The Harbor Report: Support your local fishermen "Unedited"

While returning into harbor this last weekend I noticed one of our local fisherman and thought it would make for a good story. With this in mind, I called one of my old school friends Tom Pearson of Pearson Port located at 100 E. Coast Highway phone (949) 675-6771. Tom and I really did go to school together in Huntington Beach while Tom’s father Roy opened up Pearson Port in 1971. Pearson’s Port, in my opinion, is our harbors best fish market and holds the spirit of a true American family business going on its third generation.

 

I do not know of anyone else who has spent more time on the water then Tom Pearson. If my simple calculations are correct he has spent 10,500 days on the water over the last 40 years. When I asked how many local fisherman we have in the harbor he replied “There are about 20 of us, the commercial industry is a close niche family. We have the occasional “Buoy Fisherman”, which is slang for noob, that needs to reminded of the rules from time to time. But you would be surprised on how close we all are”. I never noticed many local commercial fisherman at the yacht club bar, so I was wondering if this group ever gathered anywhere in town? “Most of the time we are on the water 5 days a week from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM and we still need to make time to maintain our equipment and boats. So, I’d have to say our meeting place is on the fishing grounds” When I asked Tom what VHF radio channel he and the local fisherman used, our signal kind of broke up and I really did not get a clear answer. “Most of the time I have the stereo on and don’t talk to anyone else. I will let my buddies know, in the day boats, if I see any whales or dolphins. As a whole we all try to help each other out”.

Aboard his boat  “Harvest” a 26’ Radon he fishes for Lobster, Crab, Shrimp and whatever else his reels can catch. He has 250 traps and this year he was very lucky only losing about 15 traps. “ I was very fortunate this year, I lost about 30 pieces and recovered about 15 them by diving for them, or they wash up on the beach and the Lifeguards would return them, other boaters will bring them by the harbor department or even bring them by the market” explained Tom. Each piece is worth about $100.00 and he still recalls the storms of 1983 when he lost all of his gear. I then asked him what is the strangest thing you ever caught? “ I have brought up some pretty strange stuff but the “Wolf eels” are still at the top of my list” Next I asked him if he had superstitions like if he had a good day does he wear the same clothes the next day? “ No, he replied. I just say a short prayer before the start of everyday. What type of weather keeps you from fishing? “The wind and swell, I am to old to snorkel anymore. (Which means the waves are coming over the pilothouse and he needs a mask and snorkel just to work on deck) If the wind reaches about 30 Knots and the swell is steep I just do not have to do that any longer. Is it a good life I asked? Yes! It’s a good life and its still exciting. Tom replied. How does the future look? “Funny you should ask that Len, we have a major obstacle in front of us now with the Marine Life Protection Act or (MLPA) with the South Coast region going into effect on January 1^st 2012. This law is really going to bunch us up and put a lot of us out of business.” This is not really fresh news but if you forgot about this subject make sure you check out  www.dfg.ca.gov/mlpa/ before January 1^st 2012.

Persons Port is old Newport, its like going to Basin Shipyard and meeting the New family, going to Island Marine fuel and meeting the Beeks or the Hills at their fuel dock. Be a good American and check out Pearson’s Port, meet the Pearson Family, tell your friends about it and support our local fisherman.

Sea ya

The Harbor Report: Support your local fishermen

(Please read unedited story, Tom is not to old to snorkel!!!)

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By Len Bose

November 29, 2011 | 8:38 p.m.

While returning to the harbor over the weekend, I spotted a local fisherman and got an idea for a good story. With this in mind, I called one of my old school friends, Tom Pearson of Pearson's Port, at 100 E. Coast Hwy.

Tom and I went to school together in Huntington Beach while Tom's father Roy was opening Pearson's Port in 1971. Pearson's Port, in my opinion, is our harbor's best fish market. Going on its third generation, the market holds the spirit of a true American family business.

I do not know of anyone else who has spent more time on the water than Tom Pearson. If my simple calculations are correct, he has spent 10,500 days on the water over the past 40 years.

When I asked how many local fishermen we have in the harbor, he replied, "There are about 20 of us. The commercial industry is a close-knit family. We have the occasional 'buoy fisherman,' which is slang for noob, that needs to be reminded of the rules from time to time. But you would be surprised on how close we all are."

I never noticed many local commercial fishermen at the yacht club bar. I asked him if this group ever gathered anywhere in town.

"Most of the time we are on the water five days a week, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., and we still need to make time to maintain our equipment and boats," Tom said. "So, I'd have to say our meeting place is on the fishing grounds."

When I asked Tom which VHF radio channel he and the local fishermen used, our signal broke up and I did not get a clear answer.

"Most of the time I have the stereo on and don't talk to anyone else," he replied. "I will let my buddies know, in the day boats, if I see any whales or dolphins. As a whole we all try to help each other out."

Aboard his boat, the Harvest, a 26-foot Radon, he fishes for lobster, crab, shrimp and whatever else his reels can catch. He has 250 traps, and this year he was very lucky to lose only about 15 traps. Each piece is worth about $100.

He still recalls the storms of 1983 when he lost all his gear.

I then asked him what was the strangest thing he ever caught.

"I have brought up some pretty strange stuff, but the 'wolf eels' are still at the top of my list," he said.

I asked him: Is it a good life?

Yes, it's a good life and it's still exciting, he replied. But, he added, he's now too old to snorkel.

I also asked him about how the future looked.

"Funny you should ask that, Len," he replied. "We have a major obstacle in front of us now with the Marine Life Protection Act, or MLPA, with the South Coast region going into effect on Jan. 1 , 2012. This law is really going to bunch us up and put a lot of us out of business."

Pearson's Port is old Newport. It's like going to Basin Shipyard and meeting the New family, going to Island Marine fuel and meeting the Beeks or the Hills at their fuel dock.

Be a good American and check out Pearson's Port. Meet the Pearson family, tell your friends about it and support our local fishermen.

Sea ya!

LEN BOSE is an experienced boater, yacht broker and boating columnist.

2011 NEWPORT BEACH's 20 Most Interesting "sneak peek"

I never know how my story will be published once they have reached the editors desk at The Daily Pilot. I submitted this years story last  Sunday and after 12 hours of work you never know if you will make the cut?( Story was placed on hold to further notice and then they told me "have a good Thanksgiving"

I can't stand it any longer here is a peek!

“??????????” 40’ Friendship designed by Ted Fontaine. She will leave you speechless has she glides down Newport Harbor most weekends with the whole family aboard. Truly one of Newport gems! She is berthed on south side of Lido and kept under a full cover. 

  

“?????????” 22’ Custom Duffy Electric Boat. She was customized by Newport Shipyard with a hard top, teak trim, satellite TV, underwater lighting, heater, windless, wine cooler, head and one very large horn. She can be seen every Thursday afternoon on a harbor cruise and is berthed at the Balboa Bay Club.

The Story should be out on Friday!

Rhine Update - Week 16

Hi Everyone,

I thought I would end my weekly updates with a final list of Interesting Facts about the project.  To me, they truly represent the collaborative and teamwork approach from everyone involved to ensure things went as smoothly as possible. 

But, before I do that, I would like to thank a few people who helped make this project a success.  They are (in no particular order):

1.     The entire team at Anchor QEA, including Steve Cappellino, Michael Whelan and Rob Walker.  Rob did a remarkable job keeping the ship afloat managing the day to day operations in the field. Well done!

2.     The entire team at Dutra Dredging, including Steve Hutchison, Andrew Hunt and Scott McIvor.  Their efficiency, professionalism, and public awareness were noticed by all, therefore positively affecting the overall outcome of the project.

3.     Jesse Salem and Bruce Inlow at Bellport / Newport Harbor Shipyard were instrumental because of the large number of vessels that are under their control.  In total, they relocated 143 boats in an orchestrated ballet each and every week.

4.     Lastly, and most importantly, the individual Rhine Channel property owners who took ownership of the project through every stage.  Without everyone’s help, understanding and patience, this project would not have been successful.  Thank you!

Now, on to the final list of Interesting Facts:

1.     The attached figures (preliminary draft) show the exact depths to which the Rhine was dug through the use of colors.  You’ll notice about 5 areas that are much deeper than the surrounding areas.  This is where we had to “re-dredge” in order to chase the contaminants deeper than expected.  The figures create quite a mosaic so that we can now see the exact depths of the channel.

2.     Approximately 250 boats were relocated throughout the project, including 143 from Bellport alone.

3.     123 piles were removed and replaced.

4.     90,000 cubic yards of sediment was delivered to the Port of Long Beach.

5.     The tug made 105 round trips to the POLB.

6.     The tug traversed through the harbor at least 400 times if you consider the hauling of full/empty scows back and forth to their mooring areas, along with the other ancillary equipment moves.

7.     There were no accidents on the project.

8.     Approximately 98,000 gallons of fuel was used on the project, with the bulk of that for the tug boats.

9.     3 Permits were required (Coastal Commission, Army Corps and the Water Board).

10.  The Mitigated Negative Declaration took about 9 months to complete from start to finish.

11.  About 25 legal agreements had to be executed between the City and the private property owners along the Rhine.

12.  Approximately 200 water quality samples were taken throughout the project.

13.  Approximately 200 sediment “grab” samples were taken, and about 75 sediment cores were collected to analyze post-dredge contaminants.

14.  For the first 3 weeks of the project, there was daily contact with at least 5 different harbor user groups to coordinate the major end-of-summer sailing regattas, including the Sabot Nationals.

15.  A brief history of the project’s evolution:

A.     Studies first started in 2002-2003 by Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (SCCWRP) and Coastkeeper who found sediment toxicity and elevated metals, pesticides and PCBs in the Rhine.

B.     In 2005, SCCWRP, Coastkeeper, Anchor QEA and the City teamed up to write a water quality grant request for money to conduct a feasibility study to find a solution for the sediments.

C.    Between 2006 and 2009, the City looked at several options for contaminated sediment management including the use of an upland landfill or a Confined Aquatic Disposal site, but both were too expensive.

D.    In late 2010, an option at the Port of Long Beach for disposal was finalized, and the City started preparing the necessary engineering and permitting studies.

E.     Dredging began in August 2011 and ended in November 2011.

This concludes my regular updates.  Once again, thank you for your patience and cooperation! 

And now, just think, when we start dredging the Lower Bay in the next couple months, the Rhine folks won’t be impacted – what a relief!!

Thank you, 

Chris Miller

Harbor Resources Manager

( (949) 644-3043  * cmiller@newportbeachca.gov

This is my weekly summary of events for the Rhine Project for November 7 – 11.

This is my weekly summary of events for the Rhine Project for November 7 – 11.

·        Please see the attached figure. As you can see, this figure is now 100% finalized!   All dredging is complete, all piles have been installed and all of the docks are available for vessels to return to their slips.

·        This week, Dutra installed the last 4 piles along the docks in the Rhine.  With all the practice they’ve had, this last bit went smoothly and efficiently.

·        Dutra also made their last trip up to the Rhine Wharf to unload the crane barge of the random debris, piles and miscellaneous equipment used during the project.

·        All of the miscellaneous dock work has been completed with the exception of a few pile caps at the American Legion marina.

·        The barges and disposal scows are moored at the east end of the “H” Mooring Field until they are demobilized in the next few days.  The excavator barge, however, will remain in the harbor until the Lower Bay dredging project begins in January.

·        All of Dutra’s crews have demobilized to other projects along the West Coast.

·        Interesting fact No. 15:  The crane barge will be demobilized on Saturday and towed up to another project in Washington. To do this, a fairly large tug boat needs to tow the 210’ barge.  A rough, ballpark estimate is that the tug will consume approximately 17,000 gallons of fuel over the six day trip to Washington!!!  That’s a huge number especially when multiplied by an estimated $4 per gallon cost!!

Next week, I’ll be sending out my final Rhine update that will include a list of statistics about the project that I think you may enjoy. 

Have a great weekend…and thank you.

Chris Miller

Harbor Resources Manager

( (949) 644-3043  * cmiller@newportbeachca.gov

NEWPORT BEACH 2012 BENETEAU OCEANIS 37.

ATTENTION all Newport Beach sailboat buyers. One way to obtain the best value from a boat purchase is to locate the least expensive slip rent and maximize that cost. Right now in Newport Beach 35’ slips have reached a new low. In other words 35’ slips have the smallest demand in our harbor right now. 

Most marinas will allow you to extend 3’ past the slip length! The BENETEAU OCEANIS 37 LOA is 37’8” while her draft is only 4’7” which will allow you more of a choice of slips in our shallow harbor. This could equate to a saving of over $2,000 per year if you where in that 40’ slip.

Now take a look at the NEW 2012 BENETEAU OCEANIS 37. She has the same size cockpit as most 40’ footers. She is easy to handle with a short crew- full crew, or simply easing her into that smaller slip, the 37 is a joy to maneuver. Fast, sleek, yet so functional- this sweetly- sized yacht answers the demands and challenges of all kinds of sailors. Those that seek speed and adventure-to ones who simply enjoy the fun and relaxation with friends and family, this NEW “MADE IN THE USA!” Beneteau has what you’re looking for. 

Video of 2012 37' Beneteau


PLEASE contact LEN BOSE (714) 916-0200 for a showing today.

The Harbor Report: Interesting sailors in our midst

Jack Cannon, 87, started racing Cal 20s in Newport Beach in 1962, and over the last 50 years, he has consistently remained active. (Contributed / November 8, 2011)

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By Len Bose

November 8, 2011 | 7:13 p.m

At the end of this month, I will be announcing Newport Harbor's 20 most interesting boats.

While I was gathering information for this year's story I thought it would be fun to do a story on the harbor's two most interesting sailors this year.

Limiting this list to two people was not easy, but the more I thought about it, the easier it became. The two sailors who grabbed my attention this year are Jack Cannon and Christian Rosene.

Jack, 87, started racing Cal 20s in Newport Beach in 1962, and over the last 50 years, he has consistently remained active.

"One of my fondest memories was winning the Cal 20 Fleet Championships back on the '60s" Jack said.

After the Cals, Jack went on to sail in the Thistles, Etchells fleets and now is racing in the Harbor 20 and radio controlled sailing fleets. "I've always enjoyed staying active in our harbor's one-design fleets," he said.

When asked who his toughest competitor was, he replied, "I remember some great races against Ben Vaughn Klein Schmidt in the Cal 20 days."

His favorite part of the game is "the tactics, and I have always enjoyed the one-design battle where everyone is on an equal playing field."

When asked what has been the biggest change over the years, he replied, "In the '60s and '70s, there was a lot more activity. We used to have 10 different fleets starting almost every weekend."

Jack pointed out that his wife, Yvonne, was supportive.

"My fondest times sailing has been with my wife when she crewed for me," he said.

Jack's advice to a beginning sailor: "Be persistent and do not give up, because that's how you will find complete enjoyment in sailing."

I do not see Jack giving up his tiller anytime soon.

One cannot help but notice Christian's enthusiasm for sailing. This summer I have seen him in his Sabot, FJs, his father's Farr 30 and his grandfather's Farr 40.

Christian's love for sailing has been handed down through two generations. His grandfather Dennis Rosene has been racing in Newport Harbor for as long as I have. His father, Mark, has been very active over the last 10 years, racing on his father's boats and racing his own Farr 30.

"I have been on a boat since I was a little kid," Christian said.

This made me smile because he is only 10 years old.

He said his biggest achievements were when he "went from Sabots C2s to C1s in two days…"

He doesn't have a favorite event of the year.

His favorite moment on a boat "was this last weekend on Dan Rossen's B32, Problem Child. I have never surfed a boat before. That was a lot of fun. I want to do that again!"

His sailing mentors are Christophe Killian, Harrison Vandervort and Jack Martin.

"They are all really good people and have helped me a lot," Christian said.

By this time, I am starting to wonder how a 10-year-old has these types of answers.

So I thought I would throw him a curveball. He hit it out of the park.

When asked where he sees himself in 10 years, he said, "Well, I would like to win the Governor's Cup and attend either [UC Santa Barbara], Stanford, Yale or Boston College. After I have completed school, I plan on being a professional sailor."

LEN BOSE is an experienced boater, yacht broker and boating columnist.

Rhine update for October 31 – November 4:

Hi Everyone,

Here is my weekly Rhine update for October 31 – November 4:

·        Please see the attached figure.  You’ll notice (finally!) that the channel is all blue which means that dredging is now 100% complete!  Quite a milestone, and a big sign that the project is nearly finished.

·        This week, Dutra finished their re-dredge areas in Phase III.  We had to go down a couple extra feet to ensure that we were at a nice, clean, sandy surface. It is truly amazing to see the surveys and to note how level the bottom is – a testament to the skills of the excavator operator indeed.

·        Also this week, the crane barge completed their installation of 26 piles at the American Legion.  This work went relatively smoothly, and the barge has moved off site back to the Rhine. There’s just some minor dock work to be patched up, and that should be done very soon.

·        The last part of the project will be to install 4 remaining piles along the Lido Peninsula side of the Rhine Channel.  Dutra is positioned to take care of this very soon.

·        Next week, Dutra will make one final trip up to the Rhine Wharf to unload the few remaining pile, the random debris from the project, the pile driving hammer, and the portable restrooms.

·        There’s still some remaining dock work that will take a few more days to complete, and we hope to have that wrapped up next week.  

·        Interesting fact No. 14:  The large grate on the top of the disposal scow is used to sift the debris that is picked up by the excavator.  Many interesting artifacts have been found including old bottles, random scrap metal, old anchors…and even an airplane tire (no kidding!)

Once again, thank you for your continued patience.  The Rhine will soon be back in order with the navigation channels free and clear.

Chris Miller

Harbor Resources Manager

( (949) 644-3043  * cmiller@newportbeachca.gov