Looking out to sea from the Santa Barbara Harbor breakwater on a sunny springtime afternoon, there is often a gorgeous sight to behold — wet and shimmering sailboats, many with brightly colored sails, racing about on a breezy afternoon.
Ragtoppers wait all year for this season because springtime can be a windy time of year. Not just any wind will do, however. Strong winds blowing over a long fetch will build seas that keep all but the most intrepid sailors confined to harbor. The best sailing situation is a fresh breeze over relatively calm water.
This time of year is when we most often see ideal conditions.
It is fun to take a sailboat out and join in the festivities, and if you don’t have one, Santa Barbara Sail Center rents a variety of ragtops. Some races are just impromtu romps, to see who can get to an agreed upon finish line first. Some outings are done to test sails or rigging against comparable boats.
Some are highly managed and organized events, such as those put on by the Santa Barbara Yacht Club. Contact them at www.sbyc.org to find out about their activities and membership. Then get your gear ready … appropriate clothes and safety equipment, rules and regulations.
I am a power boat captain, myself. I sometimes share thoughts with a friend of mine who is a sailboat captain. He came up with something cute enough that I just have to share it with you. We were talking about the profound differences in mentality between “stinkpotters” and “ragtoppers.”
He said that once in a while he gets a passenger aboard his sailboat, with a stinkpotter mentality, who asks a fool question like, “Well, Captain, what is our destination today?”
My captain friend said he just looks at the offender with one of those long baleful looks that we captains are sent to special schools to learn to use to quell mutinies, and replies: “You don’t understand. You are ABOARD your destination today!” Now that is the perfect explanation of the difference between power boaters and sail boaters.
Those sail boats out there come in an amazing variety of sizes, shapes, and methods of control. There are a few long, sleek America’s Cup racing yachts, plenty of mid-size sailboats, and smaller ones, plus an array of personal watercraft with sails.
They are all fun to watch, and you might find yourself wanting to get in on the fun. After all, ’tis the season.
— Capt. David Bacon operates WaveWalker Charters and is president of SOFTIN Inc., a nonprofit organization providing seafaring opportunities for those in need. Visit softininc.blogspot.com to learn more about the organization and how you can help. Click here to read previous columns. The opinions expressed are his own.
