Santa Barbara Yacht Club Charity Regatta committee chairwoman Francie Lufkin, left, with members Gail Young, Shari Guilfoyle and Beverly Toole at the kickoff Cocktail Party. 
Santa Barbara Yacht Club Commodore John Koontz with educator and club member Teresa Koontz, who spoke at the event. 
Event VIPs Belita Ong, left, and Gordon Auchincloss with Visiting Nurse & Hospice Care President/CEO Lynda Tanner and VNHC Foundation Executive Director Rick Keith. 
Committee member Suesan Pawlitski and sponsor Bob Young. 
Charity Regatta supporters Judith Muller, left, Nancy Hilyard and event speaker Judy Rawles. 
Lisa Yabsley, left, Valerie Yoshimura and Kathleen Yabsley. 
Jim Whilt, left, and Ernesto Paredes. 
Sponsors Don Barthelmess, left, Carol Kallman and Don Galloway. 
Guests enjoy the evening on the deck at the Santa Barbara Yacht Club.
The Santa Barbara Yacht Club will host its 14th annual Charity Regatta on Sept. 8 to benefit Visiting Nurse & Hospice Care, a nonprofit organization that provides comprehensive home health care, hospice care and related services to promote the health and well-being of community residents.
The Charity Regatta is fun day filled with competitive racers, music, enthusiastic spectators and sponsors, and family activities — all to support a worthy cause.
To kick off the sailing event, a private Cocktail Party took place Tuesday at the Yacht Club’s toney facility with deck views of the harbor and ocean at sunset. This year's Charity Regatta theme is “Celebrating Our Dedicated Teachers.”
Committee chairwoman Francie Lufkin noted that this year, the Santa Barbara community was faced with the Thomas Fire and the January mudslides. During those disasters, teachers worked overtime and creatively to find alternative classrooms, revise lesson plans, and support children mentally and emotionally to continue their education.
VNHC continued to serve its patients and many others through the disasters. Serenity House became a shelter for 14 evacuees from Casa Dorinda, Bereavement Support counseled 29 disaster victims through their grief, and the Loan Closet remained open and loaned equipment to more than 400 displaced residents of south Santa Barbara County.
The Charity Regatta committee was led by Lufkin and Commodore John Koontz with committee members Brittany Avila Wazny, Marilyn Goodfield, Shari Guilfoyle, Teresa Koontz, Lailan McGrath, Easter Moorman, Suesan Pawlitski, Judy Rawles, Jenny Roberts, Nick Sebastian, Beverly Toole and Gail Young.
After wine, cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, Koontz welcomed the crowd of Yacht Club members, sponsors, racers and VNHC supporters.
“It is a blessing to have Visiting Nurse & Hospice Care here,” he said. “I have experienced the good work it does. I am proud that the Yacht Club is hosting this event for the 14th year.”
VNHC President/CEO Lynda Tanner added: “Visiting Nurse was established in 1908 by a group of women. Now, a hundred years later, we care for 12,000 persons a year and raise $2.4 million annually to these provide much-needed services in this community. Thank you to the Yacht Club for hosting the Charity Regatta!”
Other speakers included educator and SBYC member Teresa Koontz and SBYC member and VNHC beneficiary Judy Rawles.
Sponsors for this year’s Charity Regatta include:
» Commodore — Ann and Ed Brady, Sheila and Tom Cullen, VNHC Board of Directors
» Vice Commodore — Roger and Sarah Chrisman, Mary and Dick Compton, The Whimsie Fund, Impulse Advanced Communications and Young Construction
» Rear Commodore — Gordon Auchincloss and Belita Ong, Herb Geary and Kenneth Heeg, Karen Young Studios, Susie and Riley Bechtel, Brown & Brown Insurance, Leslie and Scott Deardorff, Diane Katsenes, Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Foundation, World Dance for Humanity, and Alixe and Mark Mattingly
» Staff Commodore — American Riviera Bank, Brenda Blalock and Alan Porter, Brophy Bros. Restaurant, Deanna and James G.P. Dehlsen, Suzanne Duca and Ross Quigley, Don Galloway, Norman and Jane Haberman, Shari and Bill Guilfoyle, Kenneth Kraus and Perry Gibson, Peter and Francie Luftin, Phil Hons, Dr. Barbara Hrach, Franice and Peter Lufkin, Karen and Ed Marini, Mission Wealth, Nasif, Hicks, Harris & Co. LLP, Liliane and Stan Nelson, Dr. Laura Schlessinger, Nicholas Sebastian of Seaside Wellness Gardens, Seed Mackall LLP, Select Data LLC, the Shevitz family, Kathy and Chris Thrash, Judy and George Writer, and many other sponsors, including hospitality sponsors Rusack Vineyards, Thieriot Vineyard, and Jen and Skip Abel
Visiting Nurse & Hospice Care is a nonprofit provider of comprehensive home health care, personal care, palliative care, hospice care and related services necessary to promote the health and well-being of all community residents. Established in 1908, VNHC serves the greater Santa Barbara area, as well as the Santa Ynez and Lompoc valleys. VNHC’s mission is to provide compassionate and trusted care for all. Click here for more information, or call 805.965.5555.
Founded in 1872, the Santa Barbara Yacht Club is the second-oldest yacht club on the west coast of North America. The Yacht Club is devoted to promoting and managing yachting activities, advancing the art of seamanship, preserving maritime tradition, and providing for the social and recreational needs of its members. It is a nonprofit private club, and membership is by invitation only. Click here for more information, or call 805.965.8112.
— Noozhawk contributing writer Rochelle Rose can be reached at rrose@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkSociety, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Become a fan of Noozhawk on Facebook.