It was the kind of relief effort one might expect to see only on one of those sun-kissed reality TV shows about wealthy, tanned and really good-looking people in Southern California.

As the Woolsey fire continued to burn, Bill Kerbox got a call Monday night from his friend whose 143-foot yacht, the Leight Star, was ready to be deployed. It boasts a helipad and plenty of space. The mission needed only one thing: volunteers and supplies to deliver to victims of the roughly 97,000-acre fire who had stayed behind.

Kerbox blasted out the call for help on social media. It didn’t take long for people, including those desperate to get back to their Malibu homes, to step (or paddle) forward.

Surfers showed up to meet the yacht at sea and bring the supplies to Malibu’s Paradise Cove.


“There’s been so much confusion,” Kerbox told the volunteers Tuesday as they began their journey. “We need to get out on social media that supplies are going to start be unloaded in a little over an hour.”

1 / 12 Volunteers hand off bottled water to surfers headed to Malibu’s Paradise Cove to offer relief to those affected by the Woolsey fire. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 12 The yacht boat was stocked with about 3,000 bottles of water, 100 gallons of fuel, shovels, snacks, dog food — and a bunch of beer. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 12 Surfboards, kayaks, small motor boats, even stand-up paddleboards, carry supplies from the yacht to Malibu’s Paradise Cove. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 12 Volunteers deliver supplies from the Leight Star, a yacht owned by winery owner Howard Leight, to Paradise Cove to help Malibu residents affected by the Woolsey fire. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 12 Surfers and kayakers paddle from the Leight Star yacht to deliver water and other supplies to Malibu’s Paradise Cove. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 12 Volunteers bring in water and other supplies to Malibu’s Paradise Cove to help residents affected by the Woolsey fire. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 12 Volunteers deliver supplies from the Leight Star, a 143-foot yacht, to help victims of the 96,000-acre Woolsey fire who had stayed behind in Malibu. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 12 Residents and volunteers bring in supplies to Paradise Cove for those affected by the Woolsey fire in Malibu. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 12 Residents and volunteers bring in supplies to Malibu’s Paradise Cove to help those affected by the Woolsey fire. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 12 Paddleboarders are towed out from Paradise Cove in Malibu to the Leight Star yacht, owned by Malibu resident Howard Leight, to retrieve supplies. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 12 Surfboards, kayaks, small motor boats and stand-up paddleboards carry supplies from the yacht to Malibu’s Paradise Cove. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 12 A boat from the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department floats nearby as deputies try to keep people from going ashore Malibu’s Paradise Cove. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Standing behind a fully stocked wet bar, Kerbox contemplated what hashtag to use to notify people of their efforts. They agreed upon #malibuhope.

The yacht belongs to Howard Leight, a billionaire entrepreneur who owns the Malibu Rocky Oaks winery with his son. His boat is worth tens of millions of dollars. He spent Friday and Saturday fending off blazes at the winery and his other property in L.A. The fire destroyed much of his vineyard.


“All I could think about is that I didn’t want to lose my houses,” Leight said as he stood on the right side.

When he was done, he felt it was time to give back.

Kerbox estimated the boat was stocked with about 3,000 bottles of water, 100 gallons of fuel, shovels, snacks, dog food — and a bunch of beer.

Smaller boats were tied behind the yacht to help offload supplies. Among those who joined the brigade were Jerardo Bautista and his five-person landscaping crew. Since 1985, Bautista has been doing landscaping at some of Malibu’s most luxurious homes.


Bautista’s crew spent Friday going from home to home cutting back brush and putting out fires.

“I saved Anthony Hopkins’ house,” Bautista said proudly. “My whole life has been here. I’m really trying to help people with their homes.”

× As the Woolsey fire continues to burn, supplies are arriving by boat in Malibu.

When the Leight Star neared the Paradise Cove coast, surfers and kayakers paddled toward the boat. Like a bucket brigade, they moved supplies from the yacht to their boards and kayaks, braving choppy waters, before going to shore.


Three small tenders were filled with garbage bags full of dry goods as a crew in a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department boat watched to ensure volunteers deliver the supplies but not go further.

“If we’re not letting people in by land, we’re not letting them in by sea,” a deputy said.

At one point a woman boarded a kayak and made a mad dash for land. She was cut off by law enforcement authorities and forced back on the yacht.

But eventually all the supplies from the yacht made it to land. That provoked cheers and selfies as people celebrated on the yacht with beer and wine.


But Bautista was nowhere to be found. He had sneaked off the boat and was heading to help people with their homes.

benjamin.oreskes@latimes.com

Twitter: @boreskes

UPDATES:


9:15 p.m.: This article was updated with a new acreage figure.

This article was originally published at 6:20 p.m.