[CINC] Fred Benko

[whalebear at cs.com]

I first met Fred Benko on Bob Hoffman's boat the King Neptune in the mid-70's, before he built the Condor.  In the old days, he ran all of the whale watches and all of the island trips (there was no concession then) for the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.  I've never met a better skipper or a finer human being.  Fred was bright gracious, generous, and kind.  He was also funny, crazy (in those days), and always a wonderful raconteur.  He did a superb job of creating and running Sea Landing, the Condor, and subsequently the Condor Express.  He gave generously to causes and cared deeply about the environment.  Fred very quickly became an integral part of the fabric of Santa Barbara.    His is an enormous loss for our community; he cannot be replaced.  Fair seas and a following wind, old friend.

Chuck Rennie
Channel Islands National Park
Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History


 
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