The Harbor Report: Dredging may be a drag

Sail straight and sail fast.

With the Fourth of July quickly approaching, harbor use appears to be at an all-time high.

Junior sailing has begun with Lido Isle and Newport Harbor Yacht Clubs having to adjust their racing areas because of the dredging. The larger dredge, Palomar, was still working at the east end of Lido and the smaller dredge, 180, was in front of the Lido Isle Yacht Club.

While watching the dredging in front of Lido Isle, the cynic in me pictured a sabot mistakenly being picked up out of the water and placed on the barge. There is no way this would ever happen, because every time the bucket lifted out of the water, the kids would immediately tack away to safety. It must be the C3 parent in me left over from last season.

The Newport Harbor Yacht Club students have moved closer toward the Pacific Coast Highway bridge, while the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club and Balboa Yacht Club kids are still unaffected by the dredging for now. The dredge should show up in front of the Harbor Patrol office and the Balboa club sometime soon.

Once all of the contaminated sediment is removed and barged up to Long Beach, the dredge will next appear in front of "M" and "N" marks, at the east end of the harbor. This will have a rather large impact on the east side Harbor users.

In the grand scoop of things, I am just glad we are dredging the Upper Bay. We all need to keep in mind that the dredging of our harbor is very similar to painting the Golden Gate Bridge. Once the dredging is completed, it will be time to start again, and if I heard Duffy Duffield correctly, the key to starting again is permitting. The Tidelands Committee has been informed of this, which means the City Council has also been informed.

Now it's up to us, the "Harbor Users" to remind our Council members that the first step in maintaining the harbor is obtaining the permits to start dredging again. The only way to receive the permits, in a timely manner, is to have a full-time employee who is dedicated in obtaining the necessary permits to maintain the harbor. This is a huge topic and cannot be coved in one column, so just keep this in mind when it's time to vote and we have the ears of our Council members.

There is also a little known secret within our harbor. Let's say your child has not taken to sailing, yet there is another option to keep them on the harbor. That secret is the Newport Aquatic Center located in the Back Bay with Kids Paddle Camp, Novice Rowing Camp and Advance Rowing Camp. There are three camps that run through the summer and appear to be the best value in town. For more information, go to newportaquaticcenter.com.

I have a couple of other observations that you should keep in mind or keep a look out for. The first is our harbor's visiting anchorage area, located on the east end of Lido in the turning basin. With the dredging going on, the anchorage has been temporally moved up to "Z" mark in front of Lido Village.

Our Harbor Commission is looking into making this the new area for visiting yachtsmen or possibly adding this as a new anchorage. If you have any comments or concerns, please contact our harbor commissioners.

Personally, I like the idea of having two guest anchorages in town, otherwise we will have to keep visiting time the same and discourage people from moving from one anchorage to the other, assuming that the clock will reset each time they pull their hook.

My last observation is the storm brewing regarding the increase of our harbor's tidelands permits. The contaminated sediments will be hitting the fan soon and I will be reporting more on this topic in upcoming columns. Now it's time to head over to Catalina for a couple of days.

Sea ya.

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

Silly Idea of the Day

6-23-12
Why don't we ask "Virgin Oceanic" to dive the North Coronado Island and look for the Engine and keel of the "Aegean"?


5-30-12
1. What if the City of Newport Beach charged a tax to everyone launching their boats at Newport Dunes?

Good or bad idea?

The Harbor Report

I keep thinking of a local band back from the early '80s called "The Daddy O's." Their hit song, "Tiki Boat Party," was based on good times we all had on The Tiki Boat, a charter boat that runs out of the Balboa Fun Zone.

The words to the song went like this: "It's a Tiki boat party, It's a Tiki boat parade, summer and the sun is out, we really got it made!"

This week, the Balboa Yacht Club held its Club Championships in the Governors Cup 21's. Two events took place on Saturday: the Masters, for members over the age of 55, and the Family Championships.

The Masters was lightly attended with only two entries. The competitors were Commodore Judi Gorski's team versus Joe Carter's team. Both entries brought in ringers to helm the boats with Commodore Gorski asking Alan Andrews to helm her boat, and Joe Carter handing the tiller to local sail maker Bob Kettenhoffen.

The result was five match races that brought everyone to their feet to see who was leading at every turn. At the end of the event, Team Gorski took home the gold. A shout out must be given to junior members Christophe and Porter Killian along with Harrison Vandervort for doing a fantastic job running the races.

Next up was Family Championships with six teams making it out to the starting line. This event is all about the photo opportunities and bringing as many generations together for one event as possible. Even if we all say this race is just for fun, the competitive spirit comes out at the start of the first race.

The trick for me is to remain calm and request that the new weather jib sheet be released and sheeted in to leeward as soon as possible. This year, Team Killian completed the five races that started at M mark and finished in front of the race tower at BYC with the winning combination.

Team Vandervort grabbed second place, followed closely by Team Wanless in third.

The main event was on Sunday. The Club Championships is what we like to call it "the race for the parking place" in front of the club. This year's race was stacked with talent, including Sailing Hall of Fame member Dave Ullman, yacht designer Alan Andrews, Peter Fallon, Christophe Killian, Eric Aakhus, Steve Kent and myself.

At the start of the first race and into the first wind shift it was apparent that team Ullman was sailing faster than the rest of the fleet, and they would take the parking place. The question was which one of us could take a race from team Ullman within this 5-race series? Team Andrews did win race No. 3 and kept team Ullman from sweeping the series, while the rest of were fighting for second place.

At the end of the day Team Andrews was tied with Team Bose for second place. After a tie-breaker, Team Andrews took second and my team finished third.

I could have not been more pleased with my result and have to thank my crew Alex Steele and especially Shannon Heausler for all their hard work.

The quote of the day came when Dave Ullman told me, "Lenny, you sailed very well out there today."

So you might be asking yourself, why did I write about one yacht club's event? The answer to your question is that this is the best format I have found that promotes sailing at its grass roots level.

It brings together as many as three generations to sail on the same boat or to compete against each other. It brings the membership together to watch and cheer on their favorite teams. I am sure I will be doing the same type of story in September for The Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club Championships sailed in Harbor 20's. If you are a BCYC member, make sure you sign up soon.

Sea ya.

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

Lower Bay Dredging Update No. 7.

This is my Lower Bay Dredging Update No. 7.

·        Please see the attached Figure No. 4.  Our first milestone:  We’ve completed the area by the Balboa Bay Club on Coast Highway, so it’s now shaded green on the figure.   The other orange areas represent where we are currently dredging, or are in the process of dredging. 

·        We’re still focusing on the Port of Long Beach material, and have been working in the channel between Lido Isle and the Peninsula for a couple weeks now. This is the lion’s share of the material, so the big dredge and larger scow have been working hard in this area.  You may have also noticed an accelerated schedule for a few days this week.  This is because RES was able to borrow (rent) a disposal scow from a contractor in Los Angeles who was idle for a few days.  This quick thinking allowed RES to more than double their production rate this week – a positive move indeed.

·        The smaller dredge is working in the anchorage area between Lido Isle and Bay Island in order to cut a wider access channel for the project.  This material can be disposed in the open ocean disposal site, so they can maximize their production due to the quick turnaround time for disposal trips.

·        I will keep everyone informed if we need the waterfront homeowners to move their boats for the one or two days that RES will be near their docks.  So far, this hasn’t been a problem, and RES has been able to work around most situations.  But, as a reminder, there could be splashing of water and mud, so it is advised that you check your boat and wash it down if necessary.

·        I anticipate we’ll be retuning the North Bay Front channel within the next two weeks to work in the yellow area on the Figure, and to touch up some of the orange area.  There will be some impact to the slip tenants at the Balboa Yacht Basin as well as to the entrance channel to Promontory Bay.  RES will work with the boaters if they need access, but we ask for your patience as you may have to stand by until there is a good opportunity to move the dredge barge.

·        Once again, many thanks to the harbor community for hanging in there during the project.  We’re making progress, and every day that passes brings us closer to the finish line.

·        As always, please be mindful of the dredge operations, and please warn your family, friends and customers (boat, kayak, SUP rentals etc…) to stay clear of the dredge and tug boat operations.

·        The information in these updates can also be viewed online at: http://www.newportbeachca.gov/lowerbaydredging  (There may be some lag time between this email and our postings.)

·        If you would like to receive these updates, please email me your contact information.

Thank you,

Chris Miller

Harbor Resources Manager

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

By Len Bose

June 14, 2012 | 7:41 p.m.

I decided to do a "walkabout" around the harbor in search of this week's story and happened to fall upon one at the Newport Harbor Shipyard. Kamalii is a 75-foot Rhodes ketch design, which was originally built for Edward Doheny in 1958 by Wilbo boat works in Wilmington.

She sailed in five races from Los Angeles to Hawaii between 1961 and 1969, and has spent the last few years behind Bay Island. She was recently sold to a buyer from New Zealand, and is having her hull and systems repaired by Richard Strizzi and Rick Brown.

The new owners plan to sail her back to New Zealand on her own bottom to complete her restoration. I have always admired the quality of work performed by Richard Strizzi in his wooden boat restorations.

One of his recent restorations was the Cathleen, a Calkins 50 that has been on the Newport Beach 20 most interesting boats list for the past two years. While talking to Richard he was concerned that most of our harbor's wooden boats have been purchased from buyers from outside of the country who no longer reside locally.

It appears that Kamalii will keep Richard's and Rick's crew busy for the next couple weeks. Make sure you stop by and check out their work; it's art in progress.

My next destination was the Orange Coast College sailing base, where I wanted to meet with the director and Harbor Commissioner Brad Avery. As a harbor commissioner, Brad has been tasked with chairing a steering committee for Harbor Visioning. This is a very difficult assignment because at the speed of local government, nothing ever appears to get accomplished, and all efforts seem to be in vain.

The other day, I walked into a Harbor Commission meeting with Brad and we touched on the subject. I immediately got the feeling that Brad was going to accomplish his task and create a tool that the Tidelands Committee and City Council will use for years to come.

You might be asking, what is Harbor Visioning? My understanding is that it's a process that will define harbor improvements for generations to come.

Commissioner Avery recently wrote a letter to the editor published in the Daily Pilot on May 24.

Brad explains the process much better than I ever can, with topics including dredging, Marina Park and services for mooring lessees. In his letter he explains that: "It's vitally important that we consider every idea. The best ideas usually come from those who use the harbor and know it well, but we need fresh input from all citizens."

Please contact our harbor commissioners and take the time to express your ideas with them. The way I see this is that harbor users just cannot lay back in their hammocks and let someone else deal with this. It's time to step up, get on watch, and pull your weight.

This weekend is the Balboa Yacht Club's Championships Regatta, which is split apart in three classes. This Saturday is the Masters for members over the age of 55 and the Family Championships. The family event is for members and their immediate families.

The two events will be sailed in front of the club, with play-by-play analysis from the race tower and finishes off the main dock with cannon fire for the winners. Start time is noon for the Masters and 3:30 p.m. for the Family. Last year's race was a huge success and everyone is welcome to watch from the dock and cheer for their favorite teams.

Sunday is the Club Championships and or "the race for the parking place."

This year's competition is the toughest it's ever been and I will have to sail well above my ability to make it to the podium. I also wanted everyone to know that my column will run every Friday again.

Sea ya!

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

Mailbag: We need the public's input on the harbor

May 24, 2012 | 9:22 p.m.

If Newport Harbor’s future is important to you, this is the time to contribute to a process that will define harbor improvements for generations to come.  Harbor Commissioner Brad Avery invites your thoughts and urges you to participate.  Read on:

When it comes to Newport Harbor, everyone agrees on two things: It's one of the finest small craft harbors in the world and it's essentially built out. The 1,200 private homes on the bay take up 85% of the waterfront. The remaining portion is occupied by commercial operations, public access areas and public institutions.

The harbor is magnificent, thanks to careful public and private stewardship over the past 100 years.

Looking ahead, the harbor will remain essentially the same beautiful place for the next 100 years, with many improvements for all users. However, this will only happen if we provide at least an equal amount of planning and funding that was contributed by citizens and City Hall over the last century.

The harbor may be built out, but it will never be finished. The elements are against us: higher water, silt, rot, corrosion, erosion. We demand cleaner water, better services and character preservation.

A comprehensive vision for the harbor exists. "Harbor and Bay Element, fourth chapter of the city's 2006 General Plan, sets forth goals and policies based on the outcomes from a four-year public process. In broad terms, the 18-page document shows the way forward for managing and improving Newport Harbor for generations to come. It is a reflection of our values, a guide for decision making and a view to our harbor's future. It was approved by voters, and it's easily found on the city's website.

The heavy lifting needed to implement the plan led to the creation of Tidelands Management Committee, formed a year ago by then-Mayor Mike Henn and council members Nancy Gardner and Ed Selich. Along with a citizens' advisory group, the committee is working toward the completion of a master infrastructure plan for the harbor, Upper Newport Bay and our beaches.

It is also coming to grips with the challenges of financing what will ultimately be a budget in excess of $100 million. Regardless of revenue issues, a solid plan is needed to fulfill the vision of the 2006 Harbor and Bay Element.

This is where you come in. Despite many public meetings on this subject, informed input is still needed. What improvements do you think the harbor needs? Below is a partial list of the infrastructure improvements being considered. Additionally, the Harbor Commission is seeking ways to retain harbor character and improve services.

Infrastructure items

•Lower bay dredging (now occurring). New higher seawall for Balboa Island. Build Marina Park and Mariner's Mile Walkway.

Harbor character/services

•Should there be a limit on the size of vessels in the harbor? Do current pier head and/or project lines need adjustment? Should Newport conduct its own on-going dredging?

•Should Lower Castaways be developed for public small boat launching? Is a water taxi service needed? How do we keep marine businesses on the waterfront? How do we improve services for mooring lessees?

It's vitally important that we consider every idea. The best ideas usually come from those who use the harbor and know it well, but we need fresh input from all citizens.

Please email any harbor commissioner with your thoughts about maintaining and improving Newport Harbor. The commission welcomes your input. Our next meeting is at 6 p.m. June 13 in the Council Chambers. The Tidelands Management Committee will review the Infrastructure Master Plan in detail at its meeting at 4 p.m. June 20 at the Oasis Senior Center.

•Duffy Duffield: duffy@duffyboats.com

•Brad Avery: brad@occsailing.com

•Duncan McIntosh: duncan@goboating.com

•Chairman Ralph Rodheim

•Karen Rhyne: rhyneharbor@aol.com

My View of the AEGEAN boat crash

I have to assume you have read The Daily Pilots reports regarding the sinking of the yacht AEGEAN.

I first noticed the boat and crew on April 26^th the night of the send off party at BCYC. I had volunteered as a gangway attendant that allowed boat owners and crews access to their boats while keeping the general public off the docks.

The crew of the AEGEAN was easily spotted with their blue shirts that read “I am on a boat” and their blue hats. The crew walked past me many times throughout the night and showed no signs of over serving themselves. Because the boat was slipped next to the gangway I was able to watch the crew step on and off their vessel many times throughout the night. With 25 years of being a yacht broker I can tell from just watching people approach a boat and how they board them if they are very experienced or not.

My observations of this crew, this was not their first rodeo, they where having fun as a team and staying under control. In fact I recall they all had returned to their boat by 9:30 PM the night of the send off party.

I am not sure what happened to this crew but if I was to guess; they had their dinner at 8:00 Pm and where just west of the boarder. The wind had died down to under 5 knots at about 11:00 and the crew of the AEGEAN probably started their engine and reduced the watch to one person while the engine and autopilot did their work.

What happened next we will never know, but if I was to continue with my conclusion the one crew member left on deck grabbed his blanket and placed his back to the forward bulkhead of the cockpit and was facing aft. He then would fall asleep, wake up take a look around and then fall asleep again. I know from experience if you allow yourself to fall into that routine you will fall into a deeper sleep each time. When I catch myself doing this, on the delivery trip home the other day, I stand up and turn on my Ipod on.

For what’s its worth, that’s what I think what happened. The crew member on watch fell asleep at the wheel and the boat ran into the North Coronado island.

Tragic yes but this happens in cars every year. Nothing can be said to the family’s for their loses other than, “from my family to yours we wish you the best and am sorry for your loss.

Sea ya

I crack myself up sometimes!

Purchased me a new vessel yesterday, "Im on a boat!". Salesman at pool supply store looked at me funny when I asked him where do I register
this vessel?

Next, You should have seen the expression on the salesman face at Big 5 when I asked " if they had any thongs that would fit me"? It took me about three minutes before I figured I needed to change my question to "Do you have any sandals, flip flops, go aheads, slippers? Andrew was tearing up he was laughing so hard.
GOOD TIMES!