On the Harbor: Boating, a treasured family business, passes down to the next generation

 

(L-R) Mike Howarth with his son, Barrett

By LEN BOSE

While working the harbor as a yacht broker, I am constantly on the water, walking through shipyards, launching boats, referring insurance agents and maintenance teams, because “It’s what I do.”

Each day we watch the tide come in then go out and over time we notice a change within and around the harbor. Some of the change is not substantial, yet just shifts in the wind. For example, while walking up the gangway from my slip in the Newport Marina, there was a group (I’ll call them kids) circled together telling sea stories. In the circle was Tyler and Travis Duffield talking to Carson Hill. The kids gave me a very welcoming hello, and I thought to myself there is the wind shift, which I understood would come someday.

Tyler and Travis Duffield are the siblings of Terry and Marshall Duffield who we all recognize as owners of Duffy Boats. Both young men are very active in the family business and have the individual skill sets that will take them well into the future. Last week, I was in the Duffy maintenance boatyard while Travis and Tyler were installing a new boat lifting system. I’ve also spent time with them understanding and marketing Following Sea, their Bertram 56. Both are focused on the task at hand, and it’s rather interesting listening to their fresh perspective of our harbor and the marine business.

With my life revolving around sailboats, it’s not that often I pull up to Hills Boat Service/Fuel Dock. Established in 1947, it’s quite obvious that we are shifting into the third generation of the family business. The integrity of the family name continues through the different generations. From afar, I have watched and worked with Gary Hill around the harbor for many years. I have not had a chance to work with his son Carson yet, although I have observed him greeting customers on the fuel dock and running the fuel tanker. Like they say, “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” – and from our first meeting I respect the kid, and how he represents his family’s history in our harbor.

Bunker Hill Sr & Jr

Another arm from the Hill’s family tree is Bunker Hill with his son Bunker Hill Jr., who have been working together for close to 10 years as marine surveyors. They are not just any marine surveyors…they are the harbor’s go-tos for respected/quality marine surveys. I have worked with Jr. on a couple of boats, and have observed him working on the family boat where it is obvious that he takes pride in his work with a strong passion for boating. Jr. always greets me with a welcoming hello which translates to going the extra mile for you

While walking the boatyards, you recognize the best quickly, which I did some 32 years ago when I booked my first survey at Basin Marine. Dave New has always quickly shared information with me and taken extraordinarily good care of all of my customers. The New family has operated Basin Marine since 1939 with Don New at the helm. I met Dave in 1989 and he had already lost most of his hair. Dave’s son Derek jumped aboard in 2006 and has become the primary helmsman. Both still work closely together at their navigation table in the main office. Derek still has a full set of hair and greets me with a big smile, demonstrating that he wants to help. I’ve worked next to Derek while solving and estimating repairs. I have never disagreed with his recommendations while always feeling he has my clients’ best interests at heart.

Back in 2012, I wrote a story about meeting two boat making legends: Mike Howarth and Henry Mohrschladt. At that time Howarth took me back into his shop and introduced me to his son Barrett who had his head deep into the center console of a prototype of the Mag Bay Yachts 33. Mike called Barrett up for an introduction, in which Barrett quickly backed out of his difficult position to say hello, then dove back to his task of solving an electrical issue. Mike went on to explain that this project was all Barrett’s. Now after nine years, the team is building two of the sexiest boats on this planet – the Mag Bay 33’ Center Console and 42’ Sport Fisher. I had a chance to run into Barrett the other day while he was launching a 33’ Center Console at Newport Dunes by himself. I re-introduced myself and he said, “Yes, I know who you are Len. How have you been?” The greeting felt like I had not seen a good high school friend in years while taking the time to talk about the marine business with me. Another great kid that takes great pride in his work.

Speaking of great kids, Patty and Harvey Wills at Western Marine Marketing have recently handed over the helm to their son Whitney, who is out at every shipyard, boat show, and at the manufactures facility with the 16 marine products they represent. The Wills family has been a pillar in the yachting community for as long as I can remember. I witnessed Whitney demonstrate the new features of a Pettit bottom paint at our local shipyard, and I was instantly sold on the product and have recommended it to the Harbor 20 fleet.

I gotta tell you, it feels really comforting to know that our harbor is in good hands for years to come.

Sea ya.

~~~~~~~~

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

If you own an Yamaha Outboard than you have already met Nick Kelly.

 

West Coast Marine Service

Over the last ten years, it’s been no secret who the go-to person is around town to service your Yamaha outboards. Nick Kelly is the owner of West Coast Marine Service located at 1555 Newport Blvd in Costa Mesa is that go to person.

Nick was born in Newport Beach at Hoag Hospital and recalls his father introducing him to a dinghy with an outboard at a very young age allowing him free access to the harbor as soon as he was able to start the outboard himself. “I recall jumping into the dinghy with two of my friends and spending the entire day on the harbor with them. I have another fond memory of one Halloween when my father made an outboard motor costume for me,” Nick said. While away at college Nick took a Diesel mechanics class “just for fun” at a local community college. “This is when the puzzle all came together for me deciding I wanted to become a mechanic,” Nick said.

Shortly after college Kelly opens West Coast Marine Service and has not looked back. I then asked about the part shortages like almost all industries are facing around the world these days. “ I placed my order in for new engines mid-summer last year and I am hoping to receive them before March of this year, the odds of me adding on to the order appears to be rather challenging at this point. In regards to finding parts for our customers, we have become very efficient at rebuilding parts. It’s not how I like to do things yet I have to keep my clients running and on the water over this next year.” Kelly said.

Regarding maintenance, Kelly could not express enough every 100 hours or annually haul out to change the lower end oil, check the spark plugs, and filters. Like in most all boats, owners need to make sure there is no fishing line wrapped around the props causing larger problems.

I did not realize that West Coast Marine Service has its own boat trailers allowing them to pick up customer’s boats, bring them to the shop for engine service along with other maintenance items such as bottom painting. If the boats are too big for the trailers the shipyards in town place their first call into West Coast Marine anytime a Yamaha outboard is involved.

Tate & Nick Kelly

While walking the docks is quite obvious that most of the marine manufacturers are all offering boats driven by outboard motors. Companies like Hunt, Mag Bay, Hinckley all your upper-end yachts are all offering outboards while expanding to larger vessels each year. It makes sense also, with fewer acoustics problems, better engine accessibility, more usable space aboard, fuel economy, and the list goes on. We all know that joke while walking down the dock and asking your friend why that boat has four outboards on it? The reply is 5 will not fit! If I was to speculate on the all-purpose vessels one might see only one or two outboards with the increase of horsepower we are seeing each year. This will allow these boats to have larger swim platforms.

I then inquired about electric outboards in the near future? “ That’s a good question, the marine industry will always follow the car and other industries. Maybe not as fast, the first couple of tries have not caught on yet I feel it’s safe to say we will see the change soon.” Kelly said.

Kelly was also excited to tell me about his new fishing charter business. If I recall correctly he picked up a Parker 28 and is outfitting it with all the newest features that Yamaha has to offer such as the new XTO phase charging systems. This way he can demonstrate the new systems to prospective buyers along with a platform to take out fishing charters.

My last question for Nick was how do you like to go boating? “ I enjoy it all from sailboat cruising with my whole family, taking the kids to Moonstone, or just going fishing with the gang yachting has always been a big part of my life. I’ve done many delivers down the California Coast along with a Hawaii delivery after a Trans Pac I enjoy it all. With the Kidds entered in junior sailing now.

I need to apologize to Kelly because my recording from our interview is not replaying and I am trying to remember our 40-minute conversation. What I do recall without any hesitation is that every one of my customers from Dana Point to Cabrillo Beach with Yamaha outboards tells me that Nick Kelly and at West Coast Marine is the go-to person. 

Sea ya

2010 Mid-Winters In Paso Robles

By Len Bose

Len and Jennifer Bose on their wine-tasting trip to Paso Robles.

While most of you were sailing in the 81st annual 2010 Midwinter regatta or sailing in the Vallarta Race, some of us were catching up with our annual maintenance. Please understand as a yacht broker, when I take time off from work, I go racing or to Catalina with the family, that’s pretty much it.

Around this time of year, my wife Jennifer reminds me it's our wedding anniversary, and very gently asks where we might be going. My reply is normally, “Let's load up the boat and head to Catalina.”

Well about every five years, Jennifer looks at me, places her hands on her hips and tells me: “Not again. I want to go somewhere were there are no boats and just relax.”

So, what’s a sailor going to do? Go drinking of course, or to put it more eloquently – wine tasting. Yeah, that’s it, let's go wine tasting!

It’s also strange that about every five years I sell a boat to a vintner; it’s always good to “talk the talk.” Now, I just need to learn to “walk the walk,” because after 17 years with my love, staying at a Motel 6 and doing 10 tastings in a day is no longer an option. This time, I needed to do my homework and plan a strategy and route in mind. So, I tried to recall the first winemaker I sold a boat to some 20 years ago – Cliff Giacobine. Cliff has since passed away, but what I recall was always talking about Italian wines. I thought this was strange, because the year was 1990. He had been growing Zinfandel for years and had just started planting Syrah. Now jump ahead 20 years: the Rhone style is getting most of the attention in Paso Robles. And I can still recall Cliff talking about Italian wines.

So while researching the trip, I found www.giornatawines.com, whose headline on the website read: "Inspired by Italy – Crafted in California.” This winery is owned and operated by Stephanie and Brian Terrizzi, whose philosphy reads: "Creating giornata started with a dream to create wines from Italian grapes grown in California employing the sensibility and philosophy of Italian winemaking."

What I liked most about this vintner was that after I sent an email requesting a tasting time, Brian called me personally. The Terrizzis don't have a tasting room yet, so you meet Stephy at a local wine bar called 15 Degrees C, which refers to a nice cellar temperature for a red wine. There is no better way to get a true feel for a region than getting an overview from a local wine bar.

Jennifer and I had a chance to try the “il Campo” and the Sangiovese. This is when Jennifer said "yummy," and we purchased a bottle of the 2007 Gemellaia, two bottles of the 2007 Nebbiolo along with a bottle of the 08 il Campo. It might be because of the past comments made by my old friend Cliff, but my gut tells me to keep my eye on giornata wines. I would also like to point out that I was not charged for the tasting.

So now it was time go drinking ... I mean wine tasting. Attached is my google maps. Because Jennifer and I went tasting on a Sunday and Monday, the yellow pins mark the wineries open Thursday through Sunday.

We pulled off the 101 onto Vineyard Drive. I called Booker wines because I had read that they were closed for tasting due to a fire. This wasn't really a problem as Turley Wines is on the way to the 46. Turley Zins are the "best in the world," and the owners are mighty proud of their product. This didn't keep us from buying a bottle of Dogtown and a bottle of Turley olive oil.

With the time now at 3 p.m., I decided to pass on L’Aventure. On a side note, you can find L’Aventure wines for sale at The Wine Club in Santa Ana.

Next on the list was Zin Ally. You have to stop by and see Frank. He only makes 300 cases of Zin a year, but his father used to own Pesenti Vineyards, which is now owned by Turley. This winery is a must see and an outstanding value.

Just down the Hill is Four Vines. The tasting room was packed, and just not a comfortable place for Jen and me. If you are under the age of 40, stop by and enjoy a tasting.

Next on our list was Dover Canyon. This winery has one of the better views of Paso Robles, and we stayed well over an hour tasting 12 different types of wine. I really liked this place; we walked out with two bottles of their Rebel Rose’ and two Bottles of their 2007 Osso Seccho.

We then pushed to the Far Out region of Paso and stopped by Le Cuvier. The tasting room is a couple of picnic benches in the middle of the winery with everyone working around you. To me it does not get any better than this. And as for the wines, all Jennifer could say was, “We'll take that one and that one and ..." I am just glad our son Andrew wasn't with us, because we might have just left him there in trade.

With time running out, we started back to the bed and breakfast we were staying at with the hopes we could make it to Villa Creek. We pulled in front of Villa Creek at 5:20 p.m., and they had already closed. But to tell you the truth, we were done tasting for the day.

View from Belvino Viaggio, their charming bed and breakfast.

We arrived at Belvino Viaggio, our quaint lodging, at just before six o' clock, with a very warm greeting from Lois Fox owner/innkeeper. To keep the article short, we loved it! We've never stayed at a better place in Paso.

We were the only ones there on Sunday and Monday nights, and we'll be back. We shared some wine and cheese and just took in the breathtaking view with Lois, who talked about her upcoming bare boat charter in La Paz.

Jennifer and I have been wine tasting a number of times, and our routine is to have a picnic in the room for dinner. As the moon came over the city lights it was the end of a perfect first day.

On day two, we took out our party hats after a nice walk through the orchard below the B&B, and started out on our course. First stop – Lone Madrone, with a farm-style wine tasting room and a comfortable feeling.

Next was Linne Calodo. This is one of the new high-end places in town with some of the better wines from Paso. The whole place is breathtaking. With their flagship wine being named “Problem Child” it made me laugh and think of my good friend Dan Rosen and his boat of the same name. The wines are pricey but it’s worth the stop.

Our next waypoint was Denner Wines – and just like Linne Calodo – this is one of the new wineries in town where no expense has been spared. Jennifer and I used one of their picnic benches for lunch, and spent an hour just enjoying the view.

We continued traveling north on Vineyard, and as we approached Norman we noticed the time was 3 p.m., and we were already running out of steam. We made our last stop – Tablas Creek. By the time we arrived there, Jennifer had caught her second wind and started by saying “yummy” and “we will take that one and that one and …"

It was approaching 5 p.m., and we needed to go back and change to get ready for dinner at Artisan. We wrapped up our 17th wedding anniversary in style, with a three-course meal, and of course, the wine pairing.

To tell you the truth, I hit every lay line and made it around this course like I knew what I was doing. When Jennifer went to work today she still had a big smile on her face, leaving the house with a big, “I love you.” Well, it will be great until my MasterCard bill arrives. If any of you readers would like a copy of my wine notes and some of the information I gathered, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Now it's time to get ready for the Cabo race.

Sea ya'
Len Bose

Len Bose is a contributing writer to the Daily Voice and owner of Len Bose Yacht Sales.

On the Harbor: Well this time...I’m on terra firma Pub. 2-26-2018

By LEN BOSE

Every so often my wife, Jennifer, and I will head up to Paso Robles for our wedding anniversary and considering this year was our 25th anniversary, it was time to go on a vacation that did not involve boating.

We started this pilgrimage 24 years ago and found the bed and breakfast – Summerwood Winery & Inn. This modern farmhouse concept has always felt extremely comfortable to us, so we have returned five times over the years.

Summerwood Inn

We have made changes to our route over time and now prefer to have a big lunch before wine tasting and picnic in the room for dinner. We found ourselves a little too puckered up and over saturated from a day of tasting to appreciate a fine dinner at a restaurant.

Before our journey started, I had asked some friends Lori Bowman and Tad Springer, who I have noticed head up to Paso Robles annually, for their recommendations on which of the wineries we should visit.

Our first stop was at DAOU, where we had made a 12:30 p.m. reservation and barely made it on time after all the LA traffic and departing Huntington Beach at 8 a.m. Most of the wineries now prefer reservations and private tastings to open tasting rooms of the past. The DAOU winery is spectacular with breathtaking views at an elevation of 2,200 feet above the Adelaida District. Jennifer and I decided to ignore the cold crisp breeze rolling through the mountains and selected to sit outside for our tasting. While the Falcons soared beneath us, Jennifer and I quickly became at one with the lawn furniture and the wine while both releasing full sighs after the long drive. The presentation at DAOU was overwhelming, and I have now learned that I need to drink the wines we purchased at home before commenting on my likes or dislikes.
Our second stop of the day was at Denner Vineyards which we had visited before some eight years ago. Denner produces some of Paso’s best wines, so we had to return to this gorgeous winery. The prices bunched me up a bit, but I wanted more and purchased one bottle of their 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a big buck winery and it shows from the moment you pull into the parking lot with astonishing views and friendly consultants. Our appointment was with David who described the wines seductively with a touch of humor along with his celebrity impersonations. Good times were had and we will return. Should we be carrying a big bag of gold, we plan on staying at the Comus house in one of their four rooms at Denner. These rooms are magnificent with a commanding view of the valleys below.
Closing time at most of the Paso wineries is 5 p.m., and we were running out of time, so we pulled into Jada which is just down the street. I liked the wines, although I was still a little overwhelmed by the prices at Denner and didn’t purchase anything at this stop. We ran into a nice couple and came to find out that he had also graduated from Edison High school two years before me. This kicked up the energy level, so we had one more stop in us at Dilecta. The owner and winemaker are Orin Stang, who had previously worked at Booker and Law Estate Wines. The tasting room was a small barn offering no views, but Stang poured the wines himself. I purchased two bottles: one was named Tiller, a Syrah and the other – an unorthodox Syrah. While walking back to the car, Jennifer commented that she didn’t care much for the wines and questioned me on why I had purchased them? I simply said, “I don’t know.” The odd thing is when we returned home, these wines were fantastic, and I won’t hesitate to purchase more. This is when it came to me that the hilltop wineries with their views seemed to have made their wines taste better.

Calcareous Views

Day two started with a 10:30 a.m. appointment at Law Estate Wines and OMG…this place is beautiful and a must see. Reservations only, where we met Madison who was an intern from Florida who had only been there for two months and was as knowledgeable as someone who had lived in Paso their entire life. Law Estate Wines is another hilltop winery and is just below DAOU. We purchased their 2014 bottle of Sagacious, a blend of Mourvedre, Syrah, and Grenache, along with a bottle of Audacious, which is a blend of Rhone and Bordeaux varietals. Parker gave them both high ratings, so I’m hoping the view did not influence my decision to purchase. From Law, we crossed the street and went down to Calcareous, which turned out to be, in our opinion, the best value in all of Paso Robles. Wondrous views, outstanding wines at attractive prices. At this time, we took a break for lunch and went downtown to Buona Tavola, an Italian eatery that we were both very pleased with, and found it refreshing to take a Pellegrino water break.
After a lunch break, we headed over to Turley because they have always been my favorite red Zinfandel vineyard, and as always was not disappointed. In fact, their prices are much more affordable than most of the hilltop vineyards.
So that’s it…another memorable anniversary in Paso. I will be getting back on the water in my next column with a review of the San Diego to Puerto Vallarta race starting on March 2. Wish us luck and we’ll be sailing on the yacht Horizon again.
Sea ya!
~~~~~~~~
Len Bose is a yachting enthusiast, yacht broker and harbor columnist for StuNewsNewport.

The Harbor Report: Gate may hold key to harbor's future First posted in 12/29/16

Jim Dastur, "a very peaceful man who does not get emotional while expressing his views."

By Len Bose

March 28, 2014 | 5:48 p.m.

A couple of years ago at a Harbor Commission meeting, the topic of replacing some of our harbor's 18 miles of seawalls an estimated cost of $500 million was discussed.

Of course, the cost is what first grabbed my attention, along with how the commissioners responded to the topic. It was then that Marshall Duffield introduced me to the concept of a tidal gate and started to explain how these gates can protect the whole harbor.

Jump forward two years, and the idea of replacing seawalls was still being discussed at this month's Tidelands Management Committee meeting. Attending the meeting as concerned harbor users were Duffield and someone I was introduced to at the beginning of the year, Jim Dastur.

At this year's Tidelands meetings, Dastur has always presented himself as a very peaceful man who does not get emotional while expressing his views on why he feels that the city should proceed with a study on the feasibility of a floodgate at the entrance to our harbor. During this month's meeting, the committee gave Dastur the time to review his reasons on why a study is needed regarding tidal gates. Sitting next to me was Win Fuller, a local resident and active harbor user, who looked at me and said, "This guy is making the most sense."

After the meeting, Duffield walked up to Dastur, introduced himself, shook his hand and gave him a warm pat on the back. This is when the idea of talking to Dastur first came to mind, and I proceeded to ask him for an interview, which he graciously accepted.

Dastur has lived on Balboa Island for 22 years. He was educated as a civil structural engineer and worked in marine construction. He has worked on most of the big commercial docks in the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. He also has taken part in the retrofitting of all the major bridges in the Bay Area. For three years, he was the head director of the American Society of Civil Engineers' Construction Institute. Dastur was also contracted by India to consult on the building of a nuclear power plant with a seawater intake system — not to mention the fact that he was also the interim CEO of the company that worked on the replacement of the New Orleans levees.

Dastur is the type of person who prefers not to talk about himself, but when he said, "I am talking from a lot of experience," I wanted him on our team. While discussing the replacement of our harbor's seawall, he said, "Rising the walls will not do the job. Unless the walls go way deep, way deep, all you are doing is preventing the water from coming over the top."

To proceed on this topic, you have to ask yourself which government agency, from around the world, is providing you with enough facts that our sea level is rising and by how much. It was reported at the Tidelands meeting that by 2050, the projected sea level will rise by 1.38 feet, with a 1% chance that tide height will be 9.09 feet and a 10% chance that it will be at 8.79 feet. Right now, our mean sea level is at 2.65 feet, and by 2050, it is projected to be 4.03.

Now look at today's water table on Balboa Island at plus three or plus four and consider that the water table could raise to plus six or seven within the next 30 years. This means that if we only replace our seawalls, the water won't come from over the top of the seawall but from under the ground.

It has been said, by one of our council members, that no politician will recommend to pay for a $200,000 study for a tidal gate. Dastur explained to me that "a study needs to be done to see if it is feasible. Before you throw out the concept, we should look at the study. The gate has to be looked at when you look at the harbor holistically and not confuse the gate with the condition of the seawalls."

A couple of things you should understand about tidal gates. Yes, they are very expensive. It would take about 10 years to build the gates. The gates are not up all the time. They would be on the bottom of the harbor channel and would only be raised about four and five times a year for about four hours at a time. In the future, they could be used as many as 15 times a year.

There is much more information on this topic to share with you, and I will post it on my blog. For what it's worth, I am in favor of urging our City Council members to have further discussion regarding tidal gates and would request that they consider moving forward with a study.

Len:

Thank you for your column in the Daily Pilot. As more people get interested in the issue, the greater possibility of an informed decision.

Warm regards.

Jim

Sea ya.

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

On the Harbor: counting down my favorite 10 stories of 2021

By LEN BOSE

2021. It’s time to place a bow on it and call it a year. This is what I do when it’s cold outside and the weather forecast is calling for rain. I have just returned to my desk after refilling my coffee mug, and because it a holiday week, I added three our four glugs of Kahlúa into it and it tastes way too good. Now, I am ready, so let’s count down my favorite 10 stories of 2021.

Crew of Horizon

10. “The epic Newport to Cabo race” was most memorable because of the consistent breeze with Roy Disney’s Volvo 70 Pyewacket setting a new course record of 1 day and 22 hours; aboard Horizon we finished in three days and three hours. You can find the story at https://stunewsnewport.com/index.php/archives/front-page-archive/11001-on-the-harbor-040921.

Horizon finishing Trans Pac

9. The word epic can be used to describe this year’s Transpac race to Hawaii. “It›s a cool thing to do,” quoting Peter Eisler, who is one of the world’s most sought-after navigators sailing aboard Roy Disney’s Pyewacket. Aboard Horizon, the race could not have gone any better. We had an intensely close race with Steve Sellinger’s Santa Cruz 52 Triumph. Horizon set a new course record for Santa Cruz 50s, completing the course in eight days, 23 hours and 25 minutes. My write-up can be found at https://stunewsnewport.com/index.php/2-uncategorised/11839-on-the-harbor-transpac-part-ll-081321.

8. Completing Phase II of the Lower Bay Dredging Project. The goal of the Phase II dredging project is to improve navigation and streamline the dredging process in Newport Harbor by creating a cost-effective disposal location for unsuitable materials. https://stunewsnewport.com/index.php/2-uncategorised/10505-on-the-harbor-completing-phase-ii-012921.

(L-R) Mike Howarth with his son, Barrett

7. Boating, a treasured family business, passes down to the next generation. Each day we watch the tide come in then go out and over time we notice a change within and around the harbor. Some of the change is not substantial, yet just shifts in the wind. For example, while walking up the gangway from my slip in the Newport Marina, there was a group (I’ll call them kids) circled together telling sea stories. In the circle was Tyler and Travis Duffield talking to Carson Hill. The kids gave me a very welcoming hello, and I thought to myself there is the wind shift, which I understood would come someday. https://stunewsnewport.com/index.php/2-uncategorised/10603-on-the-harbor-boating-a-treasured-family-business-021221.

Jay Decker

6. Fishing with Decker. “As soon as I was out of diapers and able to walk, my grandfather would take me out fishing and give my parents a break…he was always on the water. Back by the Cannery when the Cannery was active, I would fish off the dock. We went out with his buddies and I was the 5-year-old deckhand. I fished with my grandfather up until my earlier 20s,” said Decker. https://www.stunewsnewport.com/index.php/archives/front-page-archive/11289-on-the-harbor-fishing-with-decker-052121.

George Hylkema demonstrating his pump-out catch system

5. An update on pump-out stations, CAD project. “The cost of repairing these pumps was substantial along with the constant maintenance needed to keep them working. Hylkema, being an engineer, came up with the idea of removing these objects [E.g.: sucking up sharp objects, screws, hose clamps, etc. that would disrupt the vacuum system] before they entered the pumping system. https://stunewsnewport.com/index.php/2-uncategorised/11924-on-the-harbor-082721.

Harbor Master Paul Blank

4. Catching up with new Harbormaster Paul Blank. “Blank has been a good friend for many years, and I find it difficult to explain just how fortunate we are to have him as harbormaster at this time.”  https://stunewsnewport.com/index.php/2-uncategorised/11538-on-the-harbor-catching-up-with-070221.

3. An early riser’s perspective. “I had been struggling to come up with a story this week and then I realized it had been a long time since I woke up with the harbor. I grabbed my camera and headed out the door at 5:45 a.m. toward my slip at the Newport Marina… https://www.stunewsnewport.com/index.php/2-uncategorised/10691-on-the-harbor-022621.

Gordo

2. Remembering Gordon “Gordo” Johnson. In the early 1960s, there was a group of kids that grew up in the Bay Shores community who became some of our harbor’s most knowledgeable and skilled yachtsmen. We had the Hills, Durgan, Duffield and Johnson families. Coop and Liz Johnson had three sons – Gordon, Dougal and David. All four families are extraordinarily close even after 60 years, spending time on our harbor and around the world together. https://stunewsnewport.com/index.php/2-uncategorised/11112-on-the-harbor-remembering-gordon-042321.

Crew of Horizon

1. Eight souls on board. “Two crew members were now on the back of the boat dispensing our man overboard gear “Lifesling” and “Throwable retrieve line” with one of the two crew members becoming the spotter along with another crew member at the helm pedestal.” https://stunewsnewport.com/index.php/2-uncategorised/11438-on-the-harbor-eight-souls-aboard-061821.

The year does not seem to fly by as fast while your drinking coffee and Kahlúa. A huge shout out to Lana and Tom Johnson for giving me the space in Stu News Newport for five years now. I have been your harbor reporter for 12 years and I’m looking forward to the next 100 years!

Sea ya next year.

~~~~~~~~

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

On the Harbor: yacht club awards

By LEN BOSE

This last Tuesday brought in some measurable rain and enough breeze to keep me home to make sure the dog was not blown off its chain. I am joking about the dog, but what I am not joking about is the wind. Fortunately, John Sangmeister called me up the other night at 8:30 p.m. to tell me he tightened up on Horizon’s spring lines and took the boat’s deck cover off up in Cabrillo Beach where it’s blowing more than 30 knots right now.

Now my only concern is how to get the dog to go outside and come up with a Harbor story without getting wet. My first call was with Newport Harbor Yacht Club’s (NHYC) Fleet Captain Rob Rader to confirm who received the big awards at their annual meeting. Steve Sellinger, owner of the Santa Cruz 52 Triumph received the club’s Top Sailing Yacht Award for their continued efforts in Offshore events. NHYC has some of the West Coast’s top Principal Race Officers (PRO) with Deon & Peter Macdonald, receiving the Meta & Jack Going Trophy, for keeping it fun on the Harbor 20 Twilights and Winter Series this last year. I am sure they managed other events, and even though I would rather see them out sailing in the events, they both are keeping a smile on the participants’ faces well before they get to the bar

Next up was Dwight Belden for all the work he continues to do as a PRO, because this year’s Cabo race could not have been managed better. He called me up and asked what the club could do to make the race logistically easier for the participants. It was also noted that Belden continues to work at improving his US Sailing requirements while flawlessly running two Star events this season, plus he’s just a great guy who also “gets it” and keeps it fun. For all the hard work Belden does for our sport, he received the “Race Committee of Excellence Award.” The two big awards at NHYC is the Don Vaughn Award for the club’s, Offshore, Crew of the Year Award. Historically, it has been awarded to acknowledge either a sailor’s outstanding year on the water or to honor a lifetime of crewing at sea. This is the only award I know of that the recipient is chosen by previous winners. Past winners included Duffy Duffield, Brad Avery, Craig Chamberlain, Bill Mais, Tom Corkett and Nick Madigan, just to name a few. This year’s recipient is Shawn Patrick. The award that always catches my eye, when entering the Newport Harbor Yacht Club, just over to the left of the front door is the Burgee of Merit. In my opinion, this award sits on the top shelf of all our Harbor’s awards. The recipient recognized has formed or taken part in any yachting event that has brought unusual distinction or notice to West Coast Yachting. Receiving this year’s Burgee of Merit is Charlie Buckingham as a U.S.A representative in this year’s summer Olympics, sailing the Laser.

In my first November column, I left out who won the Harbor 20 Arthur Strock Award. The Strock Award is presented to members who have performed outstanding service for the Harbor 20, Fleet One organization. Past winners included Phil Ramser, Ross Watanabe, Shana Conzelman, Phil Thompson and Michael Volk along with both Debra and Peter Haynes…and many more. I participated in Harbor 20 Fleet 1 for more than 10 years now, noting that this year’s winner Gary Throne is without a doubt the most deserving. Throne has performed outstanding service to the fleet for well over the past 10 years and continues today always seemly picking up the most difficult tasks. You make the fleet fun Gary, “Well Done.”

• • •

The Christmas Boat Parade is going on until Sunday the 19th with tonight’s forecast to be on the “chilly” side. I also checked in with some of my best sources for harbor information. The Harbor Commission will be making recommendations to the City Council in the early part of next year regarding updating the Title 17 “Harbor Code” in the city municipal codes. I strongly encourage harbor stakeholders and all harbor users to take note of the recent appraisal completed on the value of shore moorings. Anytime change, no-pun, is brought up in the city’s mooring codes most people get up in arms. With many topics to be discussed, just on this topic, I suggest you pay attention and voice your concerns before you get all bunched up that you didn’t know what is going on. Speaking of all bunched up, no I am not referring to “Grand Channel” shore mooring people, I’m referring to homeowners with additional floats tied up to their docks. It was noted this year that the harbor has a problem with marina operators and homeowners adding floats to their docks. This topic is being studied by the Harbor Commission and should be labeled on your radar screen. Tons of data is needed on this topic!

Winter is coming my friends, so remember to keep your bilge dry.

Sea ya.

~~~~~~~~

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

On the Harbor: “a walk-about” around the bay

By LEN BOSE

It has been a couple of years since I have completed a “walk-about” around the harbor. I normally start at the end of the peninsula with the public docks then stop by Hills fuel dock, Marina Park, Newport Shipyard, Lido Village and then Basin Shipyard. You are correct, I am not walking – it’s more like peddling my bicycle. 

While checking out the public docks, I had a chance to talk to a couple of mooring permit holders inquiring about the boat pump outs, which is the proper way to dispose of a boat’s holding tank. After introducing myself, I asked how are things going out on the moorings this year and the public docks? Both of the parties I talked to immediately brought up the fact that the new pump-out stations have been working consistently for a long time now. For many years, boats had been pumping out their bilges and the materials within their bilge such as nuts and bolts and loose metal fragments would break down the pump-out station at significant cost to the city to repair each time. You might recall a story I did back in August on George Hylkema’s particle separator (you can find the story here.) When I returned back to my desk, I checked in with my good friend Noel Plutchak who maintains the pump-out stations. Plutchack reports that everything is going flawlessly with the city’s six pump-out stations. Maintenance has been reduced from checking on the stations once a week to once a month. He mentioned he was going to check on all the stations before the Christmas Boat Parade. My sources tell me that Hylkema will be the recipient of a proclamation from the mayor for his innovation and dedication for keeping the harbor clean. It sure would be great to gather the crew to give him the proper “well done” when that night is scheduled.

While going by the Balboa Angling Club, I heard that the fisheries closure that was implemented following the Southern California oil spill has been lifted. The closure began on October 3 and prohibited the take of all fish and shellfish from Huntington Beach to Dana Point. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has been advised that there is no further risk to public health from seafood consumption in the affected area. Just hope that you had already heard about fisheries closer.

All the shipyards are busy around town. I noticed Dan Gribble’s Tripp 56 Brigadoon hauled out for annual service along with John Raymont Ker 51 Fast Exit II that has been out of the water for more than a month now with the rig out and keel off, along with what appeared to be an 80 ft. plus Northern Marine expedition trawler at the Newport Beach Shipyard. Looking across the bay at the Balboa Boat Yard and the South Coast Boat Yard, both appeared to be very active. My next stop was at the Lido bridge where I took count of the large charter boats in the harbor. My count was 12 boats with no boats in Lido Village or in front of the new building on Pacific Coast Highway. I have to assume that COVID has been rather tough on that Industry.

It had been a long time since I walked through Lido Village; the whole place has been refitted and I have never seen it look so good. I have not been there since George’s Camelot has left, so I am thinking of taking the Duffy over there for dinner one night soon.

My last stop was Basin Shipyard where I was warmly greeted by Dave and Derek New. “Hey Len come in, you’re already wearing your Christmas Spooners!,” Dave New said. The yard was packed, so I would encourage everyone to schedule your annual maintenance early for this coming year. Everyone with pod drives or outboards, make sure you schedule your service now. 

The 113th Newport Beach Christmas Boat themed “Jingle on the Waves!” will be running between December 15-19. If you are launching a boat before the parade at the Dunes you will want to launch before 3 p.m. Low tide is between 4 and 5 p.m. at -.05, which just might leave you high and dry if you show up the last minute. If you are operating a vessel during the parade, keep in mind you will have a lot of water flooding into the harbor on all five nights. I checked in with David Beek and he told me all the yacht clubs, restaurants and charter boats are filled up with reservations. He is anticipating 80-100 boats in the parade, with more than a million people coming into town to watch it. Beek also informed me that the Balboa Yacht Club will be celebrating its 100th birthday this Saturday night.

Sea ya.

~~~~~~~~

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