara Lighthouse; and Santa Barbara Surfing History.
Learn more about viewing the show and other SBMM exhibits such as ICE BEAR, a selection of photographs by Ralph Clevenger taken of polar bears during his eight-day trip to the shores of Hudson Bay near churchill, Manitoba, Canada at sbmm.org or by calling (805) 962-8404.
