New electric patrol vessel. Photo courtesy of city of Newport Beach.

City Celebrates Opening of New Public Dock and New Electric Patrol Vessel

By Newport Indy Staff – September 15, 2024

Source: Newport Beach Independent https://www.newportbeachindy.com/city-celebrates-opening-of-new-public-dock-and-new-electric-patrol-vessel/

The City of Newport Beach celebrated two significant milestones in Newport Harbor on Wednesday, August 27: opening a new public dock and welcoming the first electric patrol vessel in the Harbor Department fleet.

The new VITA Seal electric boat is also the first all-electric work vessel delivered to any public agency in the United States.

Newport Beach elected officials and harbor commissioners performed a ceremonial ribbon cutting on the 29th Street Public Pier, at 29th Street and Lafayette Avenue, before christening the new electric vessel.

The 29th Street pier brings the total number of public piers in Newport Harbor to 15, following the dedication of the Balboa Marina Public Pier in March. Use of the pier is free for up to three hours during the day.

The 29thStreet dock, near the terminus of the Rhine Channel, can accommodate up to four 20-ft. boats or two larger vessels. It is part of an ongoing expansion of publicly accessible docks, owned and managed by the City, to provide greater access to boaters.

The new electric boat can be utilized throughout a typical 10-hour shift for the Harbor Department without the need to recharge. With a top speed of 30 knots, the boat will generally carry a crew of two staff members and can accommodate up to eight people. In addition, at Marina Park, the City is developing what will be the first publicly accessible vessel charging station in Southern California.

The 29th Street Pier was designed by Moffatt and Nichol and built by Swift Slip Dock and Pier Builders, with a construction cost of $262,000.

The cost of the electric vessel, $229,000, was funded by the City and partially offset by a Clean Off-Road Equipment (CORE) voucher from the State of California.

By Newport Indy Staff – September 15, 2024

Source: Newport Beach Independent https://www.newportbeachindy.com/city-celebrates-opening-of-new-public-dock-and-new-electric-patrol-vessel/

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Balboa Island Ferry on Verge of Shutdown

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Siyamak sits down with Seymour Beek, president of Balboa Island Ferry, one of Southern California’s oldest family-owned businesses. Today he will discuss the new rules in California aimed at reducing emissions and how they will impact small businesses.

“CARB made a rule that all short run fairies in California had to be zero emission by 2026. We consume an average of 26 gallons of fuel a day. You’re not gonna save the world by making us go zero emission,” Mr. Beek said. “They haven’t really examined the consequences of the rules they’re making. It’s extremely challenging, extremely expensive.”

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On the Harbor: Catching up with Harbormaster Paul Blank

As winter approaches, I start to look back on the year, and to prepare for the new year. Very similar to looking aft while sailing downwind in a sailboat race. Doing this will keep you aware of the changing conditions. With this in mind, I checked back in with Harbormaster Paul Blank this last week.

Q: From a distance it seemed like a quiet year, no oil spills, tsunamis, down aircraft. So what did I miss?

A: There were a couple of severe weather (wind and rain) events this year. We revived the technology we use to notify mooring permittees of approaching weather and urge them to verify their mooring equipment and lines to ensure all are secure. You may recall, there was considerable attention and communication in anticipation of Hurricane Hilary arriving in August. One other of the severe weather events was a strong Santa Ana which stresses the mooring equipment from a different direction than usual, so we have significant concern about boats staying in place when faced with unusual conditions. All in all, things were fine and we greatly appreciated everyone’s preparedness in the face of these severe events.

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If you have started to hear Christmas music and noticed holiday TV ads, then you know it’s time for my annual recognition of our harbor’s sailing awards.

I’ll start with the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club’s (BCYC) awards night and the juniors. Sailing director Carolyn Smith stepped up to the podium for her first time presenting awards at BCYC, and she nailed it. One can always tell if the event is someone’s first rodeo, however, Smith’s a pro and she made the night fun and memorable with clear descriptions of the awards she was presenting. The Juniors awards always brings back good times, or even more so by diluting the agony of defeat.

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