LOCKER TALK

Arguably the biggest polo event in North America concluded in a
brutal championship match at the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet
Club in Carpinteria last weekend. National media and more than
1,000 spectators were on hand for the final game of the Pacific
Coast Open as team Duende squeaked by Windsor Capitol 13-11.
Besides some electric end-to-end scoring, the match was marked by
more than a few riders being thrown from their horses and the
tragic passing of a 14-year-old mare named Suzie.

Beginning and ending at the East Beach bathhouse, the 25th
annual Santa Barbara Triathlon came and went last weekend in a
blaze of bicycles, swim strokes, and pavement-pounding feet. After
a mile of swimming, 34 miles of bike riding, and two miles of
running, Chris Foster took home first place in a time of 2:53:49,
while Olympic medalist Michelle Jones won the women’s event with a
time of just over three hours.

Anglers – both professional and recreational – were marveling
this past week at a recent run of fine halibut fishing in the
near-shore waters of Santa Barbara. Warm ocean temperatures, a new
moon, and a little bit of luck combined to get the white fish
running, and as a result the docks at Santa Barbara Harbor were
abuzz with tales of big catches and easy landings.

A bit of history sailed into Santa Barbara Harbor last weekend
as the 130-foot-long tall ship Pilgrim made a port of call in local
waters. Hosted by the Maritime Museum, the Pilgrim – complete with
14 sails, including eight massive square sails – made the trip up
from its home base in Dana Point and was available for tours all
weekend. The vessel is a replica of the hide brig depicted in the
classic American seafaring novel Two Years Before the Mast.