Dear City Council of Newport Beach,
Your assessment for adding cans or whispers in the turning basin is a major decision for the safety of boating in Newport Harbor. Whether or not you can restrict sail boarding, stand up paddle boarding, kayaks or where people can drop anchor in our harbor, all these things require excessive caution in regard to public safety and preventing property damage concerns.
This is not a minor consideration. Several survey studies should be accomplished before making a decision of this sort.
(1) Contact the Coast Guard and Harbor Patrol for their official input and suggestions. (2) Plot the area which would be allowable and give a copy to and notify every commercial and private boater and dock owner in Newport Harbor.
(3) Do a survey of these same folks and ask for input.
(4) Restrict the size, scope and stay of boats that are allowed in temporary anchorage. (5) Restrict the number of Shore Boats allowed from the area affected. If necessary charter a Shore Boat to service those boats in temporary anchorage.
(6) Post the harbor survey questionnaires at West Marine – available to the public at large!
Sadly, the Harbor Commission may not have taken into consideration the tide tables, the rise and fall of the moon, the area that is being designated may need to be freshly dredged and more importantly, the night lighting that would be required to avail sailors and boating visitors arriving at night or dark moon nights, which cause hazards to navigation.
We request that the City Council of Newport Beach, the City Attorney and the City Manager make every effort to ensure that the city will not be liable for implementing poorly designed or conceptualized plans for adding anchorage for boats in Newport Harbor.
Perhaps, you just should have just added one area strictly for Duffy boats and called it a day. Oh, you already have that?
Every detail should be considered before you helter skelter assume that arbitrary temporary anchorage areas in Newport Harbor should be allowed. Since these areas include county, state and federal tideland issues, we suggest you fully notify all of these source institutions as well.
Ron & Anna Winship
Corona del Mar
