On the Harbor: After all the rains, what to check out on your boat

                                         

                                                             By LEN BOSE

As I came out from underneath my boat’s cockpit cover with my bucket and hand bilge pump, I wondered if all of my Duffy and big boat clients have kept a close look at their boats since the Christmas Boat Parade. While talking to one of my big boat clients, he reminded me that CO2 detectors need to be maintained and should be updated every five years. Of course we talked about checking our dock lines and annual maintenance to our outboards, and both of us were surprised to hear that SeaKeepers, which are stabilizers for boats, need to be annually checked. We both thought this revolved around hours used rather than annual maintenance.

I then stopped by the Duffy service yard and talked to Jorge Lara who manages the Duffy repair technicians. We both agreed that owners should check their batteries to make sure they have kept their charge, as many docks have electrical issues this time of year. We are assuming with the amount of rain we have had, your boat’s bilge pumps have been working harder than normal. It’s not unusual that the bilge pump’s float switch is not working, because their connections are prone to corrosion. So the next time you head down to your boat, make sure you press the manual bilge pump switch and listen for the pump to engage with water flowing outboard. If you do not hear or see the water going out of your boat, you better look further. I have heard of the bilge pump hose breaking free of the through hull and pumping water back into the boat. Carpet, cushions and flooring should be taken out of the boat to dry out once the sun returns. I am a big believer in running a dehumidifier in the boat this time of year, trying to keep the mildew away when the heat returns. Lara and I both agreed that after the rains, skippers need to be much more aware of flotsam in the water. I have caught more than one palm frond around the prop and have had to find a diver to remove it for me.

Talking about flotsam in the harbor, my next phone call was to city harbor patrolman Matt Stanley; he and I have known each other now for close to 20 years when we delivered a J109 down the coast from San Francisco. Stanley has been working for the city since 2017. I like to reach out to him at least once a year to obtain another perspective on what’s going on in the harbor. Stanley described this winter as all about rain and wind. “Because we have had a constant water flow this winter from the inland rivers and levees, most all the debris has been cleared out. We have had very few logs, although we still notice beaver dams and mattresses floating by often. We have been busy pumping boats out, especially the south-facing shore moorings along Balboa Island. This area of the harbor takes the brunt of force in the southerly winds. We had a breeze up over 40 knots in the harbor this last Tuesday,” said Stanley.

Pressing Stanley for what strange items he has seen floating by this winter he said, “We have had some interesting wildlife around the harbor. In fact, last week we had a Red-footed booby sighted on the bait barge.” 

 

Our harbor is extraordinarily fortunate to have Stanley as a harbor patrolman. His past employment was as the dock master at the Balboa Yacht Club, where he maintained the club’s boats’ mooring gear. No one in our harbor can spot a boat with an improper ground tackle on their moorings other than Stanley. He also has a very keen eye for boats that are not on their proper float lines or noticing sails unfurling that are ready to open on the next wind guest.

I am picking up my two-wheel duffel bag now along with my remote control Dragonflite 95 sailboat all packed up in its travel case and headed to the airport for my first sailing road trip to the Corinthian Sailing Club on White Rock Lake in Dallas, Texas. Forty of the U.S.’ top RC sailors have signed up for this year’s “Blow Out Regatta.” My goal is to finish all the races and if I am really lucky, finish in the top half of the fleet. Wish me luck!     

Sea ya.

~~~~~~~~

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

2023 Dragonflite95 Dallas "Blow Out Regatta"

 March 25 & 26 Dallas Texas DF 95 “Blow Out Regatta” 2023 Hosted by the Trinity River Yacht Club with Chairman/PRO Chuck LeMahieu and his team of volunteers. It has been a long time since I had  this feeling similar to walking into class on your first day of grade school or going out on a date with the person you feel could be “The One”. Walking into the Corinthian Sailing Club I had flashbacks of wondering if I would recognize anyone, will I fit in, can I compete with this class, or even more frighting will her father answer the door.

As I approached the club I felt the kids were sizing me up, I am sure there were a couple of California jokes said about me wearing the typical California beach wear and sandals. I walked in the club’s front door and I ran straight into “Dad”! He quickly sized me up as an RC boat novice I am. He smiled and gave me a big Texas hello and welcome. No pun, we quickly broke the ice when Dad asked me “Do you drink?’ the smile on my face was like a pressure release value while he and I discussed the difference between scotch and bourbon whiskey. “Dad” became Chuckles and I had a new best friend.

My next concern was taking my boat out of its travel case, this was the first travel event I had attended with a DF 95. After finding my space within the crowded yacht club I began commissioning my boat which was much easier than I thought it would be. My next thought was “shit” I should have gotten here earlier there was Mark Golison, Tony Gonsalves, and Mr. Texas himself Brig North. I had reviewed the entry roster, and I had already understood the grade curve was going to be steep in this class. I found my space in the back of the club which made me flash back to grade school sitting in the back of the room. Chris Collins came by and said hello, I was feeling better because now I knew someone. I then introduced myself to Dan Shier with the day getting better by the second.

With my boat commissioned with my B-Rig in place, I took a deep breath and started to head outside to 15-18 knots of cool breeze. Dad, I mean Chuckles said, “Len have you ever sailed your B-Rig before in breeze, come over here let me take a look.” Like I said things were getting better every second, thank goodness LeMahieu reached out to me because my boat would have blown apart just exiting the clubhouse door. After about six minutes later Lemahieu said here you go, you're looking good. I then dropped my boat in the water as the wind was quickly subsiding which became the story of the weekend. Sailing a couple of races and letting the butterflies release from my stomach I returned to the club to change to my A rig. Just then I hear “High welcome to the event I’m Tony how was your flight?” My voice stuttered as I said his last name before he could“ Gonsalves, I watched all your videos on youtube.” He gave me a quick smile and said “Let me know If I can help you with anything?” With my A rig in place, I headed back out to launch my boat and of course, the wind was starting to pick up. Launching my boat and sailing a couple of quick donuts in front of the dock I heard “ Len, bring your boat to the dock let’s make a couple of adjustments.” I smiled and thought to myself shit that’s Brig North helping me out with some pointers. I could not sail my boat back to the dock fast enough. After about five minutes Brigs relaunched my boat “Now that looks better, you're ready” North said. I’m thinking to myself shit this is really cool! After about three or four practice races Lemahieu came out on the door reminding me that his famous guacamole was going fast and the ordered BBQ had just arrived.

Most of the class had returned for the best BBQ brisket I have ever had, finding a park bench seat outside on the deck I joined Mark Golison, who I have known sailing in Southern California for years, Chris Collins and then had the honor to meet the person that really gets things done at these events Carrie LeMahieu. I also was fortunate to meet class secretary Russ Gardner, by the way, Russ, if you are reading this, I need to apologize again for that Port/Starboard foul at the finish line on day two… so embarrassing! The day ended with a couple of Chuckles provided top-shelf bourbon watching the sunset on White Rock Lake. PERFECT!!!!

The grading curve was steep and I finished with the fewest amount of gold stars next to my name similar to the spelling bee charts we had in grade school. Gonsalves came up to me on Sunday asking me if I was having a good time. My reply was “It’s all good, just wish my performance was better.” Gonsalves reminded me this is my first event, and to take notice of my grade curve when I return back to my local club. Leaving the club on Sunday for the airport I just noticed the license plate on the minivan I had rented said “Short Bus.”. “I’ll remember The Dallas Blow Out” and use it as my battle cry at my next Dragonflite 95 event.

The sailing was challenging and I will be attending the next Dallas Blowout, thanks again for the warm welcome everyone, and you too Chuckles!

Sea ya

On the Harbor: Harbor Commission addresses mooring issue changes

By LEN BOSE

It was a fascinating night at the Harbor Commission meeting this last Wednesday night (March 8), with the first sign of activity being when you have difficulty finding a parking place. The next point of interest is having a Newport Beach police officer standing in the corner of the chambers while more than 65 people are in attendance. Over my 15 years of covering the Harbor Commission, the only time an officer has been in attendance has been during harbor permits, marina, or mooring issues that have been placed on the agenda.

This time, it was the moorings that brought the crowd into the Council Chambers. On my arrival, I looked over the crowd with many of the same people attending that have a strong interest in the moorings – being mooring permit holders. First on the agenda was Council Policy H-1: Review of proposed changes to pier and float extensions beyond the pierhead line. My first thought is why is this topic first on the agenda and then it became obvious why the chambers were close to full. About three-quarters of the way through public works admin. manager Chris Miller’s presentation, it finally came to me that this topic has been around for longer than I have and how important these proposed changes are around the harbor.

Waterfront homeowners along with marina operators might want to take out at least one earbud to understand the staff’s upcoming recommendations. This is not a “Ring the Bell” topic, so my guess is you will want to understand who you would be talking to should you ever wish a change to your dock. A Bravo/Zulu, for a job well done, needs to be given to Miller for bringing a clearer understanding to pier head lines that circle our harbor. 

Now to the elephant in the room – a proposed pilot program to change the mooring system within our harbor. The history of the mooring system is lengthy, so let’s dive into the murky sand below the surface. Harbor Commissioner Ira Beer has been tasked with providing the Harbor Commission with a recommendation that can be presented to the City Council. Two of the many intentions of this objective are to come up with a way to decrease the size of the mooring fields and create more water space throughout the harbor. Should you want the long version of this topic go here, then hit the link “Current Agenda Packet,” head to Item 2 where you’ll find the mother lode of attachments. At the meeting, Commissioner Beer made his presentation, followed by the Newport Mooring Association rebuttal. This reminded me of the President of the United States’ “State of the Union address” followed by the rebuttal of the opposition party. What was the outcome? The Harbor Commission voted 5-1, with one member abstaining, because of a conflict of interest to proceed to the City Council with the Mooring field report.

At the City Council meeting, the Harbor Commission will be recommending a Pilot Program in the Mooring C field which is just to the east of Bay Island. One or two rows of mooring will be changed to the new mooring system, where the moorings and vessels will be observed to see if this new system will work throughout the harbor. I hope that the councilmembers noted Commissioner Don Yahn’s suggestion to monitor the pilot field for a whole year with winter and spring bringing the true test to the pilot mooring field.

There were a couple of comments made by the Newport Mooring Association (NMA) that made me go hmmmm. One was the clear understanding of the mooring permit transfers under the changes being proposed to the Title 17 Harbor Code for the new mooring system. When a NMA member asked for clarification from City Attorney Jeremy Jung, it was my understanding that he said, more than twice, there will be no change in the transfer of mooring permits process. It would be much more comforting to have clearer wording than what is proposed now within Title 17 and permit transfers. A couple of other topics also grabbed my attention within the new mooring system. Many people thought that one was to go bow to bow along a row of mooring. This is not my understanding: whichever way it is easier for you to approach your mooring is the route you should take. The other idea that I feel is important to recognize is that if the weather conditions are too difficult to get onto your mooring and harbor patrol is unavailable to assist you, the harbor has locations around your mooring area where you can stay until the weather conditions change. With that all said, it’s time to go sailing.

Sea ya.

~~~~~~~~

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

On the Harbor: Keeping you up-to-date on races, upcoming events

(L-R) Len Bose and Gene Elliot winning last week’s WD Schock Memorial regatta Harbor 20 A Fleet

By LEN BOSE

It’s been “Blowing Dogs off Chains” this week and now the downpour has started, so I will need to pull this story out of my duffle bag which regrettably resembles a suitcase with a retracting handle and wheels now.

The 2023 Islands Race was canceled this year because of the weather forecast along with southerly winds reaching 40 knots gusts, sea state, along with rain and cold temperatures. The race was scheduled for today (Friday, Feb. 24). Because I have been there and done that on this race, I will be smirking while picturing myself at 20:00 tonight in my robe, slippers and a bourbon snow cone in hand, while viewing the race tracker thinking just how warm and lucky I am to miss this race. I have competed in this race before, when the sea state was huge and very cold with unfortunately a loss of life that year when a competitor lost their rudder and ended up on the beach on San Clemente Island. This year’s conditions would have made that past race look like a walk in the park. The organizing authority has made the right decision for you, your crew and your boat. “Real yachtsmen don’t sail upwind” anyway. 

Because the weather forecast for this Saturday has rain predicted, attendance for the Mid-Winters this Saturday and Sunday is very low in the Harbor 20 fleet and Senior Sabot’s events. Last weekend’s American Legion Yacht Club event was canceled because only two boats entered. This is very sad news for our sport, so a champion needs to arise from the sail bags and re-light the passion for our club racing in town. Huge topic for another time.

Yet not everything has a low attendance this year. The Cabo race, sponsored by the NHYC, is at 36 entries which has doubled from the last race; it’s scheduled to start March 18. Missing this one is going to hurt, as I love this race. NHYC is also running the Palmer Cup March 26-28 along with the Baldwin Cup March 30-April 1 – these events will get the heart started again.

I repeat myself every year at this time The Balboa Angling Club is the best deal in town and has never been more active. On the horizon, is the Lily Call Tournament on April 15 and 16 in the harbor with four-pound line for croaker, corbina, halibut and bass. Next, they have the Yellowtail Seminar and potluck on June 1. Mark your calendars for the Helen Smith Offshore Tournament on July 22 and 23. And if haven’t started looking for a junior program for your little angler this summer, the Balboa Angling Club is the place.

Speaking of Junior summer programs, the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club’s summer sailing program in my opinion is one of the best in the harbor, led by Aubrey Mayer. Mayer has raised the bar so high, that this program will be filled by mid-March. Registration is now open, but don’t put this off or you will miss out. Go here to sign up.

I took another cruise around the harbor this week to get a better understanding of our harbor’s boating market. I stopped to talk to Dereck and Dave New at Basin Shipyard, then to Craig Chamberlain at NOVMAR yacht insurance, walked most all the docks around the harbor and just hung up the phone with our harbor’s best marine surveyor – Bunker Hill. All of us are recognizing a change in the marketplace, and I plan on keeping my findings to myself at this time while coming up with a new marketing plan. This 34-year yacht broker was cut from the Denison Yachting Team this week, where I was unable to produce the sales needed to stay on the team. The interesting results from my cruise is the awaking of a new market and a new and better way to service my clients, which I will be working on for the next couple of weeks.

I will be keeping my name as Len Bose Yacht Sales, because my wife Jenifer told me changing the name to “Grumpy Old Yacht Broker” was not a good idea.

Sea ya.

~~~~~~~~

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

On the Harbor: Taking stock of the boat business around town

Basin Shipyard

By LEN BOSE

It’s time to take a cruise around town and report back to you regarding the local marine industry. Quite often after hello, people will ask me how the boat business is going.

I start out by stating that as a salesman, the market is always active and booming. If you would allow me to review, this is how I believe the market will change this year, as I have discussed my options with marine surveyors, insurance brokers, lenders and shipyard managers.

We all have seen the COVID boat buyers enter the market over the last two years, which had increased demand on the brokerage market, especially with a supply chain affecting the new boat market while grinding production to a halt. During my cruise today, it is good to see the new boat dealers able to fill an inventory lot and slips. At the same time, the phone started ringing with boat owners asking to list their boats. This cycle has held true with most boat owners – keeping their boats for two years then quite often leaving boating because they have changed how they use their time or realized the high cost of slips and maintenance. In other words, they have stopped using their boats. We should have a good feel for what the boating market is doing at the Newport Beach In-Water Boat Show this April 27-29 at Lido Marina Village. Again, I have to paint everything rosy, so let’s hope we see plenty of new and brokerage boats attending. Denison Yachting will have a large display, so please stop by and ask my managers, “Where is Len Bose?”

Fast Exit II

The shipyards around town are busy as always. While walking through Newport Shipyard, I noticed two boats getting ready for the racing season. One of my favorite boats – the Far 57 Ho’okolohe owned by Alyson and Cecil Rossi – is in the paint tent and appears to be going through the whole boat. By now, John Raymont has to be the shipyard’s best friend. This Ker 51 Fast Exit has a new bow design and is one fast-looking machine. Fast Exit has one of my good friend’s Brad “Wheels” Wheeler signed on as navigator, so I will be pulling for Wheeler this season. Basin Shipyard is packed with boats, and if I was to guess, they are a couple of months out already. Don’t let that keep you from calling the owners Derek or Dave New. In fact, Dave referred me to Dave Estiri of Sea furniture (714.979.1454) who is helping me with a client’s exterior cockpit upholstery. To all my readers, Estiri is the man for any and all of your marine upholstery needs, so call Sea Furniture.

Continuing on my cruise, I noticed that the large charter boat fleet has been reduced to about a dozen boats, but that’s no real surprise. COVID had to have hit this industry the hardest. I also made a couple of calls around town with the word being that the lower bay dredging project will be going out to bid very soon, which keeps confidence high that the dredging will start within the next 90 days or sooner. Waterfront homeowners should mark their calendars soon to get in line to use the CAD to dispose of any unsuitable materials, should they be considering dredging their slips anytime soon. In roughly two years, the CAD will be available for one short period of time to dispose of these materials inexpensively. After that time, the CAD will be capped and not reopened.

On the sailing racing scene, we are sheeted in and maxing out with this Saturday’s RC Volvo 70 Mid-Winter, being sailed at Mason Lake in Irvine. This Sunday, the NHYC will be wrapping up its winter series, followed by next weekend’s NHYC Corkett Harbor 20 two-day regatta. That leads into our harbor’s Mid-Winters on February 25 and 26. Hold on, it looks like things are shaping up for another great season.

Sea ya.

~~~~~~~~

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

On the Harbor: Upcoming regattas to ready for the TransPac and RC racing

 

Volvo 70's at Mason Park Irvine

                                                          By LEN BOSE 

 Alright, “Boats in the water!” We are on the clock. This is what we hear going into the starting sequence when remote control (RC) sailing. The sailing season is teed up, so let’s head out to the starting line for the 2023 season.

Every odd year is the main event – TransPac, a yacht race to Hawaii. In preparation for this, teams will compete in two big events: Newport Harbor Yacht Club’s Islands and the Cabo race.

The Islands race can smack you upside the head, requiring you to be at the top of your game to start off the season with your new team. Extremely cold, hazardous conditions with large seas and strong winds will test your skill level while rounding the back side of San Clemente Island. All this shakes out your crew quickly, with skippers making the hard decision to substitute crew members going into TransPac.

Our harbor has four very strong teams preparing for this season’s offshore events.

Craig Reynolds sailing his Nelson/Marek 70 Bolt, his boat was at the builder’s for most of the off-season refitting her to make her faster. The Ker 51 Fast Exit II has been continuously upgraded, if the crew can hang on to her, she will be a contender. Speaking of contenders – Steve Sellinger’s Santa Cruz 52 Triumph is the boat to bet on. She too went through a refit during this off-season, so I’m hoping she has kept her team together and I am looking forward to seeing that team on the podium. This will not be easy with two very strong teams shaping up from the Long Beach area. My good friend Dave Clark, sailing his Santa Cruz 70 Grand Illusion is always strong, being one of the best-prepared boats in the fleet. These two teams, Bolt and Grand Illusion will be competing in the most competitive division in this year’s TransPac, with the odds-on favorite being Roy Disney’s Andrews 68 Pyewacket.

Back on the local front, the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club (BCYC), has completed its Hot Rum series with six on-the-harbor races over the last three months. At the time of this writing, the results have not been updated, although 14 boats have entered the series. Standouts in this series have been Dan Rossen’s Problem Child in A fleet, The Rosene Family sailing Radical Departure in B fleet and Bob Wine aboard Carioca in C Fleet. BCYC will be hosting this year’s Harbor 20 MidWinters on February 25 and 26, the Angelman Series on February 11 and the Bogart Race to Catalina on March 18 and 19, one of the best PHRF races of the year. I plan on looking for a boat to sail on for this one, as Catalina will be extra green this year.

The Newport Harbor Yacht Club is carrying the most sail area up going into the sailing season by hoisting the Winter Series for H20s and Lehman 12s, the Islands and Cabo races, along with the Spring Gold Cup for the sabots on March 11 and 12. If that’s not a full boat, let’s add in The Palmer and Baldwin Team racing regattas at the end of March. NHYC sailing director Jess Gerry has installed a pipe berth in his office, because he is going to be on watch for the next two months. 

Over “across the pond” at Mason Lake in Irvine, the Orange County Model Sailing Club (www.ocmsc.org) hosts four different classes of RC boats – the Volvo 70s and Dragonflite 95 and 65s along with the US1 Meters. On December 10 and 11, the Volvo 70s had their class championships with 15 competitors on the starting line. Looking over the results you will find many familiar names including Jim Sears, Gene Elliot, Chuck Simmons and me, who all belong to local yacht clubs. That’s just the Volvo 70s, because if you own a Volvo 70 you also should have a Dragonflite 95 (DF95s). In the last event of the 2022 season, 18 DF95s showed up. The DF95 is an international class with regattas sailing around the world, attracting many of the world’s best sailors. Locally in our harbor, Sears has made it into the top 15 nationally. Long Beach sailor Mark Golison has made it to the top nationally and into the top 12 globally.

If you are interested in sailing an RC boat, the Volvo 70s will be sailing their MidWinters on Saturday, Feb 12 and the DF95s will be sailing at Mason. One quickly appreciates the nonexistent slip fees with these RC boats. Let’s go sailing!

Sea ya.

~~~~~~~~

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

On the Harbor: Remembering Douglas M. West

Doug West with his wife, Irene

By LEN BOSE

I opened up one of those emails this week that just takes the wind out of your sails and then reminds you just how short life is. Or do you recall the last time you had the wind knocked out of you, how long it feels before you get your breath back? That’s how I felt when I opened up the celebration of life invitation for Douglas West.

I wrote a story about him back in 2013, “Digging Doug’s work on the harbor.” You can read it here.

You can find the Douglas M. West obituary here.

These two stories provide you with an overview of his life and what a memorable celebration of life this event will be.

 I first met Doug West at a yacht club meeting where he was the chairman of the club’s cruisers. There was a question brought up about the published cruisers’ schedule. West was unaware of the conflict in scheduling and the task of rescheduling was solved the next day. I quickly recognized that West got to the tasks at hand with the highest degree of professionalism.

This is how West became a Harbor Commissioner and Commodore of the Balboa Yacht Club in a very short order of time. The amazing thing is that his improvements to the two organizations are still very much implemented today. Two of the many accomplishments that West completed while as a Harbor Commissioner was creating the Commissions Objectives along with the way to ensure these objectives were accomplished. This type of management skill had not been seen before. West also recognized the need for the Regional General Permit (RGP) 54 to streamlining the dredging permitting process.

West did not only come up with the RGP 54 concept, he got very much involved. According to Harbor Resource Manager Chris Miller, “Doug would take up an active role in reaching an objective. I recall all the different times we would drive up together to all the different government agency meetings. Doug was able to relate and relay different information to me which was invaluable. Still today, I think of Doug West and use many of his techniques at accomplishing goals with attention to all the details.”

I also placed a call to Harbormaster Paul Blank, who I had recalled in previous conversations that West was a mentor for him. Blank pointed out that as a Harbor Commissioner, his professionalism and sensitivity in quietly engaging commissioners to complete their objectives was to be remembered. As a commodore, his skills at brand identity, or why people choose to be members of the Balboa Yacht Club was also a tool to keep in use.

For me, it was West’s personal touch, on topics he knew I had a personal interest in. He would meet with me for breakfast or lunch at his request. He was an extremely easy person to approach while sincerely considering many of my silly ideas. At the same time, I recall a couple of Harbor Commission meetings when he would firmly remind people when they were out of order.

As a yachtsman, West took the same professional approach to maintaining his vessel. I would find him quite often just sitting in the cockpit of his Tiara looking over the harbor…just taking it all in. We spent a lot of time discussing the different coves in Catalina and where we would go if surprised by the weather and how we would anchor at these different coves around the island.

My two favorite quotes from West were while talking about Catalina: “It’s like another world over there.” I can still see the smile on his face each time I walked up to him while he was aboard his boat, Islander. The other quote was “Staying involved with what you love is extraordinarily satisfying.”

Sea ya.

~~~~~~~~

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

The Harbor Report: Digging Doug's work on the harbor

Irene and Doug West aboard "Islander." (Courtesy Len Bose / May 16, 2013)

By Len Bose

May 16, 2013 | 3:59 p.m.

As I work my way around the harbor each week, I always look for people I would like to emulate. One such person is Doug West, and I have said this before about Doug and his efforts as chairman of the Newport Beach Harbor Commission. He wants to help and improve our boating activities and harbor. "I want to become part of our community," he explained during an interview this week. So for my own selfish reasons, I wanted to learn about the man and ask him a few questions.

Doug grew up in Michigan and, as a child, spent summers in Nantucket Sound and Martha's Vineyard. At the age of eight, he took his first sail aboard a friend's 26-foot wooden sailboat. "That's the day I got hooked on boats," he said. "I still remember that sail." He later attended Michigan State University and then spent three years in the Peace Corps in Jamaica, working in the fishing industry building boats.

On his return home, he enrolled at Michigan State's College of Law and then went to work at the Ford Motor Co. in the litigation department and product liability. In 1982, he was recruited by Toyota and continued to work his way up the food chain, where he spent his last five years in government relations in Washington, D.C. and then retired in 2006.

Doug has three children from a previous marriage and met his , Irene, in 1986 when they first moved to Newport Beach. After living in Japan for a year and Washington, D.C. for five years, he and Irene returned to Newport Beach upon his retirement from Toyota.

Ever since moving to Newport Beach, Doug has owned power boats and now owns a Tiara 36 by the name of Islander. Each year, he and Irene return to Martha's Vineyard, and for most of his boating life, he has cruised Nantucket Sound. "I have two oceans and one boat," he told me as he started to describe his boating life. "I really love coastal cruising." He and Irene have spent a lot of time cruising Southern California from Santa Barbara down to San Diego and countless trips to Catalina. While describing Catalina, Doug said, "It's like another world over there." The two of them take an annual Catalina cruise each year for 10 days and even make it to the back side of the island to spend time in Little Harbor.

People learn from their mistakes, so I asked Doug what his biggest boating blunder was. He went on to tell me about a trip from Old Saybrook, Conn. to City Island in New York. He had misjudged the weather and sea conditions, and on his return back to Old Saybrook, he explained, "It wasn't a happy day for my first mate. My routine now is to watch the weather and the sea state before heading out."

Since joining the Balboa Yacht Club in 2006, Doug and Irene have chaired the Cruisers and last year's opening day, and he now sits on the club's board of directors. When I asked him why he volunteers so much of his time to BYC and our harbor, he said, "The sea is in my blood, and it gives me a sense of purpose and a sense of focus. That's why I do it."

That sense of focus is what has grabbed my attention to Doug, and the thought of working with such a person and truly making a difference in our harbor makes a person feel good. We have a good leader at this time, and now is the time to get involved with the harbor. Think of my observation as a type of stock — insider trading, if you will. The time is now to get active and participate within our harbor.

Wish me luck again this weekend. I will be competing in the last of the Lorin Weiss Harbor 20 series sailed out of Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club.

Sea ya.

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

On the Harbor: Counting down my favorite 10 stories of 2022

 

 By LEN BOSE

The months seem to fly by faster than a 100-foot racing sailboat; while looking back over the year I have forgotten more than I care to admit. Not a bad intro, right? The truth is this that this time of year I am fat, lazy and I really don’t want to work that hard. My mind is on one of my remote control boats that I plan on sailing as soon as I am done writing this. So, let’s count down my favorite 10 stories of 2022.

10. Now that I have hung up my sea boots, it’s all about remote control RC, sailboat racing. Mid-summer, I reviewed some of the long histories of RC racing in our harbor while describing my passion for my new hobby. My write-up on RC Sailboat Racing is found here.

9. I’m not done with racing my Harbor 20 with my favorite event of the summer being BCYC Taco Tuesdays. This year we reflected back on all the hard work Commodore Rhonda Tolar and her team puts into Taco Tuesdays at BCYC. To read about it, click here.

8. If you have a boat with Yamaha Outboards then you need to meet Nick Kelly. Over the last 10 years, it’s been no secret who the go-to person is around town to service your Yamaha outboards. That is Nick Kelly, the owner of West Coast Marine Service, located at 1555 Newport Blvd. in Costa Mesa. To read about it, click here. 

7. Harbormaster Paul Blank. This story was an interesting review of the previous year that Harbormaster Paul Blank had. From oil spills and tsunami warnings to people trying to steal boats, read it here.

6. Keeping the Yachtsmen’s Luncheon an honored tradition. This event has taken place since they placed water in the harbor. At the beginning of the year, it was looking like the Yachtsmen’s could not find a host for their monthly meetings. I wrote about some of the history of the luncheon. The good news is that the custodians of the luncheon have worked hard and kept the event alive. If you have never attended, make sure you give it a try. Read about it here.

      5. Harbor Dredging and the Wedge. This was a review of the upcoming harbor dredging, along with how some of the sand from the harbor might help restore the sand at the wedge. Dredging is top shelf news in our harbor, as I am sure it will be in 2023. Read about it here.

4. Mooring rental rates were the topic of a Harbor Commission meeting. My gut tells me mooring rates and mooring permits will be the hot topic of 2023, too. Before I comment, I will need to spend more time with the Harbor Commissioners this coming year to obtain a full understanding of what is being placed on the table. This story was about the shore mooring fees and the first step by the Harbor Commission to come up with an updated value for the permits. Read it here.

3. While I am writing about moorings, dredging and now the CAD project, I kept thinking of the early Eddie Murphy delirious skit when his uncle Guss lights the BBQ fire – “Now that’s a Fire.” – because I get the feeling I am throwing gasoline on the fire when I bring up these topics. This story talks about the CAD system and the proposed new mooring fields. This is and was the hot topic on the harbor this year. Read about it here.

Phillip Ramser

2. We lost two very good souls this year – Ben Benjamin and Phillip Ramser – both of them good friends and never forgotten. You can find Ben’s tribute here.

Ben Benjamin

1. Something tells me you already know what this year’s top story was “Destruction derby to harbor aboard the stolen vessel.” The docks have all been finally repaired, yet who can forget Joel Praneet Siam’s “harbor cruise” earlier this year? What a crazy way to wrap up 2022. Read about it here.

That’s a wrap on 2022 time to go sailing!

Sea ya next year.

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

On the Harbor: holiday gift ideas for boaters

Kathy Hill, owner of Crews Quarters Newport

By LEN BOSE

With Christmas quickly approaching, you might be considering gift ideas for your crew or captain. If you are new to boating, the best gift you can receive is a slip in Newport Harbor, but we all understand that’s not going to happen very easily. For those of you fortunate enough to have a boat and even a slip in town, let’s talk about some Christmas gifts that are available in a short period of time.

For all of my Duffy boat owners, if you don’t already have Duffy Care, then this is the golden ticket of Duffy presents. Duffy Care is an annual maintenance service that has the Duffy crew come to your boat monthly to clean the boat – top to bottom – along with maintaining your batteries. And at the end of the year, they’ll haul the boat, apply bottom paint and detail it. This is a huge value. Other ideas are underwater lights or maybe new teak and holly matting for your cabin sole.

I stopped by Basin Marine (829 Harbor Island Drive #A, Newport Beach) this week and talked to owner, Derek New. New had many good ideas. One of my favorites was a mooring sand line hauler. This item makes it easy to pick up the sand lines by passing the sand line through a stainless-steel open loop which has a tether attached on the other end of the loop allowing you to easily bring the sand line from bow to stern. This is especially helpful if you have the type of boat that makes it difficult to walk down the side or if you just don’t want to get your hands murky.

Another great gift is the Cheater bar from Top Shelf Marine that allows you to free up those thru-hulls you need to add some leverage to. If you’re looking for something to really get the attention of other boaters in Catalina at 5 p.m., or on your Duffy, look up or ask New about Kahlenberg pleasure craft and yacht horns. If you want to blow the socks off someone, this is it.

Basin Marine has a large selection of underwater lights to consider that can be installed during your next haul out. Speaking of haul outs, they also offer gift certificates that would be deeply appreciated by your skippers. I’d recommend you schedule your spring haul out now, because the yard was jammed packet while I was there.

If you are considering a new sound system for your boat, I couldn’t be more pleased with the service from Hendersons Car Audio at 2137 Harbor Blvd. in Costa Mesa. I have been sending customers to them for years and I always receive good reviews of their work.

By now you might be saying well that’s all well and good Len, but I don’t own a boat of my own nor do I have a slip. Well, if you are looking for a boat parade gift or yachting apparel, then you have to go by and visit Crews Quarters Newport, located at 333 E. 17th St., Ste. 4 in Costa Mesa. I stopped by and visited with owner Kathy Hill this week. The store is full of great ideas for the boat owner that has everything. Plates, cups, pillows, the ideas are endless…with all kinds of different personalized items. Hill mentioned that many of these have very quick turnaround times. There was yachting attire for kids, women and men that caught my attention. Hill also showed me items for the galley or heads with different towels and soaps along with many grab-and-go items, as well as personalized stationery. If you are not sure what your favorite crew or skipper might want, there are always gift certificates available. Crews Quarters Newport is a must-see for many of your holiday gifts, and the best part is that it’s easy to get in and out of the parking lot. Hill will take care of you with old-fashioned personalized customer service, which these days can be almost as difficult to find as a slip.

My last recommendation for personalized fender covers, hats, shirts, crew bags or a custom boat flag is to head to Sunset Printing and Graphics at 8580 Hamilton Ave. in Huntington Beach. Denise and Will Hawes have done a fantastic work for me over the years from personalizing boat names to embroidering, trophy ideas and banners. I give Denise an overview of what I am looking for and let her go from there. I have never been disappointed with their work.

I am reminding all of you, the Christmas Boat Parade runs December 14-18, so it is always a good idea to run the parade route during the day before the parade begins to look for any hazards.

Sea yak! 

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