July 22, 2012 
All Jazz Hands on Deck
It’s always nice to catch up with an old friend. Especially when that friend is an ASA certified sailing instructor managing the Santa Barbara Sailing Center, a regular house boat of an operation “moored” just inside Marina Three at the eastern end of Santa Barbara harbor.
A gang plank I’m happy to walk. The khaki-shorted fella you see in the distance is none other than the Center’s manager & certified sailing instructor: Ian Fitzgerald.
That’s right, chickens. It’s back to the harbor today, courtesy of friend Ian Fitzgerald this time, since our blog adventure is off the charts today & off dry land, to boot. But maybe I should say: to boat—and then some, casting off aboard the Double Dolphin to enjoy its weekly Friday evening Jazz Cruise. Low-sodium humor aside, you’ll need your life vest, your sea legs, and your sweetie, too, because this coastal sail is as romantic as the Pacific is big.
College students Whitney & Fares are on a 3 week road trip down the coast, and I don’t have the heart to tell them they’ve veered just the tiniest bit off-road.
The catamaran slated to “ferry” us water revelers out to sea is pretty big, too. The Double Dolphin is twice as nice as most Cats, measuring in at a whopping 50 feet and tipping the scales at 21 tons—which may or may not be the weight of a boat’s soul–and that’s before as many as 42 sea-faring partiers climb aboard.
A gorgeous hunka hull…
Because there will be partying aboard our Kitty Cat. The Double Dolphin’s bar stocks an array of beers and wines, while Mighty Matt, the bartender on deck, is as skilled a mixologist as he is a sailor. Or maybe the other way around. When I posed the question if sailing skills were a prerequisite to his bartending job, he replied: “Bartending is an auxiliary skill to my sailing job.”
Make that a double…a Double Dolphin!
Which is definitely what you want to hear from the fella playing first mate to skipper: Captain Michael Colin.
Michael teaches film production at City College parttime, in between making documentaries for PBS and the Discovery channel.
Who modestly insists I lose the title before his name all the same. After apprising us of safety measures, Michael motors us directly into a brisk crosswind made the brisker by virtue of our dynamics, and a few folk get their warm fuzzies on when fortuitously stocked blankets are offered for the interim. The blankets are soon cast aside when we skirt the breakwater and the pier’s end, and Michael cuts power to the quietly purring engine altogether.
He and Matt then engage in a series of skilled maneuvers that involves the sail, the boom, and lots of jumping, ducking, and rope-tugging. If that salty jargon’s a shade too technical for you, suffice to say that between the two of them, our party boat has become whisper-silent, and set to cruise-controlled, sail-powered fun.
Stearn’s Wharf
Brickhouse & Biggie agree. These amusing nicknames belong to two of the gaggle of girlfriends I bump into right away on the Double Dolphin deck. A team of girlfriends, really. Coming from all over America, this one-time softball team meets annually for a vacation, and this year Santa Barbara has the honors of hosting the former ECU Pirates—a strangely appropriate name, given the circumstance of our introduction. I mean, what “arrrrr” the odds?
Team Girlfriend: Biggie, Brickhouse, Sequoia, Dee and others! Have fun downtown tonight, ladies! Remember now, no tattoos!
A lot longer than the odds of a live jazz band starting up, I can tell you that much. Now that there’s nothing but soft breeze billowing our sail downwind toward the posh hamlet of Montecito, the featured Jazz Trio adds to the melody of calling sea birds, and waves lapping our Cat’s double hulls. Drums, sax and even electrified bass—the instrument, silly, not the fish—enhance the ambience, inviting me to sit back and relax.
The Jazz trio is clearly: down with that, oh hoh hoh.
Left to Right: Bass player: Jim Connolly, sax player: Justin Claveria, and drummer: Austin Beede
Jazz hands–and jazz smiles!
http://www.justinclaveria.com/
So, I do—and I am—and I’m fairly certain it can’t get any better than this…until it does! When buoy meets blogger girl in the next instant, it’s love at first sight, and believe me, I ain’t “lion”. Animal-lover that I am, I’m not even exaggerating! Check out this group of incidental sun worshippers breaking from the briny blue:
Whatchoo looking at!
Would they fit in my 60 gallon, d’ya think? Probably not, but at least I can take their digital images with me, and there’s bigger fish to fry at the moment, anyway. Michael’s ready for relief from his oh–so–taxing work at the helm, and who better to stand in than a shutterbug sharp enough to snap this shot?
Michael’s qualified to captain 100 tonnage. That’s cargo weight, less boat weight, so plenty room for more passengers. (lol) Titanic had unlimited tonnage, BTW’s, for all the good that did them.
Why, I’m practically an Admiral by virtue of this visual, especially if you count the number of duplicates I take, and it’s positively thrilling to man the Double Dolphin’s wheel—if only for a bloggertunity minute.
But why is everyone jumping overboard? I jest, of course, and when queried, Michael assured me no one’s been lost at sea yet.
A minute that goes on Dramamine-long for most passengers, though this extended family enjoying the late afternoon sunshine seem unaffected by the temporary changing of the guard. Much like our erstwhile team of softball players, these folks have come from all corners of America to meet for a group vacation; from as far away as New Orleans and Pittsburgh, to as close as nearby L.A., their smiles and good spirits are as sunny as the day itself.
From the left: Tommy, Jackie, Papa Tom, Bryan, Ashley, Mary and Joyce.
After reassuring local couple John and Judy I won’t be switch-hitting for Michael again anytime soon, we chat for a bit about our mutual love of the sea, and it’s easy to understand why the Santa Barbara natives make this their regular Friday outing. You don’t need to be a tourist to appreciate the beauty of our shoreline.
American Riveria in all its glory.
And you don’t have to be a sailor to know floating poetry when you see it…
That’s my ship coming in, I think…!
Or a floating story, either.
One fella’s pets…
Like all good stories, though, the ending comes too soon, and before my timbers have stopped shivering, we’re turning back to the harbor slip whence we commenced.
Tranquillity
And since I’m left wanting more–the way it is with great experiences, and stories, too—I’m happy to close this salty tale answering a cinematic question asked movie-goers everywhere so long ago:
Who you going call?
Double Dolphin Digits
Coast-busters!!
The Santa Barbara Sailing Center offers: Sailing Instruction, Coastal & Sunset tickets, Whale-watching Excursions, Charters, Dinner Cruises, Jazz Cruises, Kayak & Paddleboard rentals, and more! Student discount with valid ID.
(800) 350-9090
Special thanks to manager Ian Fitzgerald and skipper Michael Colin for their hospitality. With such mad ocean know-how, it’s no wonder their sailing school has been voted school of the year by the American Sailing Association two years running.
Charron's Chatter 
Thank you for taking your fans with you on your spirited journey. We have become anticipatory readers, hungry for adventure. The captain, crew, and you paint an adventure worth noting for future reference. 🙂
Thank you, Frank! It was easy to write “the good stuff” about something as excellent as this. 🙂
Good story, good info….
Must check it out when I’m down in SB!!!!!
Just a hop & skip away, for you Cally Boy!! Thanks for stopping by, Leigh Binder. A nice set of Jazz Hands for you…:)
Jazz hands? Will there be staccato touches and feels followed by wild interpretative solos?? (grin)
Keep up the good work!!
Yes, Leigh, there’ll be plenty of “sax”…:)
Sounds like a fun way to spend Friday.
It sure was, Jimmy! Thanks for stopping by!
Being on the water is such a great way to get back to basics. I’d sure use this service if I lived on the West coast…
Sounds like a great way to spend the afternoon!
Thank you, Mohana! It’s the most relaxing yet invigorating activity there is! I’m glad you enjoyed the virtual tour! 🙂
I am not / or is that was not a big fan of being out in the ocean even on a large cruise ship, but if I may extol the way you have written this I would jump aboard this sailing cruise in a” Santa Barbara” second. What fun and of course the jazz would be a gift from the heavens oh and the sea lions how do they all get on that buoy? Wonderful photos and a realism that has me thinking I want to do this too. Excellent Karen!
Thank you, LW’s! How inspring to think you’ve rethought sailing! I promise you, the Double Dolphin rides as smoothly as you compliment, you sweet thing, you. I’m glad you had a “Bon Voyage”..:)
The spirit of the ocean and it’s freedom calls to the adventuresome spirit, and Charron’s blog is a coaxing to that adventure that is hard to resist!
Great journey , fantastic to read .I WAS THERE !!!!!
It was SOO fun, Dave, and I’m glad that translated to the post. Better wipe your brow, though, I think I see a little sea spray right there! 😉 Thank you very much for jumping on board!
That looked like the PERFECT day!
And the weather had been overcast all week leading up to the sail…it was truly awesome ! Thank you for “casting off” along with me, Laura!
Aww, what a great post and beautiful pics! Love the seals! 🙂