Santa Barbara Sips & Ships – A Wine Tasting and Yacht Tour Benefit for the Santa Barbara Sea Shell Association

Santa Barbara Sips & Ships – A Wine Tasting and Yacht Tour Benefit for the Santa Barbara Sea Shell Association

• Sat, Oct 7, 4:00-7:00 PM
• Guests must be 21 years or older with valid ID
• Proceeds support the Santa Barbara Sea Shell Association
• Tickets are available at https://www.sbssa.org/sips

SANTA BARBARA, CA — The Santa Barbara Sea Shell Association’s 39th annual Sips & Ships Fundraiser is planned this year for Saturday, October 7th from 4pm to 7pm at Marina One in the Santa Barbara Harbor. This iconic Santa Barbara wine tasting and yacht tour event is the annual fundraiser for the Santa Barbara Sea Shell Association (’Sea Shells’), a local organization, founded in 1948, dedicated to teaching children (ages 8-15) the art, skill, and sport of sailing, and imparting a love of sailing, a stewardship of our local harbor, and a sense of community through family-oriented programming. This year the Sea Shells will be celebrating its 75th anniversary.
Sips & Ships welcomes 400 guests to explore sailing and motor yachts in Marina One of the Santa Barbara Harbor, while enjoying local wines, beers, and special food pairings. During this event, you can expect to:

• Tour amazing motor and sailing yachts and meet with their owners
• Taste local wines and beers
• Sample hors d’oeuvres, coffee, and desserts
• Bid to win fabulous silent auction items
• Receive a custom commemorative 75th anniversary wine glass with each ticket
• Mingle and meet all your friends during a wonderful afternoon and evening!

One of the participating vessels on display this year is the Mystic Whaler, a 110-foot schooner that is owned and operated by the non-profit, Central Coast Ocean Adventures Foundation. The Mystic Whaler recently relocated from the East Coast to the Channel Islands Harbor in Oxnard, CA, offers ocean-based experiential education opportunities to the communities of Santa Barbara and Ventura counties with a focus on serving young people. This is a unique opportunity to explore this vessel right here in the Santa Barbara Harbor. Other privately-owned motor and sail boats will also be available for guests to enjoy.
This annual event is the only fundraiser of the Santa Barbara Sea Shell Association. Funds raised from this event provide maintenance and operation of our two safety boats, educational materials, sailboat maintenance, awards, scholarships, and other operating expenses. We are also embarking on a capital improvement project this year to update our boat-storage condos, located on West Beach near the launch ramp, that are in desperate need of repairs to ensure continued, safe operations for our fleet and our skippers.
Tickets cost $75 per person (early bird pricing until September 7th) and $90 (after September 7th). They are available for purchase online: https://www.sbssa.org/sips
Guests must be 21+ to attend.

This event is generously sponsored by Slaughter, Reagan & Cole, LLP; The Chandlery; and Fauver, Large, Archbald & Spray, LLP, as well as numerous local wineries, breweries, and other local businesses, including Sanford Winery, Presquile, The Paring, Star Lane, Island Brewing, Santa Barbara Fish Market, Kyle London Photography, and Boone Graphics.

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About the Santa Barbara Sea Shell Association
The Sea Shells were founded in 1948, is to teach children, ages 8-15, the art, skill, and sport of sailing, and to impart a love of sailing, a stewardship of our local harbor, and a sense of community through family-oriented and volunteer-driven programming. For over seventy years, the Sea Shells have taught sailing, seamanship, self-reliance, and teamwork. In addition to the weekly Sunday regatta, there are picnics, instructional days, work days, parties, and road trips, fostering strong, long-term friendships among skippers and families. Many skippers who learned through Sea Shells continue sailing in the Santa Barbara community and racing in the local, weekly “Wet Wednesday” events. The Sea Shells welcome any families who have children interested in sailing, and strive to make sailing affordable to all interested families. Scholarships are also available.