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Meet The Expert: Captain Fred And Lil' Toot

Captain Fred Hershman reveals the origins of Lil' Toot on <em>Ask Me Another</em> at the Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara, California.
Mike Katzif
/
NPR
Captain Fred Hershman reveals the origins of Lil' Toot on Ask Me Another at the Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara, California.

For Santa Barbara residents, Lil' Toot is simply a water taxi. But to the Ask Me Another staff, Lil' Toot became something of an obsession. The captain of the boat, Fred Hershman described it as a "cute, lil' yellow tug boat that goes back and forth across the harbor." While the ride only lasts 12 to 15 minutes, the boat is equipped with a cute little horn, and bubbles coming out of the smokestack.

Host Ophira Eisenberg quizzes noted cruise-haver Jonathan Coulton on his nautical knowledge with a lil' help from Captain Fred.

Heard on Michael McDonald: Once A Doobie, Always A Doobie.

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