As the summer slowly comes to an end, and trips to the marina become less frequent, I’d like to remind everyone to winterize, SoCal style and prepare your vessel for storage. While our mild Southern California climate may not require the full-scale winterization required in colder climates, there are a few things to consider: look for and seal water leaks, make sure your hatches and window frames are tight, inspect your bilge for leaks, clean out your deck scuppers, check your lines, make sure your sails are furled correctly, remove all loose items from your deck, and make a list or replace safety equipment. These are just of few things that came to mind to help you protect your investment in boating.  

When I was appointed Manager, aside from completing the rebuild of the ABM docks, a major goal for the Long Beach Marinas system was to prepare a “living” long-term capital improvement program, which included a capital projects savings account. It brings me joy, to say that we have accomplished both! Through annual savings and the development of a preventive maintenance program, we have enough savings to begin the demolition and reconstruction of ABM boatowner restrooms. The conceptual plans will be presented at the September 8, 2022, Marine Advisory Commission meeting, at the Long Beach Yacht Club on Appian Way, at 2:30 pm. The drawings will be uploaded to the City’s website - https://longbeach.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx.

Until Next Time,
Elvira Hallinan
Manager, Marinas and Beaches
Marina Offices are open and accepting new vessel permit applications. To keep you and our staff safe from COVID-19 we are continuing window service at ABM and Shoreline offices. Note – Many requests can be readily handled by phone or email. 

On April 20, 2022 new fire extinguisher regulations went into effect. All disposable fire extinguishers will now be required to have a manufacturer stamped 12-year expiration date. If you have a disposable fire extinguisher on board older than twelve years remove the extinguisher from service. When purchasing a new extinguisher look for the MARINE TYPE – USCG APPROVED label.

Labor Day Weekend Holiday REMINDER - Operating a boat under the influence of alcohol (BUI) is illegal. The legal limit for operating a boat is .08% blood alcohol level, the same as the limit for driving under the influence (DUI). In many cases, you’re considered legally drunk even if you only feel “buzzed.” You could reach .08% level with less drinks if you’ve taken certain medications, haven’t eaten, are dehydrated or have a metabolism that doesn’t process alcohol efficiently. Penalties for boating under the influence can include large fines; jail time; loss of operating privileges for your boat, car or both; financial restitution for damages or injuries; felony conviction; and completion of an alcohol program or boating safety course.

Marina Operations staff will be addressing dinghies and tenders that are in fairways throughout September and October. If your dinghy or tender is not stowed within your slip it can be impounded. Please contact your Marina Office if you have questions about the status of your dinghy or tender. 

Unauthorized commercial activity is ILLEGAL IN LONG BEACH – Please do not engage in unauthorized commercial activity at, on or near Long Beach Marinas property. Violators can and will be cited and punished to the full extent of applicable law. Reminder – Unauthorized Commercial activity will put your slip permit in jeopardy of cancellation.
 
DID YOU KNOW?
More than 80% of world trade is transported by the maritime shipping industry. The explorer Christopher Columbus made four trips across the Atlantic Ocean from Spain: Of course, in 1492 utilizing the Niña, the Pinta and the Santa Maria but also in 1493, 1498 and 1502.
On Wednesday, August 10 the Shoreline Marina Camera System went live and fully operational. The system is comprised of 15 camera pods allocated at gangways throughout the Shoreline Marina, The Shoreline Marina Fuel Dock and the Shoreline Marina Office.

Each individual camera pod houses a number of cameras that provide 360-degree coverage of the surrounding area at which it is deployed. This includes coverage of the bike and walking paths, the marina parking lots, boatowner restrooms and the docks.

Each camera is connected to our new fiber optic infrastructure. This fiber optic infrastructure has strengthened our available bandwidth exponentially and allows the Shoreline Marina to be connected directly to the Citywide Communications Network.

The Citywide Communication Network connection is critical to the success of our camera system as it allows immediate Long Beach Police Department access to the live and recorded footage of every camera in our footprint.
On October 1, 2022 Marina Slip fees will increase by 3%. This increase will allow the Long Beach Marinas to meet the 1.25X bond debt service and cover annual changes in personnel and non-personnel expenditures during FY23.

As many of you may recall, the sale of the Marina Revenue Bonds requires that the City maintain a ratio of revenue/ expenditures of 1.25 times the debt service coverage. To ensure this coverage, City Council adopted a policy in May 2015 which states that the annual slip fee increase will be at minimal 2% going into effect each October. This annual slip fee increase will also generate a one-time October 2022 charge to your account to bring your slip deposit into alignment with the new slip fee for FY23. This is demonstrated in the chart below as the “Incremental Increase” for each slip size.

The FY22 and FY23 slip fees are as follows:
On August 17 staff from both Beach and Marine Maintenance met at the Alamitos Bay Marina Channel Jetty to address trash and debris littered along the rocks.

Several factors lead to large volumes of material becoming lodged within the rock spaces along the expanse of the jetty. The ebb and flow of tides, especially high tides, create conditions where trash and debris floating in the water makes its way into the rocks. Much of this trash and debris comes from “upriver”, deposited in our coastal waters from the San Gabriel River and Los Angeles watershed.

The most unfortunate cause of large-scale debris and trash is People Experiencing Homelessness or PEH. These unhoused individuals migrate to the jetty due to its isolated location and build makeshift shelter out of any material that is available to them. In years past our Maintenance teams have had to remove functioning full size stoves and other common household appliances.

Recognizing the safety hazards that these items create on the jetty our Maintenance staff has taken a proactive approach and regularly cleans the jetty to remove litter, large debris and unsafe makeshift shelters.

Prior to each cleaning Marine Bureau posts notice on the jetty and Maintenance staff works with the Department of Health & Human Services and the Long Beach Police Department Quality of Life officers to provide resources to any PEH that are actively sheltering on the jetty. Once outreach has been administered the hard work begins in earnest.

On August 17 fifteen Beach and Marine Maintenance staff spent several hours collecting, piling, removing and disposing of jetty trash and debris. The clean up filled two barges with over a ton of material. The barges were then transported to the Marine Maintenance yard where a trash truck was waiting to haul it off for disposal. This is all done by hand!

Kudos to our Beach & Marine Maintenance staff for their hard work and effort to keep this ocean gateway to Long Beach clean and safe for use.
It is with bittersweet sentiment that we say goodbye to Marine Patrol Officer Hutt this month. She was recently selected as a recruit for Long Beach Police Academy Class #96 which is set to begin August 29th. Officer Hutt began working with the Marine Patrol detail in March of 2020 and though her time with our detail was brief, her strong work ethic and positive attitude has left a lasting impression. We could not be prouder of all that she has accomplished!