For Sale 2012 18' Duffy Snug Harbor Newport Beach

             SOLD      $ 28,000        Feb-9-13


Like New 2012 18' Snug Harbor ASKING ONLY $30,500 Replacement Cost $ 38,000!

Only driven to Chuch 4 times, this is a like new boat in great condition. Yes, she has the Power Rudder!

OPTIONAL EQUIPMENT
Refrigerator 

Remote Controlled Spotlight

Sirus Satellite Stero

Custom Carpet

Forward Backrest Package

http://youtu.be/zaR0Cj7rYx0

The Harbor Report: Catching up with the klatch

NHYC View

By Len Bose

January 17, 2013 | 9:45 a.m.

Over the years, I have watched harbor users take their boats out for weekly Thursday afternoon cruises, gather for lunch, or just meet for coffee every day. Back in the '80s, I always wanted to join the guys on the Chris Craft 41 "Wild Turkey"; in the '90s, it was the Columbia 36 "La Dolce Vita"; and in the early '00s I watched the Hinckley 40 "Black Irish" sail by every Thursday afternoon. As time has passed, these groups have changed or sailed into the sunset.

So rather than just watch and wave, I thought I would stop by and sit down with one of the longest-lasting social gatherings on our harbor, the coffee klatch at the Newport Harbor Yacht Club. This group of harbor users has been around for more than 30 years, meeting from 7:30 to 9 a.m. every day of the week.

I headed down to the NHYC on a recent cold and windy weekday morning and timidly approached the group. They were sitting around a table, next to the fire, with a big thermos of coffee between them. They warmly greeted me and invited me to join them for a cup. I grabbed a cup and placed it at the wrong end of the thermos, then pressed down on the dispenser and sprayed coffee all over the table.

After my memorable introduction of myself, we settled down and the group agreed to answer a few of my questions. Of course, most of the group's conversation is harbor-related, and depending on who is attending on any particular day, the subject matter will vary from recent vacations to the increase of the tidelands permits. The weekend seems to bring the most members in, and the klatch has reached as many as 12 people attending at one time. One member explained, "It's a place and time to share thoughts and continue friendships."

While looking from the NHYC bar out onto the harbor, I asked if anyone recalled any one particular moment. "About 20 years ago, we heard this terrible racket approaching and look up to see a 737 with one of its engines on fire," a member said. "A bird had flown into the engine on takeoff. I am not sure why we all rushed outside to look at the plane, but it circled back around and landed safely."

It wasn't able to get much information from the group regarding blunders at the dock or mishaps in the harbor, not because I had just spilled hot coffee on all of them, but because old salts hold to the tradition of "what is said onboard stays onboard."

The key I learned here is to take part in the traditions of the harbor and pass them along to your kids and grandchildren. I am glad I took the time to stop by. Look for your club's past traditions or just start your own. It's a great way to use the harbor.

Speaking of traditions, I will be attending the Race Education Seminar held at Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club from 8:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 27. This seminar will review the new rules of sailing for 2013-2016. Local Harbor 20 sailor Peter Haynes will be the instructor. I think this is the fifth year or more that Peter has done this. I've put a lot of time and money into my boat and don't want to lose a race because the rules have changed. The seminar is open to everyone; for details, contact Peter at peter.haynes@3ds.com.

Sea ya.

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

Harbor Report: It's time to feel good about the harbor

By Len Bose

January 10, 2013 | 10:05 p.m.

I am sure there are many harbor users who are still rather bunched up about the recent tidelands permit increases. So let me take a few minutes to shed some light on your eelgrass and explain your options on dredging your slips. You might just come away feeling a little better how your money in the tidelands fund is being spent.

Last year, the Regional General Permit 54, which allows residents to dredge, was allowed to expire. This kept residents from being able to dredge their slips for more than a year.

As of Jan. 1, an RGP is in place until March 2014. This will allow our local property owners to proceed with dredging their slips this year. I should back up a little and explain that this year's RGP 54 cost the city $500,000. About $400,000 of that cost is spent on sediment testing, and $100,000 is for the permit itself. It is my understanding that for a property owner to obtain a permit, it will cost $1,640 to the city and $77 to the California Regional Water Quality Control Board. The permit will take two months to obtain, and you will need to pay for the proper person to come by and document that you do not have eelgrass within 15 feet of your dredging project.

If you do have eelgrass, than that opens a whole other problem, which can lead you to abandon your project. Please keep reading — there is light at the end of this tunnel. This RGP that is in place now will allow you to dredge 7 feet into the lower, low tide and you cannot make any changes to your dock at this time. Your best-case scenario is to have neighbors go in with you and split the cost. One of the reasons to proceed this year is that the city could raise its permit cost in the future.

Now here is our light at the end of the tunnel: Our harbor commissioners and harbor resource manager have gone the extra mile and gathered the proper information to make a presentation/recommendation to our City Council at the Jan. 22 study session that will allow negotiations to start with all the different agencies for a new and improved RGP taking effect in April 2014. During this week's Harbor Commission meeting, it appeared that the commission's subcommittee, led by Chairman Doug West, had talked to all the right players from the different agencies and met with the Anchorage consulting company, Mike Josselyn of WRA Environmental Consultants, dredging company owner Mark Sites, and Lisa Miller-Strunk of Shellmaker Incorporated. Past Harbor Commissioner John Corrough was also in attendance.

From my simple harbor observations over the years, this was the best lineup I have ever witnessed to achieve a goal. The proposed change of terms to the RGP will be to dredge more sediment per permit, increase the depth from 7 to 10 feet, reconfigure existing docks to meet modern standards and — the clincher — address the impacts through a bay-wide eelgrass program. If I heard Josselyn and West correctly, it seems possible that we can get past the eelgrass problem by just seeding more grass throughout the harbor and thereby making eelgrass our friend, rather than an opponent of achieving our goal of dredging our slips. As a city, we still need to grab that ring; the exciting part is we can see the ring approaching fast and have a dream team set up to grab it.

In fact, I overheard the Anchorage consultants comment on the Harbor Commission after the study session say, "They really did their homework!" That type of comment really makes me smile and feel good about how our tideland money should be spent. I am going to try to post the audio of this study session on my blog site at lenboseyachts.blogspot.com. If you are going to dredge your slip sometime soon, I highly recommend you take a listen.

I would like to give a big shout-out to City Councilwoman Leslie Daigle. She reached out to me, after reading my last column, in trying to understand the tidelands fund account. We met in person and she spent more than an hour explaining the fund to me. She also really wanted my take on harbor issues and what people are saying. So keep coming up to me and asking your questions. I have never felt so good about the harbor and am very excited about the upcoming year.

Sea ya.

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

This is a recording of the Harbor Commission meeting dated 1-09-13 regarding RGP 54 and Eelgrass and will coincide with my column tomorrow. If you plan on dredging your slip sometime soon you should take an hour and listen.
https://www.box.com/s/6783hunbjbbp10pbh7ve

The Harbor Column: Harbor haps I don't understand

I do enjoy writing this harbor column each week mostly because of the recognition around town. My editor at The Daily Pilot, Michael Miller, is extremely patient with me and really forms my random thoughts into a story you can understand. This time I need your help in understanding whats been going on around the harbor and even more patients from my editor? 

Last week I read a story in The Daily Pilot written by Jill Cowen “Newport ponders Harbor Commission”. Now I did not have any problem understanding Jill’s well written story, what I did have a problem understanding is why do the city council members want to attend another 2-3 hour meeting each month rather than trust the opinion and recommendations of their appointed commissioner? Councilwoman Nancy Gardner was quoted “Our experience with the Tidelands Management Committee was that it was very effective” Members of the Harbor Commission on the other hand, had "seemed frustrated that things they were doing didn't seem to get through”. From my observations over the last few years, councilwoman Gardner being one of the few exceptions, while talking with past Harbor Commissioners was that there was no line of communications between council members and commissioners. In fact, I recall one commissioner telling me that their assigned council member told them that they were not needed. From what I can see Harbor Commissioner’s are needed, they are boaters, harbor users and marine business owners that have gained a tremendous amount of knowledge by observing the harbor and watching how it best works. They are members of yacht, fishing and rowing clubs and are easily approachable.  They get it and they care about the harbor. In my mind, our Harbor  Commissioners are a racing sailboats tactician, while our council members have their hand on the helm and makes the final decisions the best helmsman always listen closely to their tactician. I am sure that most of you tacticians out there can understand the frustration of the Harbor Commissioner when the person at the helm is not listening?

This next issue I am really going to need some help in understanding and thats our city’s tidelands accounting system? I called a good friend and emailed another columnist from The Daily Pilot with the hopes of understanding the accounting system. Neither of them returned my call and they must have rubbed their face and laughed at my request.  Have to wonder if they would have called me back if I would have asked about Einstein theory of relativity? I also had a chance to talk to a resident who is known as the go to person for following the money trail. Unfortunately I only had about an hour and a half with this person over lunch and I could not keep up. After my meeting was completed, I came away with that there was plenty of money coming in for the tidelands but a very small percentage being spent on the harbor? I read Council member Leslie Daigle Commentary in the Pilot dated 12-20-12 “Why I voted alone against the dock tax”  followed by Council members Mike Henn commentary dated 12-26-12 “Arguments against dock fees not sound”. Now this is were I am going to need some help understanding, because at my house my wife and I both know when we can go on vacation or stay home and replace the washer and dryer. Is there not an easier way for us harbor users to see how much tideland revenues come in and what goes out? Are there other Harbor City’s that manage their tidelands funds differently than us? I’d love to here from you, I am easy to reach just send your emails to boseyachts@mac.com and follow my blog site at http://lenboseyachts.blogspot.com. SEA YA