Speak Up Newport Hosts Meeting on New Mooring Plan June 14 with Newport Harbor Foundation’s – William ‘Skip’ Kenny

By Christopher Trela – May 30, 2023

Source: Newport Beach Independent http://www.speakupnewport.com/mooring-plan-2023/


How will Newport Beach’s new Mooring Plan affect you?

On May 23, the City Council approved a pilot program to change the harbor mooring fields configuration and approved changes to the Harbor Code to accommodate the proposed pilot program and the long-term plan for all the moorings in the harbor.

Speak Up Newport is hosting a meeting on Wednesday, June 14 to discuss the mooring plan with guest speaker Bill Kenney, the former Harbor Commission Chair. He will describe the Harbor Commission’s Open Water Initiative and the reasons for the changes to the mooring fields.

According to Speak Up Newport, it will affect all users in the harbor:

  • Boaters who use and do not use the moorings.
  • Use of the water by stand up paddleboarders, kayakers and swimmers.
  • Views from bayfront private and public properties.

Kenney will also provide an update to the Newport Bay Trash Wheel Project to intercept trash before it enters the bay.

The meeting begins with a reception from 5:15 to 6 p.m. Program is 6 to 7 p.m. the meeting is held in the Civic Center Community Room, 100 Civic Center Dr.

The meeting will be held in person and online. To participate in the webinar please register at: http://www.speakupnewport.com/mooring-plan-2023.

If you have a question you would like to ask the speaker, please send it to: qu******@sp************.com

William 'Skip

About William ‘Skip’ Kenney

William J. Kenney, Jr., CLS has been involved in the shopping center industry for over 40 years, many of which were spent at Donahue Schriber, a well-known and respected Southern California based shopping center developer. While at Donahue Schriber,  Kenney was intimately involved in the phenomenal growth of the company.  He was responsible for the formation of the company’s leasing department, played an integral role in the company’s developments, and, prior to his departure, was Senior Vice President of Development with responsibility for all of the company’s development activities.

He is a past Chairman, President and Treasurer of California Business Properties Association, he is a past State Governmental Affairs Chairman for the International Council of Shopping Centers, (“ICSC”), a post that he held for 4 years, and he has served on that organization’s program committee. In addition, Kenney has earned the coveted CLS designation from the ICSC.

Kenney also has served on the Board of Directors of the Balboa Yacht Club and the Promontory Bay Community Association. He served for eight years on the City of Newport Beach Harbor Commission (three years as Chairman), and on the Program Committee of the Orangewood Children’s Foundation.  He is currently on the Board of Directors of the Newport Harbor Foundation and is Chief Financial Officer for Balboa Yacht Club.

A graduate with honors from California State University at Fullerton, Kenney resides in Newport Beach.


By Christopher Trela – May 30, 2023

Source: Newport Beach Independent http://www.speakupnewport.com/mooring-plan-2023/

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The 8th Annual Newport Beach Wooden Boat Festival will return to the Balboa Yacht Club, June 7 – 8, 2024 with more than 40 wooden vessels of all sizes on display, and a collection of master artisans and craftsmen at work.

This year’s festival theme is “The Art & Craft of the Wooden Boat” in celebration of the creative artistry, intricate craftsmanship, and timeless beauty of wooden boats.
“Event guests will be able to immerse themselves in the centuries-old artform of wooden boat building, and the fine woodworking and artistic details that adorn the boats,” said event chair Stephen Paljieg. “This year’s event will be bigger and better than ever. Its theme captures the essence of the passion and artistry behind these magnificent, one-of-a-kind watercrafts and the inclusion of the master craftsmen who build and keep them in ‘Bristol condition’ takes it to a whole new level of experience.”

Welcome to a New Year which takes me back to The Who song, “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” whose message is summarized in the last line, “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss” and its meaning is “nothing changes and so don’t get fooled again.” Which is a very confusing way to report on what’s going on in the harbor this first month of 2024. So let me backtrack before throwing a few soft punches.

I ended last week by walking through Basin Shipyard and took a moment to talk to owners Dereck and Dave New. As always this time of year, the yard is packed with Dave reporting that they are two months out. So, if you own a boat with outboards or Pod drives, you better call now and book your annual maintenance to be ready for the spring/summer boating season. The yard was full of new Tiara products, but I’m sure there were many other makes of yachts in the yard, yet the pretty ones always grab my attention first.
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.

2023 was a busy and productive year for the City of Newport Beach, thanks to strong leadership and our extremely professional staff.

We have been working diligently to increase public safety, address quality-of-life issues, and make strategic investments to further improve our great city.

Here’s a look at some of our 2023 successes: