Celebration Cruises Sells Majority of Business, but ‘Lil’ Toot’ Will Live On

Celebration Cruises, the parent company that owns and operates a fleet of boats and the Santa Barbara staple Lil’ Toot water taxi, recently sold the majority of its business, according to Director of Operations Rebecca Buel. The deal includes luxury yachts Azure Seas and Whisper, which were acquired in 2014 and 2017, respectively.

The management team, captains, and crew of Celebration Cruises will stay the same, with the exception of Buel, who will dedicate herself exclusively to continue working with Lil’ Toot. 

Buel’s parents, Captain Fred Hershman and Kathy Hershman, founded the company in 2003 when they discovered Lil’ Toot sitting in a front yard in Newbury Port, Massachusetts, and grew it into the famously beloved water taxi docked at Santa Barbara’s Stearns Wharf. The 20-year life of the boat even inspired the children’s book How Lil’ Toot Got His Smile, whose author, Camarillo native Madeline Gabor, wanted to capture the transformation of Lil’ Toot, previously named Captain Red. 

The family will retain ownership of Lil’ Toot and continue to offer private and public cruises.

“It’s not a goodbye, but see you on Lil’ Toot soon,” wrote Buel, who will complete her last day at Celebration Cruises on August 31 before following in her parents’ footsteps running “the happiest boat in the harbor.”

For the crew on the Lil’ Toot, it will be business as usual despite the recent transition away from Celebration Cruises, and private and daily public charters will continue to be offered in the Santa Barbara Harbor. The waterfront taxi offers 25-minute cruises from the harbor dock to Stearns Wharf for $5 a person, while prices for their private 60- or 90-minute charters can be found on their website liltootsb.com.