San Diego suspect accused of bringing one-man destruction derby to harbor aboard stolen vessel

By LEN BOSE

While sitting in the Columbia Room at the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club last Sunday night, a couple of people came up to me and asked what the final outcome was of the March 10th excitement on the harbor when someone allegedly stole a boat and rammed it into a dock and seawall.

That someone turned out to be suspect Joel Praneet Siam, 38, of San Diego. This incident wasn’t Siam’s first time he has butted heads with the authorities. Court records show he was previously charged in San Diego County for assault with a deadly weapon, stemming from an alleged August 5, 2020 skateboard attack on another man, and referred to a pretrial diversion program for people with serious mental illness.

This latest story, however, starts with Siam allegedly buying or receiving a stolen vehicle along with committing vandalism to a vehicle along Mariners’ Mile. Sources told me he was next seen walking through the parking lot at the Sea Scout Base.

He then allegedly made his way down to the docks and found a 60’ Azimut yacht that was in the shop receiving service, with the technician not onboard the vessel at the time. The tech had left the key in the ignition, my guess being that he was out shopping for parts.The suspect then allegedly boarded the vessel and figured out how to start it. After putting the boat into gear, he attempted to maneuver it out of its slip. 

Later, looking at photos after the vessel had been hauled out at one of our local shipyards, it appeared to still have an electrical cord and dock lines wrapped around the props, along with broken dock lines on the vessel’s cleats. The odds seem pretty clear that he pulled out of the slip without untying it or unplugging the electric cord.My guess is that Siam left the slip and had just completed a 360-degree turn before pushing it to full throttle and quickly impacting the docks at what I still call Ardell Marina. 

Damage done was running into and dismasting a Hunter 42 sailboat which appears to be totaled. Then, the boat was backed off the docks and again went into a circular patten just missing the same docks again. Somehow the suspect reportedly re-gained control and headed toward the Lido Isle Bridge where he reportedly hit another boat on an end tie, before then plowing headfirst into the sea wall.

A very good friend of mine was on the scene there at the time and informed me that the suspect was directly below him and not at the helm when running into the seawall. “I was screaming and cursing at him with every word that I know. It was obvious that he was not hearing a word.”What must have seemed like an eternity for my friend, who also had a boat berthed there, the Sheriff’s patrol finally arrived and quickly apprehended Siam. Reports indicate that he was lying down in the flybridge where the Sheriffs eventually cuffed him. 

He was taken to the Orange County Sheriff’s Harbor Patrol office and subsequently transferred to the Newport Beach Police and booked on a $3 million bond.Overall damage is estimated to be $3 million; with the Azimut 60 value being in the ballpark of $1.5 million and is reported as “all messed up.”The damage done to the docks on Lido is estimated at $50,000 and with eight slips at the Ardell Marina, that has to be pushing close to another $1 million in repairs. You’d still have to add up all the damage to the other boats in that marina, bringing the rough estimate to $3 million really quick.

Siam was charged with eight counts of vandalism and single counts each of grand theft, buying or receiving a stolen vehicle and battery with serious bodily injury, all felonies. He was also charged with one misdemeanor count of vandalism and faces a sentencing enhancement for inflicting great bodily injury on a victim. Siam previously faced up to four years in state prison for the charges filed back in 2020.

Siam’s jail records show his occupation to be a CEO of a San Diego-based company. I was not able to confirm whether or not he was able to pay the $3 million bond and further updates have been unavailable to me at this time.

Sea ya.

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Len Bose is a yachting enthusiast, yacht broker and harbor columnist for Stu News Newport.

It’s time to gather, one and all, for a Harbor Summit to get everyone on the same page

By LEN BOSE

The older I get the more interest I have in hydrodynamics, the motion of fluids. Possibly too much information for you, and yes, from a distance I might appear to be moving slowly but I am always optimizing my propulsion efficiency.

To optimize efficiency within our harbor we might start with the flow of communication between harbor users. To complete this task, we must recognize when the harbor is at its seasonal and daily peaks by the different users. Enter Harbor Commissioner Steve Scully and Harbormaster Paul Blank who along with staff will be targeting early to mid-May to schedule a Harbor Summit. 

A Harbor Summit is a meeting with as many harbor users attending as possible. Such as the City of Newport Beach, yacht clubs, rowing and paddling clubs, angling clubs, boat & paddle rentals, charter boats and harbor cruise ships. 

Items on the agenda might range from event scheduling, communications, how to avoid one another on the water, and where the dreading equipment might be staged or working.

Speaking of dredging equipment, October 1 is the target date for the staging and starting of the dredging equipment in the Lower Bay. I am super pumped about it starting, with some other stakeholders who are still looking for ways of disposing or containing unsuitable materials in the harbor. 

While talking with people around town, I’ve heard that Five Point Anchor will be closed down during the dredging. This will open up the Five Points area of the harbor with a net gain of space, even with the dredging equipment working there.

If I heard correctly, the CAD (Confined Aquatic Disposal) will take about two-and-a-half months to open up. Should you want more information on the CAD, along with information on the Lower Bay Dredging, visit my blog here.

Not all the permits are in place yet and until the agreement with a dredging company is completed, we will not know the timing of everything.

• • •

On March 21 at 5 p.m., a special Harbor Commission meeting discussing Onshore Mooring Rates will take place at Marina Park, in the second-floor meeting rooms. Everyone that has or is considering obtaining an onshore mooring permit should attend. 

The difficult part of this meeting will be to keep from rehashing what has already been said at the last two Harbor Commission meetings. I wrote a story in January about this topic and you can find it here. 

Ideally, the conversation will focus on what an acceptable rate is and how to scale the rate for the future.

• • •

Charlie Albright Outstanding Angler 2021

This is when I annually fall through the open hatch and embarrass myself, while writing about fishing. Yet, I think it’s important to recognize the recipients of the Balboa Angling Club’s Annual Awards. Their banquet was held February 24.

Here is the list of perpetual trophies: 

–The Larry Barrett Memorial Award for the First Tag/Release Marlin of the Year was presented to Sally Kurz for her July 17 catch. 

–Kurz also received the Beth Simmington Award for the first Marlin brought in by a woman. 

–The Western Outdoor News Award for the most tagged/released Marlin went to Kathy Ecklund. 

–The J.A. Beek Award was presented for the first Tuna of the Season pulled in by Alyssa Tupman on May 14. 

–Dave Edmondson was recognized with the J.B. McNally Memorial Award for doing the most for conservation. 

–The Balboa Peninsula Point Association Award went to Mike Parks for reeling in the Last Marlin of the Season on September 26. 

–Finally, the big pickle dish went to Charlie Albright who received the Outstanding Angler Award of 2021.

• • •

I keep telling myself I have hung up my sea boots and have retired from offshore sailing, which means I have not received a phone call inviting me onboard. 

The San Diego Yacht Club’s Puerto Vallarta Race starts this week with the weather forecast rather promising. Newport Beach has one boat entered which is John Raymont’s Ker 51, Fast Exit II, with local sailors Alan Andrews, Randy Moreno, Tyler Wolk and Navigator Brad Wheeler. 

Wheeler is a good friend and I wish him the best. Fast Exit II has spent all of the off-season out of the water and has completed an extensive refit. The boat they will have to beat is the Santa Cruz 70 Pied Piper in their division. However, the forecast might be a little light for Fast Exit. 

Another entry is Cecil Rossi’s Farr 57 Ho’okolohe, with local sailors Tom Corkett and Duffy Duffield. They should do well with this team entering their second season together. 

Wish them luck!

Sea ya.

On the Harbor: Mooring rental rates topic of Harbor Commission meeting

By LEN BOSE

On Wednesday, Jan. 12, the Harbor Commission met in the City Council chambers with 50 people in attendance. Most, if not all, were there for discussion on New Business Item 2 – “Review of Appraisal and Discussion of Rental Rates for On-Shore Mooring Permits.”

Harbor Commission Chairman Skip Kenny introduced the topic saying, “This is why we are all here tonight, with the understanding that there will only be a discussion on the recently presented shore moorings appraisal. No action will be taken on this matter until the Harbor Commission meeting in February to either make a recommendation or not to make a recommendation to City Council. As you all know, the City Council makes all the final decisions.” 

According to the previously instituted Beacon Bay Act, whereby the city is required to keep a fair market rate on the tidelands, Scott Karlin, a board member of the Newport Mooring Association, attempted to make the point that the act only pertains to Beacon Bay and not the whole harbor. 

Most of the questions the public asked pertained to where the additional revenues would go and if there are any benefits to the people paying the fees?

Also brought up was the difficulty in using the shore moorings. A shore mooring is positioned in shallow water at the end of a street and capable of tethering a maximum boat length of 18 feet. 

If you think about how many passengers potentially fit on an 18 ft. boat and ask the question, how do they enter the boat when confronted with the shallow water before them? 

There is also no power, water or accessible bathroom available and boaters must find elsewhere to clean or work on their boat. These limitations do not allow for an electric-type boat. 

Another problem mooring holders are faced with is the lack of street parking. 

Commissioner Beer questioned City Deputy Attorney Jeremy Jung on whether Karlin was correct with his understanding of the above-mentioned Beacon Bay Act. The city deputy attorney disagreed, stating that there are other examples that the city is responsible for to keep the mooring at fair market value.

Commissioner Scott Cunningham encouraged the group to continue to work towards a consensus on what is a fair market price. How would the shore mooring permit holders and the Harbor Commission come to a consensus on what is fair? It is likely that the next step will be another appraisal. 

In my opinion, the Netzer & Associates appraisal of $20 per foot is not out of the ballpark; today’s rate is $1.60 per foot. There has to be some middle ground that is fair for everyone with the goal being a roadmap to arrive at where the harbor wants to be in 25 years.

There are 478 onshore moorings which were originally placed in the harbor for access to offshore moorings. Today, it is estimated that 71 people have both offshore mooring and onshore mooring permits. For the 407 people using the shore moorings as storage, still, at one dollar a day that’s a pretty good deal. 

Another issue is how shore moorings transfer ownership, as many of the permits have been in one family for more than 60 years. With boat storage becoming more in demand I have always been a believer in “use it or lose it.”

One of my all-time favorite people in town is Jim Dastur, who came up with the concept of the city buying back the shore moorings. I was not able to take notes fast enough to report the whole concept. But, after grasping the idea, it makes sense that the city makes the permit holders whole, then rents back to them the same space and when the renter no longer requires the mooring, it’s passed on to the next person in line on the waiting list. In the long game, this is the best play for the harbor. 

I interviewed Dastur back in 2016. You can find my interview here. 

Not sure who has the ball at this point. Is it the shore mooring permit holders or the Harbor Commission? If I was a permit holder, I would counter the $20 per foot with an $8 per foot increase over the next five years, working towards a 25-year transition moving the shore mooring to a fair market rate.

If you have a shore mooring, I would strongly suggest you attend the next Harbor Commission meeting on February 9 at 5 p.m. in council chambers.

Sea ya.

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Len Bose is a yachting enthusiast, yacht broker and harbor columnist for Stu News Newport.