More Than 70 Boats Competed in the 87th Annual Flight of Newport Beach on July 16
By Jim Collins – July 19, 2023
Source: Newport Beach Independent www.newportbeachindy.com/more-than-70-boats-competed-in-the-87th-annual-flight-of-newport-beach-on-july-16/
The 2023 Flight of Newport Beach / photo by Jim Collins
More than 70 boats competed in the 87th Annual Flight of Newport Beach, presented by the Commodores Club of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce with assistance from the Balboa Yacht Club.
Initially known as the Flight of the Snowbirds and later the Flight of the Lasers, the Flight of Newport had three different classes of boats racing to circumvent Newport Harbor.
The 2023 Flight of Newport Beach / photo by Jim Collins
Among the winners: Lynn Acosta from Dana Point Yacht Club (Top Female), Leela McClain from Balboa Island Yacht Club (Top Youngest Girl), Tucker Strasser from Del Ray Yacht Club (Top Radial), Alden Morales from Balboa Island Yacht Club (Top Youngest Boy), Rod Turner and Ashley Turner from Newport Harbor Yacht Club (Top Parent/Child), Rich and Karen Luttrell from Balboa Yacht Club (Top Married Couple), and David Tingler from Lido Isle Yacht Club. For more information, visit https://flightofnewportbeach.com
The 2023 Flight of Newport Beach / photo by Jim Collins
By Jim Collins – July 19, 2023
Source: Newport Beach Independent www.newportbeachindy.com/more-than-70-boats-competed-in-the-87th-annual-flight-of-newport-beach-on-july-16/
Newport Beach has a handful of iconic attractions that have stood the test of time: The Newport Pier, which replaced the original McFadden Wharf (1888-1939) and is registered as a California Historical Landmark; the Balboa Pavilion, which opened on July 1, 1906 and is the city’s oldest standing building; and the Balboa Island Ferry, which went into service in 1919 to bring cars and passengers across 900 feet of water between Balboa Island and the Balboa Fun Zone.
All permits are in place for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to dredge channels in Lower Newport Bay and bury any contaminated sediment in a massive underwater pit at the heart of Newport Harbor.
But the project is now facing multiple legal challenges that could slow it down or thwart it entirely, as resident and environmental groups that tried to block those permits cite ongoing concerns over risks to marine life and bay contamination.
The Balboa Island Ferry, one of our most iconic Newport Beach tourism experiences, could be no more.
If that sounds dramatic, it is. I can’t imagine our city without the ferry, but unless something is done, this treasured piece of our city could be gone in less than two years.
Thousands of locals and visitors use the ferry every year and it’s a vital part of our culture and history. It is part of what makes us Newport Beach, and in my mind, it is as important as our beaches. But all of that is now threatened and could be lost.
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