From the Boathouse: Fuel dock’s closing could have serious impact
Ahoy.
Scary end-of-summer news for the boaters in Huntington Harbour amid talk that their only fuel dock, Mariners Point, could close Oct. 1.
The operators, Center City Properties and Nahas Enterprises, reportedly are considering closing the dock as the underground fuel storage tanks near the end of their 30-year life expectancy.
The lack of a fuel dock in a harbor that is home to thousands of boats could severely impact recreational boating. The only neighboring fuel docks are in Alamitos Bay and a longer hop to Newport Harbor.
This would hamper safety, as smaller vessels would have to leave the protection of the harbor and travel to most likely the Alamitos Bay Marine Fuel Dock. Additionally, one could expect more fuel spills into the harbor, with people using portable fuel tanks, also known as Jerry cans.
Did you know that the Jerry can is named from the German design that was reverse-engineered in WWII by the Americans, hence Jerry, which was slang for Germans.
We forget how vital boating and the marine businesses are to an area, not only services for the mariner but also providing employment and stimulating local economies from the multibillion-dollar-a-year boating industry.
However, I am very concerned that our water-dependent marine businesses are leaving as redevelopment occurs around any harbor. Losing a water-dependent marine business will typically never be replaced with the theory of highest and best use that was created by economists for purely financial gain.
True that financial gain is important to an investor, but zoning and the needs of a community need to be weighed. If the private landowners do not desire a fuel dock on their property, then the city and county need to step in to provide such services. This is accomplished in many other harbors up and down the Pacific coastline to serve boaters.
If you think about losing a shipyard, it will be nearly impossible land-wise or economically to replace the yard. The loss of a harbor’s only fuel dock will be nearly impossible to replace without government intervention.
I remember in 2003 when the Morro Bay fuel dock was not selling gasoline, only diesel, and I was delivering a gas-powered yacht from Newport Harbor to Emeryville. We had to have someone drive a pickup truck from Newport and meet us in Morro, where we would fill the tanks with 5-gallon Jerry cans.
The walk from the truck down the gangway to the boat — not to mention the four trips to the gas station — got longer with every full can.
Additionally, when you purchase fuel at a regular gas station, gas taxes go to the roads and not back into boating by the Wallop-Breaux trust fund.
I am in favor of renovations, but like other cities across the nation have discovered, we need to recognize and value the importance of boating, especially in areas that are water-dependent, such as shipyards, fuel docks, yacht brokers, launch ramps and marinas.
I hope the boaters in Huntington Harbour find a solution for the imminent loss of the harbor’s only fuel dock.
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Tip of the week
Labor Day is zeroing in on everyone’s radar. That weekend typically signals the end of another summer to many boaters, but not in Southern California. Our boating season really never ends, so continue to enjoy boating into the holiday parades in December.
However, I urge you to be extra careful on the water during Labor Day so that I will not have to write about you in an upcoming column.
As always, just keep an eye to the weather for any changes. Please be boat smart and boat safe. Lastly, please boat responsibly and look behind you before you turn the wheel at the helm.
The original boating program, “Boathouse TV & Radio Shows,” has stretched from coast to coast for more than two decades. See the details at boathousetv.com, facebook.com/boathouseradio and twitter.com/boathouseradio.
Safe Voyages!
MIKE WHITEHEAD is a boating columnist for the Daily Pilot. Send marine-related thoughts and story suggestions to mike@boathouse.com or go to boathousetv.com.