By LEN BOSE
Sailing down the harbor the other day, I looked over to the Island Marine Fuel dock on Balboa Island and noticed my good friend David Beek hard at work on a rather hot summer day. The dock was too busy to sail by to say hello, so I picked up the phone the other day to ask for an interview. Before I called Beck, I noticed it had been 14 years since our last interview. Beek agreed to the interview and said he was up every morning at 3:30 a.m., so give him a call. Early for me is 7:30 a.m., so my first question was what are you doing at 3:30 in the morning? “I have a cup of coffee and take a five- to seven-mile walk, three days a week. I work out, then arrive back home around 6:30 a.m. and start my day,” he said.
Beek grew up in Newport Beach, and the fuel dock and ferry were always there as part of the family business. He spent time working on the ferry and helping his dad Seymour Beek on their yacht Vamos over the years. In 1999, he was helping his dad with the start of the Ensenada Race aboard Vamos, when Seymour asked him to start running the fuel dock.
Beek had been working in retail and jumped at the opportunity to bring his full-service ideas down onto the dock. “We want you to leave thinking there is no other choice for fuel in town,” Beek said. “There is no need for you to worry about your dock lines or fenders. We are here to help you in any way we can.”
What I really wanted to talk about is what you might not know or what you have forgotten. I asked Beek what was the best way to approach the fuel dock, and his answer was simple: “Take your time, take a look at who is in line, and how the strength of the current and wind are going to affect your vessel. Just take your time on your approach.” He was also quick to remind everyone not to let anyone use their legs or hands as fenders. “You won’t believe how many times we see people hang their legs off the side of the boat to try to stop the boat from hitting the dock and end their weekend because of an injury,” Beek shared. Another popular mistake is to come in too fast and have someone jump from the boat, barefoot and land on a cleat. Guess what? The cleat wins!
People should also remember not to smoke on the fuel dock and it’s best to turn your electronics off before you approach the dock. You should remember to have your blower on in your engine room, or have the engine room hatch open, and also inspect your engine room before you leave the dock. People just want exceptional service, good prices, well-merchandised store and the rest takes care of itself. “We are selling basic marine supplies, life jackets, running lights, dock lines, fire extinguishers, boning, the top ten skews,” Beek said.
I asked what type of hazardous materials he can dispose of for the public. Island Marine Fuel is a certified used oil collection center, so, “we can take recreational boaters’ used oil up to a gallon and note you will not get to keep your container,” Beek said.
Next, I asked about sea level rise. “We have not noticed the sea level rise in the harbor since our last talk 14 years ago,” Beek shared. “We had the perfect storm in the early 2000s when a huge storm coming in from the south with 40-50-mile-an-hour winds arrived at the same time as a king tide. That’s the only time I have seen waves coming over the sea wall on the Island; if it was not for the storm that would not have been a problem,” he said.
We talked about harbor traffic. Fourteen years ago, Beek mentioned that there had been an increase in boating traffic. This time his answer was different. “There has been a significant decrease in the last three and a half years because of the rise in fuel costs. People are coming in and putting in 100 gallons; gone are the times when people would say “fill it up.” Now add on the cost to store your boat, insurance and financing…for the most part we have seen a huge decrease in middle-class boating in our harbor,” Beck said.
Then we discussed what he has observed in terms of boating practices. “We don’t see as many perilous boaters as we once have, and this might be because of the boater’s card,” he said. “Boaters are becoming much more aware of driving under the influence. We used to see quite a bit more of them about five or six years back, but you don’t see them anymore. People are just being more aware and safer on the water,” he shared.
To change it up a bit – the Christmas Boat Parade is Beek’s baby, so I asked what was on tap.
“The 118th Christmas Boat Parade is December 18-22, and with Christmas just three days later it normally increases participation because everyone is in town for Christmas and has shifted into the Christmas spirit. We are still working on the parade theme and Grand Marshal with everything shaping up to be a memorable holiday. We just keep our fingers crossed for good weather. God seems to like the Christmas Boat Parade,” Beek said.
Beek and I plan to have lunch together at Arc Butcher & Baker on Tuesday, Aug. 27, then walk down to the 29th Street Public Pier ribbon cutting and the Harbor Department vessel christening at 2 p.m.
I will also be speaking at the Yachtsman Luncheon on Wednesday, Sept. 4 at the Newport Harbor Yacht Club with a review of the Newport Harbor Sailing Hall of Fame. Please stop by and say hello!
Sea ya.
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Len Bose is a yachting enthusiast, yacht broker and harbor columnist for Stu News Newport.
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