The Chandlery Crew
Bob Kieding:
Bob has been a lifelong sailor, beginning with racing eight-foot prams at age nine and then on to various one-design and off-shore yachts in competition in various countries as well as the U.S. He began working on yachts as a young teenager and went on to become a professional yacht skipper at age 18 and during college at UCSB.
In 1977, Bob purchased Santa Barbara's major ship’s chandlery and went on to found several other retail businesses on the Santa Barbara waterfront. Currently, he has joined forces with his son Ken Kieding to operate Chandlery Yacht Sales, which specializes in new and used boat sales, marine systems designs, and equipment sales and installation services.
In addition, Bob has been involved in many community activities through the years, including President of the Santa Barbara Youth Foundation, Chairman of the Junior Rowing Program for the1984 Olympics, trustee of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, President of the Santa Barbara Semana Nautica Summer Sports Festival, and more. He was the primary founder of the Santa Barbara’s popular Maritime Museum.
If you would like to contact Bob directly please click here.
Ken Kieding:
Raised in Santa Barbara, Ken has been sailing since he was three years old. His first experience on the water was with his father, crewing on a Geary 18. Later he raced his own 8' Sea Shell dinghy (similar to a Sabot) and then made the jump to racing Lasers. At that time he was one of the top 10 picks on the West Coast to train for a week in Lasers at the Squaw Valley Olympic Training Center.
In addition to competing in Trans Pac (a race from California to Hawaii) five times and racing to Mexico more than 20 times, Ken has skippered Team California in the Tour De France Yacht Race. He won the MORC West Coast Championships while skippering a J29 and later won the MORC North Americans while racing the custom Nelson/Merek 30, Cowboy. He also won the J24 Pacific Coast Championships helming his own J 24. Kenny has raced and won on many 70's ultra-lights as well.
He is a 3rd generation Santa Barbara Yacht Club member. His grandfather, Ray Kieding, was the founder of the Santa Barbara Sea Shell fleet, and Kenny spent numerous summers coaching members of the Santa Barbara Youth Foundation.
Ken is currently President and part owner of The Chandlery Yacht Sales, and since 2001 he has been actively coaching clients in all aspects of sailboat ownership, including cruising, racing, yacht maintenance and upkeep. He is frequently hired to optimize racing boats to achieve their maximum performance within any given class.
If you would like to contact Ken directly please click here.
Jon Jorgensen:
Jon brings over 30 years of experience in boating to The Chandlery Yacht Sales. Jon began sailing in Beach Haven, New Jersey on a Sunfish dinghy and progressed through an assortment of boats during his summers there. In 1969 he moved to Santa Barbara, attended Santa Barbara City College and enjoyed a variety of water sports. In 1971 he started working at the Santa Barbara Dry Dock for the late Ole Timmer.
Throughout the 70’s he worked offshore for General Oceanographics and also in the abalone industry on the Radon 24 Blue Max with the late John Gill. Currently he owns and operates Setag Construction, builder of The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum and the Endless Summer Bar and Grill in the Naval Reserve building at the Santa Barbara Harbor.
Jon has been a member of the Santa Barbara Yacht Club since 1996, serving on the house and grounds committee as well as assisting with many race committees over the years. He has also served as Treasurer of the Santa Barbara Youth Foundation and volunteered for the high school sailing teams during his sons’ high school sailing careers. Jon also served on the advisory board of the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum. Currently he owns a 36’ sport fisher power boat and a couple of high-performance Australian NS14 sailing dinghies.
If you would like to contact Jon directly please click here.
Bill Bench
Bill first started sailing with his father on their “snowbird” at 10 years old. Although, his Dad didn’t know how to sail, they both watched other sailors till they got the hang of it. Eventually a low level of competency was achieved. Bill moved to Santa Barbara in late 1971 and discovered a renewed love of sailing. He crewed on the charter vessel the “Swift of Ipswich” and later became 1st mate under Captain Herb Underwood.After graduating from SBCC in 1973 he was accepted at UCSB. He was asked by Emerson Smith to assist him teaching the sailing classes. Bill taught sailing for multiple quarters. He graduated a quarter early from UCSB to prepare for the 1975 Trans-pac.
Some of Bill’s sailing experience includes:
- Trans-Pac ’75 LA to Honolulu
- Trans-Pac ’75 Honolulu to Okinawa
- Trans- Pac ’77
- Trans-Pac ’79
- Trans-Pac ’81
- Royal Hawaiian Cup “Round the State Race”
- Pan-Am Clipper Cup ’80, ’82
- MDR to Puerto Vallarta ’77, ’79
- Manzanillo Race
- Mex ORC
Bill has also delivered multiple boats, both power and sail, to Hawaii and from Mexico and various places on the west coast.
An entrepreneurial spirit overcame him in ’83 and he decided to open a sailing school and charter company in Long Beach. Beginning, intermediate, advanced, cruising and navigation classes were taught. What was unique to the school was that racing was taught. Students would go through a series of racing classes which culminated in racing as crew in the Ensenada Race. Many of Bill’s students have gone on and purchased racing and cruising boats. Some have sailed all over the world.
Bill hopes he can assist you in your purchase or sell of your boat. If you would like to contact Bill directly please click here.
John Pfarr
After reading the book “The Dove” at the age of 16, John bought a 37’ Tayana sail boat and began his sailing career. By the time he was 18, he was skipper of a 73’ wooden vessel built in Australia named Lady Ritz. After several years he started his own business as a ship right and delivery captain, and has continued this work for the past 25 years.
John’s family has been in the composite industry for more than 30 years. Recently John worked for Navatek Ltd. Hawaii, building hi-speed off-shore insertion vessel prototypes, using the very latest composite technology. Navatek Ltd. of Hawaii does research, development, prototyping, construction and at-sea testing and validation of innovative, advanced ship hull designs.
John has sailed through the Panama Canal and as far North as Alaska, doing much of his sailing single-handed, including a solo trip from California to Hawaii. His wife, Nanci, is a store Manager for West Marine and has worked for that company for many years. Together, they sailed from Santa Barbara to Hawaii, and then to the South Pacific, working their way as far as Fiji and back to Hawaii to have their daughter, Abigail. They are back in Santa Barbara now, and since early 2009 John has worked for The Chandlery Yacht Sales, re-fitting J boats, outfitting boats for cruising, and providing all types of general maintenance for boats, including electronics, refrigeration, plumbing, rigging, and fiberglass repair.
If you would like to contact John directly please click here.