So far so good with my good friend Nat Fuqua

When you round the last mark and are heading downwind towards the finish line of life it feels good to reflect back before that last gybe into the finish. One is reminded of just how long the racecourse has been while being determined to cross in good order, and fortunate not to have had to withdraw early from the race because of a breakdown. 

   So far so good with my good friend Nat Fuqua competing in this race of life. I estimate we met in 1970 when he moved into the neighborhood. The group of kids at the end of the cul-de-sac on Regatta Street in Huntington Beach were all very good athletes. We played every sport until the street lights came on each day. Baseball, football, street hockey we were all very competitive. Fuqua and I have memorable stories for each sport, at the end of the 8th grade, Nat moved out of the area and returned to graduate from Edison High in the last semester of our senior year. We attended our senior prom together and partied until the street lights were turned off. We attend Aerosmith, Cal Jam 2, Kiss, and Rolling Stones concerts, and have a great story about driving home in a big ass Cadillac from the Lynyrd Skynyrd concert. 

Just out of High School Fuqua decided he wanted to be an airline pilot and started flying lessons. One weekend we decided we would fly to Palm Springs with a couple of dates for dinner. We got lost over the Salton Sea on our return home that night and spent the night in some small town on the Mexican border. Our dates thought we had this all planned as we only could afford a room with one double bed in it.

Fuqua soared into his flying career while I started to sail almost every day. We always thought how cool it would be if he flew over one of the boats I was on during a big race. He was my best man at my wedding while I was his best man. We stayed in touch over the years sometimes going years before hanging out again. 

As we start this last downwind run towards the finish line of life the attached photos add thousand of words to our race reflecting on just how good it has been flying and sailing through life. We both toast each time we meet that neither of us has had to work day in our lives.

We are getting together this weekend for a type of bucket list Sunday. Fuqua purchased killer seats for the Cardinals/49’ers game followed up with front row center for ZZ Top that night. I bought us “Sharp dressed man” ZZ-Top Cowboy hats, some new cheap shades, and a little something for the football game. I’m so excited I think I pooped a little!

Sea ya

Bose 6th Grade

Fuqua 6th Grade

Bose 7th Grade

Fuqua 7th Grade

Bose 8th Grade

Fuqua 8th Grade

Hot for Teacher 8th Grade

Senior Prom

Fuqua Best Man at my Wedding

Today

ZZ Top May, 2022

On the Harbor: Good Samaritans who are helping keep our bay clean

By LEN BOSE

In my recent travels around the harbor, I noticed a new boat in the harbor named Good Samaritan. The word “samaritan” has multiple meanings, yet this one fits the boat’s name: A person who helps others; A person who is compassionate and helps someone in need, especially when they are not obligated to do so. For example, you might describe someone as a Good Samaritan if they purchased a boat and the crew to help clean up the harbor of trash and debris. (I edited that definition a little at the end.)

Well, that is what REALTOR® Tim Smith has done by commissioning Elastic Work Boats from Carmi, Ill. to build a 25’ custom Omini Catamaran that is powered by a 50hp Suzuki outboard that features a large skimmer that can collect more than 1,000 pounds of debris into a cage, which can be crane-lifted out to dispose of the different materials hauled from the harbor. Other features included handrails, bow rollers, VHF radio, hard top, and commercial rub rails. This is the proper vessel for this job with no expense spared. I have not had a chance to talk to Smith on the phone yet, but without a doubt, he did his due diligence and has purchased a vessel that will last for many years. It’s my understanding that a non-profit group will be formed to cover expenses from storage, maintenance, and the skipper. I am not sure how Smith found long-time charter boat Captain Robert Sloan to operate the vessel, but after talking to Sloan over the phone and then just by chance running into him on the harbor the following day, Smith has hit it out of the park again. There is no one better for this job, and after meeting Sloan he is my new best friend.

“I have been a charter boat captain most of my life and have always stopped to pick up trash, now I get paid to stop (and do this), so it’s the perfect job for me,” Sloan said. He works three days a week and eight hours each day on this project. He also runs a couple of boats at the Sea Scout Base for a couple of other non-profit groups.

His clean-up route takes him from Upper Newport Bay and then counterclockwise around the harbor with stops along the open beaches, public dock, marinas, yacht clubs, and under the different bridges. “I have learned where the trash accumulates over the last month and a half that we have been on the harbor,” Sloan said. What surprised me is that he is walking that extra mile by walking all of the harbor’s beaches and patrolling the waterways. Sloan does have one crew member who joins him every day and that is his dog, Xena. I have never seen a happier dog and I am very envious of Sloan being at work on the harbor with his dog. The two of them have found some interesting items – not just tennis balls floating down the harbor but refrigerator doors, ice coolers, and huge deadhead logs, and the season doesn’t really start until winter when the rains flush out the uplands. “It’s as clean as it gets right now, although when it rains it’s all going to be a mess again,” Salon said

 Most of the time Sloan uses a type of pool pole and net to pull the debris from the water and has come up with some of his own ideas by placing a type of barbed zip tie on the end of the pole to grab items and then pull them out of rocks or tight spaces. After each day’s work, Sloan heads to Marina Park to use the crane there and weigh in, then disposes his catch.

According to Harbormaster Paul Blank, “We had a goal (of collecting debris) for the first fiscal year which began July 1 of 1,200 pounds of debris. With the two teams working together and starting to weigh in, our catches as of August 3 were at 2,281.3 lbs.,” said Blank. That’s mind-blowing to me, because the season has not even started yet and we have “The Beast” in the bullpen with the Trash Interceptor going into service very soon in Upper Newport Bay.

I hope to catch Tim Smith on the phone soon and ask him how he came up with such a great idea, what are the future plans for the clean-up boat, and how we can all donate to this project. One of the vessel banners reads: Who you work with matters.

That takes on a whole new meaning to me, while making me feel good about our harbor.

Sea ya.

~~~~~~~~

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

On the Harbor: Pacific Airshow this weekend and a recap of recent events

(L-R) Joshua Legg and Greg Helias, 2024 H20 Fleet Championship winners

By LEN BOSE

It’s that time of year when I am waving to the fighter jet pilots from my office window, and believe it or not I have had the pilots return my wave with a salute in previous years practicing for the Huntington Beach Airshow. Speaking of war jets, I completely missed the fact that the War Heroes on the Water were in the house that second to last weekend of September. That same weekend was the Harbor 20 Championships, and my predictions were very accurate this year. We also have most if not all of our harbor channel markers now eliminated.

On Saturday, Sept. 21, the War Heroes on Water “WHOW” commanded the harbor filling the anchorage and the harbor with some of the best-looking vessels located on our coast. If I’m not mistaken, this is the seventh year running the parade and fishing tournament, with each year bringing in more yachts and people. It’s all about saving the lives of our veterans through public awareness and fundraising, and providing a platform for veterans to strengthen their spirit and move forward towards purpose and healing. I refer to the event as WOW, because of all the yachts and people involved. My understanding is that the fishing tournament brings so many people to Avalon that it’s the busiest day of the year for the shore boats.

This leads into the Huntington Beach Airshow, taking place October 4-6, with the weather forecast showing flat sea conditions and mid-70s air temp. Saturday looks like the best day; the chance of fog diminishing from Friday. Sunday looks like it will be baking out on the water, with the air temperature forecasted at 85. Either way, it’s a great day on the water featuring the Thunderbirds, Canadian Snowbirds, F-22 Raptor Team, 122d F-15 Fighter Squadron and much more. This event always seems to make summer go out with a boom!

In my last column, I talked about the Harbor 20 fleet championships that sailed on September 21 and 22. My C Fleet predictions were a little off with Erika Foy and Paul Noring sailing away from most of the fleet, other than Team Kelly, who only finished five points behind to take second place. I was a little closer with my picks in B Fleet with Tucker Cheadle and Steve Schupak leading John Bubb after the first day, and for whatever reason he could not make it to the race course on Sunday, allowing Bubb to take B Fleet. Welcome to A Fleet John, you sailed fast this last season, and I am sure you will hold your own next season in A Fleet.

I hit my predictions perfectly in A Fleet with Team Legg and Helias winning the Class Championships. They had a slow start placing 11th in the first two races of the series, but Helias told me after the event that he mentioned the curse of me picking them to win after the second race. That must have lifted the bad jujum because they won six out of the last 10 races. Team Wiese finished in second place with Thompson and Conzelman taking third place, and Team Campbell in fourth. Chuck Simmons and I finished a hard-fought battle in seventh place. We’ve had many 4th or 6th place finishes, with our best finish being a 2nd. We felt good about our effort, but made too many mistakes mixed in with some bad luck.

In the middle of September, Harbormaster Paul Blank sent out a notice that most if not all the racing, anchorage and aids to navigation in the lower bay have now been illuminated. This is one of those small upgrades to the harbor that is more difficult to accomplish than you can imagine. Now we can hope that the next item is the county or Orange Sheriff’s Department seeing the light, and providing lights on the upper bay channel markers sometime in the near future.

If we are really lucky, maybe the Coast Guard might even see the light and change out the three remaining “old-fashioned” channel markers and replace them with smaller buoys when they start dreading next year. I know I’m reaching for the stars on that one, yet we can only wish.

Sea ya.

~~~~~~~~

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

On the Harbor: Dredging, Harbor 20 Fleet Championships and the upcoming Pacific Airshow…there’s a lot going on

By LEN BOSE

This summer has sailed past us at the speed of an America’s Cup boat on its foils, yet we still have a couple of marks to round before fall arrives and the harbor cools down. This week, I had a chance to catch up with a couple of my harbor sources regarding dredging, the Harbor 20 fleet preparing for the fleet championships this weekend, and let’s not forget, the Pacific Airshow in Huntington Beach.

While attending the Yachtsman’s Luncheon at the Newport Yacht Club on September 4, it was brought up that the city has found a new way to dispose of the unsuitable materials that are in the lower harbor. The original plan has been the Confined Aquatic Disposal (CAD) Project, which is the hole in the harbor, that can be dug and placed in the anchorage off of Lido Isle and later capped off after the unsuitable materials have been placed inside the hole.

We’ve all read that many residents did not like that concept and found a way to hold up the dredging through the courts. The city recently learned that another option has resurfaced taking place in the Port of Long Beach Pier G fill next year. This is very similar to the process that we used to dispose of unsuitable materials during the harbor’s last dredging. These materials are placed on a scow and towed up to Long Beach for disposal. Problem solved. Let’s get to dredging the lower harbor back to its original depths and now everyone is happy. Well, guess what, the devil is always in the details and there are a whole lot of hurdles to get past before this idea can be implemented. My take is that this is an option that has worked in the past, and an all-out effort must be undertaken to achieve the same goal. By no means is this a done deal, and it is my understanding that the CAD project is not off the table, should the other plan not work out. For some strange reason, this is analogous to taking my dog to the park and picking up after him. Let’s just hope we brought enough waste bags, and there is a trash can nearby. 

Moving on to my favorite subject – sailing – this weekend is the 27th Harbor 20 fleet championships with 25 competitors entered at the time of this writing. There are seven boats entered in C class that are only racing on Sunday, which I feel is a great idea after racing both days last weekend in the warm-up events. My money will be on Team Kovacevic – Carolyn and Dominic – who had a strong showing in last week’s NHYC Fall Regatta. At the same time, Team Kelly with Devon on the helm while Greg is crewing is a very fast team; this will be very close, as anyone in the fleet placing the dots together can win. In B fleet, there are six boats entered; this is going to be a very close race between Tucker Cheadle and Steve Schupak sailing Summer Dream and John Bubb sailing Tiger. Bubb has been on fire this summer finishing in second in the Flight and showing great boat speed all year. With team Cheadle/Schupak having the consistency to win this division, I’m betting on them to take the pickle dish. In A Fleet with 12 boats entered, don’t look at last weekend’s results in the Fall Cup because somehow I won that race. Like I said, sometimes anyone can connect the dots, and Chuck Simmons and I were going fast. The real race is going to come down to four teams: Team Wiese, Team Legg and Helias, Team Campbell, and Team Thompson and Conzelman.

My guesses over the years are kind of like my chances of being on the cover of Sports Illustrated – I rarely have been proven right. So with great thought, I am going with Team Legg and Helias, who both sailed together at USC. Legg has returned home to Cape Cod for the summers and has been on top of the very competitive Herreshoff 12 fleet for a long time, teaming up with past fleet champion Greg Helias, who is without a doubt one of our harbor’s best. This team showed speed to burn last week and would have easily won last weekend if it was a two-day regatta. They will have to show up with their game faces on because Team Thompson and Conzelman are the most consistent team on the harbor. Teams Campbell or Wiese (if sailing at their best which they normally do) could sail away with the regatta on the first day. It reads as if I spread enough bad juju over my competitors and can only hope for the best. I know it will be fun because it always is when sailing with Simmons. Both A and B fleet are sailing in the normal two-day regatta.

Keep in mind the Huntington Beach Pacific Airshow is October 4-6, and it’s one of the busiest times on the harbor. It reminds me of the Ensenada Race back in the day with hundreds of boats leaving the harbor all at once. The show is best experienced from the water, so you need to call up your long-lost friends with a boat and ask them what they are doing that weekend. Make sure you bring some good rosé with you.

Sea ya.

~~~~~~~~

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

ALL IN! "2006 FLASHBACK with Nick Scandone"

On Thursday June 8 about 10:00 A.M. the phone rings “ Len it’s Nick, can you go to Connecticut with me on Monday for nine days? Jerry Thomson hurt his shoulder and I need someone to help me out. There is a boat you can use in the race” It took me about two seconds, “I’m in, just let me run it by my family”. About two hours later I called Nick to let him know I was all in and to go over the schedule and what I needed to bring. First thing Nick told me was gloves and a good spray guard top. At first I thought I could pull out a top five finish but I was soon informed at Beercans that night that I would be lapped by Nick and would have my tail handed to me. I thought it was good idea to practice on Nick’s back up boat that was still at Balboa Yacht Club that Saturday. Getting into the boat I kind of felt like one of those big headed sports cartoon commercials. After about three hours of practice I learned four things I needed. Gloves, Spray top, learn how to drive this thing straight and how to get my big head under the boom. At this point I still had dreams of placing in the top seven. Like any good one design boat, a lot of time is needed for boat preparation and leaving the dock in good order. If you’re setting on sheets, halyards and dock lines and extra parts it makes for a tough start, which I came to learn very fast. The 2.4mR is not all that easy to sail. At a leeward mark rounding you have to move the mast aft, tighten up your outhaul, put on your back stay, retract the whisker pole, main & jib in, and keep the boat going straight. Try it sometime and you will see what it entails.

June 12& 13. Nick and I land at JFK and make it hotel without getting lost and over to the Noroton Yacht Club the following day to rig Nicks boat and get it ready for the race. After washing, silicone waxing and Mclubing all the moving parts Nick was ready for the race. Just then Peter Wilson came up and said hello to Nick and introduced himself. This is when I first saw the boat I was going to use this weekend. Expecting an old dog barley able to get out of it own way I was presently surprised to see a very lightly use one year old boat. Just then Tom Sergo, the owner of the boat, came up and introduced himself. Everything looked like brand new from sails to extra parts and everything was made available to my use.

Its amazing the respect you get when your hanging out with the world champion and Rolex yachtsmen of the year. After Tom left I looked at Nick “ Great, I said, now I have to worry about what I am going to break” Nick laughed and we pushed the boats over to the crane and splashed the boats. Nick and I are out about a mile offshore catching the last race of practice that day. After the race Nick and I elect to stay out and do some straight line tuning. We had been sailing for about thirty minutes and Nick is circling back to line up next to me when BLAM! . Nick, “ What the hell was that?” I said “ What do you mean what the hell was that, what the hell is a rock doing way in the hell out here”. We return back to the yacht club and on hauling out I find out that I will need a fiberglass guy. Just as we haul the boat out Nick looks over and asked Gene Hinkel if he can help me with my blunder. By half way through the next day Gene had repaired my boat and it looked like new. Nothing better than hanging out with the Yachtsman of the year especially when you have to call the owner of the boat and tell him you just sailed his new boat into a rock. Fortunately, Tom was way cool about it and even let me continue to use his boat.

June 15
1st day racing with wind coming in from the north, over the land, and creating large shifts, with a strong current through out the day. 1st race is blowing 12 to 16 from the north with the swell beginning to build. Big starting line and starting in the middle of the line most of the day, heading to the left side of the course and tacking in the shifts to stay in the middle of the course so you don’t get killed from one side or the other or over stand because of current. I missed the first two big shifts just trying to drive the boat in 16 knots of breeze, trying not to hit anyone and sail. Nick was in third and second most of the race and on the first beat he over stood the weather mark, because of the current, and lost five boats and finished tenth in that race.
2nd race 1st day, wind now up to 17 with puffs to 21. Nick takes off with the top four boats and these guys are in their own league and take a big lead and hold it to the finsh with Nick taking a 4th this race. Way back in the fleet I round 11th after the first beat and while heading down the first run the wind stays around 12 to 15 no problem. Just I approach the leeward gate and pick the right mark of the gate and try to get in on the inside of Peter Wilson we get hit by a 21 knot puff that brings back memories of the old IOR days with the rolling from side to side now just 10 boat lengths from the mark I go in to this HUGE round down and no idea were I will end up. Looking for the weather side to hold on to I some how come out of the roll, flat and flying at the mark and leave Pete about three boat lengths behind and going to the left mark. Somehow I think Pete was just trying to keep out of my way, when I got to the mark I was in fourth place and started on the second beat and again blew it at the end of the beat and rounded 9th and proceeded to lose two boats on the run and had my best finish of 11th in the windiest race. So, I thought the first race was 17th this race was 11th, I should make it to 7th by the third race. I was OK with this.

3rd race I get rolled at the start and tack away and then don’t see a starboard tacker and have to-do a last second tack, go back to the right and someone else tacks on me and I am in the back of the fleet that fast. I round the weather mark after missing a huge shift way way in DFL, dam embarrassing!! And complete the 1st run DFL. On the run I notice these huge 40-degree puffs coming in from the left side of the course. The whole fleet went to the right gate and since I was DFL I was going left. I was the only one out to the left by so far you had to call it something other than a flyer, maybe slingshot position. Yea that’s it sling shot position! During this time Nick has stayed in second place although at the 1st weather mark he had hit the mark and waited to do his circle until after the clearing mark. Nicks closest non-able sailor Bruce Miller was telling Nick he had to have cleared himself before the clearing mark? Nick went down the run holding onto 2nd place and took off to the right side of the course. Nick said, " I was in second when the left started to come in and I was going to wait until it shifted back and the wind just kept going left". Nick rounded 15th and the wind was now blowing around 18knots and we were all wet and cold which made it double for Nick. At this point Nick saw this race as his throw out and retired from the race. Mean while out on the left side of the course for the first time of my life the "Sling Shot” was working. I kept looking under my boom and I was now ahead of everyone in the back of the fleet and as the wind kept going left the next time I looked under the boom I was ahead of everyone other than the top three. I said " Ok time to SHUT UP AND DRIVE" and not going to look under the boom again until one of the top three boats crossed me everyone else was way back and could not even come close to me on starboard. Then it happens, I lose my steering with the foot peddles and go head to wind in 20 knots of wind in these little boats in a HUGE swell spitting salt water like a bilge pump. I was lucky and brought handheld VHF and called for assistants. Betsy came right up and gave me an idea on how to hand steer. Just when I was ready to throw in the towel I figured out how to control the boat and completed the race. Unfortunately I lost the whole fleet again practicing my 360 off to the left for five minutes and held on to my DFL. Came to find out that about five boats had dropped out because the conditions.
So off to West Marine for some 5200 and try to make the repair to the steering system. It looked good for the next day? That night I had a chance to meet everyone who was now at the event and try to wash all the salt water out my mouth. Good times meeting everyone from Canada, Puerto Rico, and around the U.S. Getting washed around in that little bath tub they call a 2.4 meter does work on you and the no-see-ums were coming out big so we elected to head back to the barn early that night.

June 16
Race day 2 three more races that day and Nick had his game face on. The forecast was for light winds out of the west. We had to wait a long bit for the wind to come in and it did from the north again. It filled to about 13 and lumpy. This time the leeward pin was favored and I hit it at full speed and might have crossed the fleet but I was still unsure of the boats and everything I had gone through already so I just stayed on starboard until everyone had tacked. Nick played it safer than me and started about five boats up and like always had great speed. He found a small shift and had been on port a short time and was coming across back on starboard heading back for the left. I was looking under my boom and it was to close for me to cross the starboard boats and I tacked back to the left and was doing just fine with the top of the fleet being just on my weather hip. Just then my steering goes out again and I go spinning out to the left again like a firework, into the hack bucket again. Nick goes on to win the race by a mile; Nick then takes the second race again by a mile. The third race Nick hangs and takes a forth in a dieing breeze and wins the day handily. Back at the dock everyone wants to know how Nick does it. I have seen Nick’s talent before when I was the sailing coach at OCC. The great battles I used to watch between John Pinckney, John Shadden and Nick was some of the best sailing I have ever witnessed. Nick always seeming to have the edge off the wind and proving that he was truly one of best. Watching this fleet of 2.4 with all the past champions, new champions and Americas Cup past winners Nick again is one of the boys and is truly the guy to beat. What world champion isn’t? Although this time Nick is racing for something more!

June 17
Race Day 3 the forecast is very light breeze and we stay ashore until 1:30. This time instead of 5200 I tried epoxy on my steering bloke problems and I lose my steering again on the tow out and am about ready to throw in the towel. About two hours later everyone is towed back to the docks without a race being run this day.

June 18
Race Day 4 The forecast is better this day with the wind being projected at 6-10 out of the west. Nick took a look at my steering system and came up with a fix for the boat. This is after almost the whole fleet came by and gave their opinion on how to fix it the afternoon before. After the first day Nick had placed himself in a big whole and we had missed the extra two races needed for a second throughout. The first race I was on the upper third of the line and was told the current would be keeping us from the starting line. At the start I thought I had hit it perfect and the boat was working. I look up and Nick is crossing the fleet again and I get a very late call I was over early, so I was back in the hack barrel again. The wind was light and after clearing myself I was able to get off to the right and work myself back up to 8 the place and lose 4 boats on the run to the finsh. I still can’t get myself in the top ten. Nick has another great race and again wins by a mile. 2nd race of the day. The wind is now around 12 knots out of the west and Nick and I want the pin. Peter Wilson is on my hip and I am not about to push Nick at the pin end and we all come off the line well. After a short time of straight lining Nick has pinched me off and I am starting to get rolled by Peter Wilson on my hip. Nick and Pete go on to round 1st and 2nd and finsh with Pete getting the win and Nick in 2nd. I again Hack up the last run and lose four boats at the finsh line and get 13th. 3rd race of the day. The wind is dying and is moving to the northwest. This time I have my hopes up because I have a great start at the committee boat and have most of the fleet is ahead but well to leeward of me. Nick takes advantage of a small left shift and crosses. We lose a couple of boats using the current and jibing at the weather mark. Nicks in forth and I am in 7 at this point. Nick goes on and gets 6th and I hack up my last run and drop back to 12.

At the awards everyone is in good sprits and everyone is helping each other place their boats on the trailers and a number of competitors are shipping their boats over to Finland for the up coming worlds the end of July. Going over the race Nick again is surrounded by the competitors and asking him what there should have done here or there on the racecourse that day. Nick places forth in the regatta overall and wonders if he should have pushed the third place person at the starting line harder. He and Peter Wilson were down to the last race and who ever won this race between them would be the US Nat champion.

Observations and lessons learned.

1. Nick is fast and well respected.
2. Its good to hang out with the king.
3. Peter Wilson has found a niche in single-handed one design racing and is the perfect salesman for the fleet.
4. Nothing better than an old fashioned SAILING CLUB!
5. Check the chart out before sailing in new waters
6. Ask the people around the club where to sail and not sail.
7. When sailing a single-handed boat you have to remember to SHUT UP AND DRIVE
8. Betsey Alison is an outstanding coach that works extremely hard and truly cares about what she is doing.
9. When chartering a boat or before any big event you have to go through your boat from stem to stern.
10. Nick Scandone is a class act. He is the perfect ambassador for yachting. You can only wish for a public servant with the same passion, respect, and the support to others. Newport Beach, California, United States of America, the World! Needs Nick Scandone as their representative. This is the perfect opportunity that only comes around once in thirty years, to promote and support the perfect ambassador to the sport of yachting. Don’t get caught in five years wishing you should have helped!

On the Harbor: Catching up with David Beek

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.

~~~~~~~~

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

On the Harbor: Welcome the Clean Earth Rover

By LEN BOSE

I can’t tell you how often someone will say, “I’m not going to swim in the harbor; that water is disgusting.” My response is “Oh No, No – the water has never been cleaner in my lifetime.” This leads to a long explanation of my observations and opinion of the water quality of the harbor. While on this topic, the city’s Harbor Department has some new equipment arriving to support my observations.

Keep in mind – I am a seat-of-the-pants sailor. When the smart people start talking about water quality and parts per million, my mind goes to the second race of last Thursday night’s race and how I gave up the lead on the second weather beat by not staying between the weather mark and my competition. What I do notice is that when I look down into the water I can see the bottom more often than in the past. When I push off from my slip, I notice much more eelgrass than I ever have.

 Now for all the people like me who like to keep it simple and understand who the smart people are in town who know how to interpret the information, and make quick decisions on how to solve unforeseen problems. My smart person is our Harbormaster Paul Blank, and I was pleasantly surprised to learn during a Yachtsman Luncheon that Blank had taken classes in college on water quality and has a strong understanding of the lingo. Blank also has some new tools to help him monitor our harbor’s water quality. There are two Data Pods that have been placed in the harbor – one in Marina Park and the other in the anchorage off the end of Lido Isle. Note that this pod is stationed right where the proposed CAD collection area will be. The builder of these pods is Clean Earth Rovers; you can look them up for more information. These pods provide real-time diagnostic data to Blank every 15 minutes, so when pollution is detected action can be taken quickly. There is an artificial intelligence program named Gillian that helps Blank analyze raw data when there is a spill and how to manage it. This is some really cool stuff!

Next, you will notice two new “Roombas for the Harbor” officially called Rovers. These Rovers can get into the difficult areas of the harbor that can’t be reached by people with pool nets. These Rovers can travel 5 miles an hour, have 20 hours of battery life at cruising speed, and collect 100 gallons of debris including physical and chemical contaminants, oil, trash, algae, and more. There are many areas of the harbor with stagnant water flow that these tools are designed for.

Our harbor will soon be christening two new VITA Seal patrol boats; they’re not just for chasing seals off boats and docks. Seal patrol boats are a model name for VITA electric boats.

“We will be the first public agency in the U.S. to have an all-electric workboat. It seems fitting that we should be the first given the heritage and history of electric boats here in Newport Harbor, said Blank. “Through a voucher grant, the California Air Resources Board is paying for about half of it. We expect there to be environmental benefits associated with the use of the vessel including zero emissions and reduced hazards associated with refueling.”

Along with the new patrol boats, there will be a new charging station at Marina Park. “While it would be ideal if the charging station were in place before the vessel gets here, we’ll still be okay if it doesn’t,” said Blank. “There is a power pedestal already on the dock where the boat will berth and we can use it to charge overnight. On standard 50A electrical service, the charge time is expected to be six hours for the 126 kWh batteries. With the AQUA Superpower charger, that should be reduced to 56 minutes,” he said.

At this time, the christening of the new patrol boats is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 27 at 2 p.m. in conjunction with the ribbon cutting for the new public dock at 29th Street.

Sea ya.

~~~~~~~~

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

On the Harbor: 88th Flight of Newport

Photo by Tom Walker

By LEN BOSE

This week was the 88th Flight of Newport Beach, which is a sailboat race around the harbor in the middle of a summer weekend. Not only are the skippers challenged with the competition but there are many obstacles on the course.The Flight of Newport Beach has a long history with a tradition of bringing out our harbor’s best along with everyone else who wants to be a part of our harbor’s history. The Harbor 20 fleet had 40 boats entered this year, which allows the sailor to catch up with all their friends that they haven’t crossed tacks with this year. I had a chance to see my friends and say hello to Mary Bacon, Brett Hemphill, Gator Cook, Charlie Boukather, Brad Wheeler, Matt Campbell, and Kari and Peter Bretschger, along with so many others. Going through the different fleets while waiting for the starting sequence left me with a peaceful feeling inside.

Then the starting sequence begins and everyone must put on their game faces while coming up with a game plan to get away from the starting line and out of the crowd. This race is won and lost at the start if you are fortunate enough to be in the top 10 to break away from the pack. If you get swallowed up by the crowd then you might as well open up that cold beverage, and if you don’t drink…it can become a very long race. Should you be fortunate to be within the top 10 off the starting line, a huge sigh of release overcomes you.

Now you have to travel through the harbor while looking forward to the hazards and behind you, not to be overtaken by the pack. While heading forward, look for people enjoying the summer day – this can be anything from a 100-ft. boat to a standup paddleboard. If you have been on the harbor long enough, you can recognize who is in a rental boat. Rental boats can be challenging because you never know when they might do a “Crazy Ivan” to port or starboard.

On the racecourse while sailing upwind in the Lido Channel, you can fall behind your closest competitor and sail into their disturbed air, forcing you to sail an extra distance or on the wrong tack. Another challenging area on the racecourse is close to the finish as you reach the end of the Balboa Peninsula, sailing towards channel marker number 6 where the wind gets very challenging. I have seen huge leads evaporate quickly here.

This year was a good year for me, as I was sparring with my good friend Justin Law on the first half of the course for fourth place. I lost fifth place to Argyle Campbell while sailing up the Lido Channel, but I was still fighting for inside room around channel marker 6 with Campbell. Sailing in the same ZIP Code as these two leaves a huge boost to your ego. The three of us finished about one minute behind the Bissell Family finishing in third, with John Bubb in second and Alex Curtiss placing his name on the perpetual trophy again.

I am very pleased with my finish, although there is another part of me that feels next year I should throw my competitive edge overboard and bring the family, including the dog and some rosé, and just breathe while enjoying the summer day like my friend Brad Wheeler did.

• • •

An observation from this past month: Did you know that people in the rental boats are not insured and the odds are pretty good that they have no idea that if they run into the side of your boat and do substantial damage they pay for the damage? The rental company’s insurance policy does not cover renters. Talking to Craig Chamberlain of NOVMAR Marine Insurance, I found out this is a problem across the country. In Florida, this has become a big problem, so the state now requires the rental companies to offer additional insurance to their renters, very similar to a car rental. Chamberlain also informed me that there is an underwriter that offers a new program, and it only takes a couple of minutes to enroll. I brought this observation forward to the powers that be, and I am hoping action will be taken fairly quickly.

Sea ya.

~~~~~~~~

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

On the Harbor: The Flight of Newport First Published in July 2020

By LEN BOSE

Sunday, July 17 was the start of the 85th Flight of Newport Beach. I am sure there are many readers who remember this race as the Flight of the Lasers, Kites or Snowbirds over the years.

Five years ago, I interviewed Seymour Beek, who referred to the race as “The Flight,” because over the years, the race has been sailed in the Snowbirds from 1948 to 1970, Kites 1972 to 1973 and now Lasers from 1975 to the present. The Laser also happens to be an Olympic-class boat. Over the last four years, the Harbor 20 fleet has joined the Lasers to compete in separate classes for the Flight of Newport Beach.

In 1954, Tom O’Keefe won The Flight and I had a chance to talk to him over the phone. “At that time, The Flight was the largest one-design race in the world. I recall once I got into the lead, there was a newsreel boat filming the race and it later played in the theaters. I also remember all the powerboats in the bay blowing their horns at the finish line when I won the race. It was a big deal at that time,” O’Keefe said.

Joysailing .com

He also recalled a story about a competitor whose boat did not measure into the rules and this person had won several different regattas that summer. There was someone who took offense to this competitor and swam from Balboa Island and tipped the boat over just before the start of the race. O’Keefe remembers the harbor department following the swimmer back to the beach he had come from. “I still have the silver-plated bowl I won as the take-home trophy that year. I will always remember all those boats,” O’Keefe said.

This year, I checked in with Alex Curtiss who had just won his third consecutive Flight. Over the last two years, Curtiss has won the H20 Flight, and the year preceding that, he won the Laser Flight – one of only two people who have won both classes. Curtiss has sailed with Robert Kinney in both of his H20 victories and shared his race with me. “After a slow start, we round the first mark in 8th place, then while sailing up the Lido Channel towards Z mark we made our gains and took the lead. The top three boats round the last mark very close together. It was Jungle Ball all the way to the finish,” Curtiss said. Brian Bissell had rounded the last mark in second followed closely by Jon Pinckney. The term Jungle Ball means throwing the lead around in any direction with the wind shifting to the left. Team Curtiss/Kinney took the checkered flag while Team Pinkney finished in second and team Bissell placed third.

Team Curtiss/Kinney

Five years ago I talked with Jon Pickney, who has won The Flight more than anyone else with seven wins. He is now up to eight Flight wins by winning the first Harbor 20 flight in 2017. Since he only finished in second this year, by a couple of boat lengths, I thought it would interesting to talk to his son, Morgan Pickney, who at the age of 15 had just won his first Flight of Newport, sailing a Laser. Morgan had a difficult start and felt he was in 15th place coming off the starting line. Keeping his composure and reviewing his observations, he continued on a port tack after mark “1” heading toward Bayshores. “I had noticed the marine layer had been burning off and expected the right shift to be coming in sometime soon. As predicted, the shift came at the opportune time for me and I took the lead going to the second mark of the race,” Morgan said.

I enjoyed talking to Morgan because the amount of information he described while sailing the course was intriguing. Another thing that I appreciated was he expressed an interest in all the names on the trophy and truly took in the history of The Flight of Newport. With my awareness decreasing with age, the task of finishing ahead of any of the Pickneys seems to be a difficult task.

Buddy Richley

I also had a chance to talk with Buddy Richley who finished second in this year’s Lasers fleet. “I had a good start that went as planned, maybe too good. I rounded the first mark with a good lead and decided to cover who was in second place and tacked onto starboard shortly after rounding the first mark. As I approached the NHYC moorings and tacked onto port, there was some kid hooked into this huge right shift and was gone. While working my way up towards Z mark there were a couple of left shifts, so I thought I had a chance to regain the lead, yet I still had to fight to keep my second place with the competitor behind me. Downwind the kid sailed away...it’s good to be young,” Richley said. I then told Richley that was a Pickney and he replied, “Pickney, that figures!” I could hear his sigh through the phone, “You mean Morgan Pickney?” Richley has placed 2nd twice in the Flight and 3rd and 5th over the years. He then asked me if I knew of any good H20s for sale.

With the Flight of Newport now completed, it appears we are on the final leg of summer sailing and I am extraordinarily appreciative of our harbor and how we all can still compete and abide by practicing proper social distancing.

Sea ya!

~~~~~~~~

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