Sail Away in Santa Barbara

If the idea of billowing sails, a stiff breeze and setting a course for the sun inspire you, then maybe it’s time to learn how to sail. Whether you plan on plying local waters or dream about doing a bareboat charter the next time you are traveling, Santa Barbara provides optimum conditions to learn with its reliable wind, offshore islands and substantial sailing community.

The Santa Barbara Sailing Center is currently offering liveaboard instructional vacations during which students spend between four and eight days training along the Santa Barbara Coastline, as well as the unspoiled Channel Islands. During the instructional vacation, students will go from being a novice to a “Bareboat Charterer” capable of multiple day charters anywhere in the world thanks to earning American Sailing Association credentials. The programs include semi-private instruction and full liveaboard accommodations aboard the Catalina sailboats, eliminating the added expense of lodging.

And while you’re in Santa Barbara, here are a few other activities to consider during the months of March and April:

March 20-22:  As seen in the film Adaptation, commercial and amateur orchid growers from the US and around the world will display thousands of their most perfect orchids at the 64th annual Santa Barbara International Orchid Show.

April 17-20: Celebrate the fruits of Santa Barbara Wine Country at the Vintners’ Festival, a weekend filled with open houses, library tastings, winemaker dinners and the signature festival event featuring over 60 wineries.

April 19: Celebrate Earth Day in its birthplace at the South Coast Earth Day Festival.

April 25: Journey into the past and celebrate Santa Barbara’s 226th birthday with Founding Day at El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park—the 1782 adobe fort marking Santa Barbara’s birthplace, and an inspiration for the city’s world-famous architecture.