Merry Chrismans

It was a case of high cees on the high seas when Roger and Sarah Chrisman hosted a nautical bash on their new 78-ft cruiser, Polaris II.

The tony twosome, who took delivery of the Taiwanese-built vessel in February, welcomed 45 guests, who splashed out $1,000 a ducat, to raise funds for Opera Santa Barbara, of which Sarah is a board member.

“It’s a whole new aria!” joked Roger, who is also a major benefactor for the Granada Theatre and former commodore of the Santa Barbara Yacht Club.

For entertainment four Chrisman Studio artists – soprano Elle Valeira, mezzo soprano Molly Clemenz, tenor Jonathan Walker Van Khuren, and baritone Byron Mayes – sang works from Bernstein, Verdi, Puccini, and Rodgers and Hammerstein, with opera director Kostis Protopapas accompanying on piano.

Among the guests, who noshed on barbecued fare from the Bear and Star in Los Olivos, were Dan and Meg Burnham, Robert Weinman, Joan Rutkowski, Marylove Thralls, Tom and Helena Daly, Duncan and Suzanne Mellichamp, Mary Dorra, Fred and Dolores Gilmore, Fred and Nancy Golden, Michael and Christine Holland, and Bob and Sandy Urquhart.