New Exhibit Celebrates the Women of the Santa Barbara Harbor

In keeping with the celebration of March 2024 as Women’s History Month (spoiler alert!) this column is going to contain some seriously shameless bragging! At the close of this month I’d like to send the memo that, both in a professional capacity and as volunteers, every month of any year Santa Barbara women make huge contributions to the smooth functioning of the Santa Barbara community – in this particular case, the harbor and waterfront. 

On Friday, March 1st, the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum (SBMM) was the first to showcase an exhibit celebrating a few of the women whose skills and expertise have impacted the harbor and waterfront communities. This exhibition, Women of the Santa Barbara Harbor, contains a selection of 13 women who have broken new ground in the areas of commercial and sport fishing, marine ecology, education, ocean conservation, fundraising and harbor operations. These enterprising trailblazers include Hiroko Benko, Jaime Diamond, Jessica Gray, Christine Healy, Kaia Kababik, Holly Lohuis, Francie Lufkin, Stephanie Mutz, Stella Nicodemus, Jeanette Prusinski, Lieutenant Christina Sandstedt, Kimberly Selkoe, and Victoria Voss. 

On the first day of March, I stopped by the Maritime Museum for the opening ceremony. Lining the hallways of the Museum’s historic building were images of the honorees, accompanied by short biographies. Museum Curator Emily Falke and her team formally welcomed us to the brief ceremony and introduced the women who shared their stories. As diverse as their presentations may have seemed, somehow their occupations and interests were closely interconnected: Business owners were also volunteers and ecologists, commercial fisheries included sustainable ocean and land-based businesses, educators were volunteers, environmentalists and marine biologists. The ships’ captains and harbor officials were also educators with medical, marine science and navigational expertise. 

Honoree Lieutenant Christina Sandstedt served as the commanding officer of the US Coastguard Cutter Blackfin whose duties included search and rescue, smuggling prevention and the safety of both commercial and recreational vessels… in other words, a variety of skill sets. She shared that the best part was the teamwork involved. “There is a deep trust that forms at sea between crew members. We rely on each other to complete the mission and keep one another safe …” As Captain of the tall ship, Mystic Whaler, Christine Healy has a long history of ocean sailing with a crew but also oversees the Tall Ship Program under the auspices of the Maritime Museum, teaching young people the art of sailing a schooner of the 1800s without the benefit of modern technology. 

Jeanette Prusinski, Harbor Operations Manager affirmed, “In my work I find tremendous joy in the blend of teamwork, problem solving and policy application …” Two Harbor Patrol officers, Jessica Gray and Stella Nicodemus have as their duty enforcement of laws for safety on both water and land, educating the public in boating skills, and providing emergency medical response when needed. “Having such a variety of duties and tasks,” stated Nicodemus, “allows for each day to be completely unique.

Santa Barbara harbor business owners include five of the honorees also with multiple skill levels: Jaime Diamond, CEO of the Santa Barbara Landing and manager of two charter sport fishing vessels; Kaia Kababik, owner of Paddle Sports Center and Channel Islands Expeditions, which includes marine education programs; Stephanie Mutz, owner of Sea Stephanie Fish and a commercial urchin diver advocating sustainability; Kimberly Selkoe, CEO of Get Hooked Seafood, Executive Director of Commercial Fisherman of Santa Barbara, and marine scientist at UCSB partnering with Victoria Voss, co-owner of Get Hooked Seafood and daughter of a commercial fisherman who advocated sustainable fishing. “I love the relationships we have built!” exclaimed Voss. “Whether it’s with our Get Hooked team, our fisherman, our members or other local food producers in the region, the relationships really make the work worth it.”

The importance of relationships and teamwork is indeed the abiding theme. Owner of the Condor Express, Hiroko Benko, depends on a well-managed team to maintain her whale watching boat and business, but her personal passion is for the whales themselves. Together with other members of the harbor community Benko joined forces with Holly Lohuis, a fellow honoree and marine biologist with Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ocean Futures Society, to form a team including Jean-Michel Cousteau, to designate the Santa Barbara Channel as a Whale Heritage Area. Their mission is to increase awareness of the variety of whales that traverse our waters, their ecological significance and the need to insure their health and safety. Thanks to the efforts of the team, the Santa Barbara Channel is now designated as the ninth Whale Heritage Area on the planet!

Continuing to carve a huge profile in the harbor community as a volunteer (and accountant!) is Francie Lufkin. As the first female commodore at the Santa Barbara Yacht Club in 142 years, she set the standard and opened the door for others to follow. She has chaired and co-chaired the Yacht Club’s huge annual Charity Regatta benefitting VNA Heath that’s raised several million dollars for the nonprofit during her stewardship. Last, but not least, she’s served as a Maritime Museum board member donating her accounting skills as Treasurer.

Regardless of the job, mission, or enterprise – all these talented women share a love of the ocean and the creatures that call it home. Sustainability and respect are their common watchwords. Some have followed in the footsteps of the previous generation, others have chosen the challenging path of entrepreneur and business owner. “Women’s roles in the seafaring community have gone back generations, yet with little record or reference,” said Executive Director Greg Gorga. “From navigators to sailors, there is a rich history of women’s participation in the maritime realm. It is an honor to share the stories of women who continue to make history in our community.” 

Women of the Santa Barbara Harbor will be on view in the public hall of the Waterfront Center Building and the Maritime Museum through
May 29, 2024.