BEN DID GO and nine years later we still remember!
By Tom Johnson – July 05, 2023
Source: Stu News Newport https://stunewsnewport.com/
It’s hard to believe that Thursday, July 6 will mark nine years since the passing of Newport Beach Lifeguard Ben Carlson. He was special to so many people, as his unexpected and untimely death would prove.
On that Sunday, in 2014, shortly after 5 p.m., a Newport Beach rescue boat identified a swimmer in distress off 16th Street. The surf at the time was six-to-eight feet.
Ben, as everyone knew, entered the water to make that rescue and swam to the man, making contact, before they were both hit by an unexpected large wave. The swimmer Ben was attempting to rescue was successfully pulled from the water, but Ben was not.
The statue of Ben Carlson seemingly saluting the fireworks offered from last year’s Christmas Boat Parade show
Lifeguards, the fire department, a police helicopter, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department Harbor Patrol, lifeguards from Laguna Beach and State Parks’ personnel joined in the search. Twenty-five entered the water that evening and another 30 supported from the air and shore.
Ben was eventually located around 8 p.m. and shortly thereafter was pronounced deceased.
He was only 32 years old.
Since that day, friends, family and the community have not forgotten his bigger-than-life presence.
Today, a nine-foot marine-grade stainless steel statue/sculpture of Ben sits on a concrete pedestal in the center of McFadden Square, near the Newport Pier, overlooking his Pacific Ocean.
And, a foundation in his name celebrates his life annually, raising funds for scholarships and making many other community contributions in his name.
Three words rose up from that day that still echo through this community nine years later, BEN DID GO!
We should all remember Ben this time of the year, because he and others that worked alongside of him make our life better and safer each and every day here in Newport Beach.
To support the foundation in his name, go to www.bencarlsonfoundation.com.
By Tom Johnson – July 05, 2023
Source: Stu News Newport https://stunewsnewport.com/
The Newport Beach City Council approved an agreement with a firm for federal advocacy services related to harbor dredging efforts and programs, Feb. 27. Carpi & Clay was retained to represent Newport Beach at the federal level in hopes the firm would help bring the city’s issues to the forefront when it comes to harbor dredging.
“The city has been actively working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers … and to a limited extent, federal elected representatives, to present and educate them on our dredging needs in Newport Harbor, as well as to get our project on the Corps’ upcoming project funding list,” city staff told council members in a report. “Keeping our project in focus and on the recommended funding list of both the Corps and the many elected representatives that need to review and approve it is, and continues to be, a significant challenge particularly because we do not have a presence in Washington, D.C.”
An Army Corps study in 2017 revealed there is about 650,000 cubic yards of sediment remaining in federal waters and must be dredged to “maintain adequate navigation.”
By Devon Warren
Inventor of the electric Duffy boat addresses his plans to improve the Newport Beach Harbor as city’s new mayor.
NEWPORT BEACH — In the efforts to track down Marshall “Duffy” Duffield, the new mayor of Newport Beach, it seemed quite ominous his reply to an email correspondence about scheduling an interview stated, “I’m around,” with his phone number attached.
The Duffy name is certainly “around” in many corners of Newport Beach Harbor, as it’s literally everywhere you turn – in the form of a “Duffy” electric boat.
As a long-time Newport Beach resident (more than 50 years) and the inventor of the electric boat bearing his name, many of us would consider Duffield the quintessential image of the dreamy Southern California yachting life.
A car insurance agent once told me we pay such catastrophic prices because “it’s a privilege to live” in Southern California. In a lot of ways, Duffield has taken such privilege and created an empire from it – him, and most other residents of California’s coast, live in a Technicolor world of scenic beauty that others across the country may never see in their lifetimes.
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