Maritime Merriment

Santa Barbara Maritime Museum kicked off its 20th anniversary year with a boffo bash at its depository on South Salinas Street when the Kieding Collections Chandlery was named in honor of Bob Kieding, 82, one of the founders and a premier sailboat racer.

As part of the celebrations, the popular museum, which is located next to the Santa Barbara Yacht Club on the harbor, is hosting a gala on May 29, which will honor surfing legends Renny Yater and Shaun Tomson, and has applied to join the Alliance of American Museums, which will allow the facility to apply for larger grants and more accreditation.

“The application is nearly 100 pages long and we hope to hear in the summer if we’ve been successful,” says museum executive director Greg Gorga. The museum has also been recognized by the Santa Barbara Chamber of Commerce as its nonprofit of the year for 2020.

Among the tidal wave of guests were George and Judy Writer, Jack and Karen Byers, Jerry and Michele Jackman, Mark Danielson, Kenny and Krista Kieding, Sabrina Papa, Frederick and Sigrid Toye, Tom and Nancy Eliott, Don Barthelmess, and Carol Kallman.