Sea-ze the Day

Just three hours later the energized Andrew Firestone was at it again when he emceed Santa Barbara Channelkeeper’s 19th annual Blue Water Ball in the Deckers rotunda, with the 230 guests expected to raised around $185,000 for the popular environmental non-profit.

The bustling bash, chaired by Kristin Larson, featured climber and world renowned adventurer Rick Ridgeway, outdoor clothing giant Patagonia’s vice president of public engagement, who has authored six books and, with three companions, was the first American to summit the Himalayan peak, K2, the world’s second highest mountain at 28,251ft.

The Santa Barbara Ukulele Club, a talented septet, performed with selections of Beatles and Beach Boys music, while auction items included a week in Crested Butte, Colorado, a nine foot surfboard crafted by Ventura’s legendary Steve Walden, and a 17ft. boat donated by the Carpinteria Dory Company.

Among the tidal wave of supporters were Shaun and Carla Tomson, Luke Swetland, Ivana Firestone, Jean Schuyler, Mike Wondolowski, Randy and Roxy Solakian, Ashish and Leslie Bhutani, Ben and Molly Morse, Kira Redmond, Lynda Blue, and Debra McCarty.