A New Energy Weekend - Marina del Rey 2008

 

A New Energy Weekend in Venice, California

Sometimes we forget how nice it is to be on or near the water.  Last weekend, it was hot inland, so we visited WindSong, our 1970 Ericson 35 Mk II sailboat at Marina del Rey (MDR).

 

On Saturday afternoon, we drove to world famous Venice Beach.  For those who wish to be part of the scene, the Venice Beach Boardwalk is the place to be.  For those of us who like a beach sans crowds, the stretch closest to the Marina del Rey breakwater is best.  Despite the dearth of parking near the sand, we decided to try it.   

 

After circling the area for about fifteen minutes, we realized that our Nissan Titan Off-road 4X4 should be able to go where others fear to tread.  We held our breath, dialed in low-range 4-wheel drive, then tapped the throttle lightly.  We stopped on the sand, within yards of the beach.

 

As soon as we parked, another 4X4 truck, with fancy wheels attempted what we had just accomplished.  Even with his lift-kit and aggressive tires, he spun his wheels until all four were kicking sand.  His truck came to rest looking like a 4-wheel drive commercial.  His only problem was that he was stuck there for fifteen minutes.

 

One of the highlights of visiting MDR in the summertime is the unsurpassed day sailing on nearby Santa Monica Bay.  From any boat slip in the marina, you can be sailing on the bay in less than fifteen minutes.  Expect cool and overcast conditions until early afternoon, even in the summer.  The cloud cover keeps you cool and comfortable as you sail past Venice Pier, then on to Santa Monica Pier, where this high-tech trimaran passed us by.

 

Turning at Santa Monica Pier, we tacked towards the MDR South Entrance.  As hoped for, the sun came out, reflecting silver light across the sea.  As we delighted in the brisk breeze, Ben played his "Young Man and the Sea" role, all the while keeping us on course.  

 

Later, the less fortunate received a tow from Vessel Assist, while Bay Watch, LA County stood by.  In the background, you will see your Alaska Pipeline at work.  The tankers moored offshore from El Segundo are unloading there via undersea pipeline, connected to refineries onshore.

 

The first time I saw this sailboat, I did not know what to think.  I have seen graphics on racing sails before, but they tend to be iconic, rather than photographic.  Despite its blatancy, I like it.  Coors has a legendary quality from the early 1970s, when it was in short supply and bootlegged around the country by truckers.  Additionally, one can get quite thirsty while out on the water.

 

Sunset is always a special time of day at Venice Beach, where it meets the Marina.  Having spent as many hours sailing the bay and walking along this shore, I know that the Main Channel at Marina del Rey is at the center of the arc of Santa Monica Bay.  The Sun, wind and waves converge and focus vortextural energies on that place, showering and splashing a joy of life both to and from our universe complete.
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By James McGillis at 04:16 PM | Current Events | Comments (0) | Link

Welcome to My Yacht... Marina del Rey 2008

 

Welcome to My Yacht...

 

Occasionally, we see a manufactured object that is truly amazing.  Last week, at Marina del Rey in Los Angeles we saw the motor yacht Princess Mariana.  With an overall length of 252 feet she is arguably the largest private yacht ever to visit Marina Del Rey.

 

Although some might see her as the ultimate in conspicuous consumption, her lines and form are so pleasing to the eye that one cannot help but be impressed when she is in view.  With a top speed of eighteen knots, she is not a fast yacht, but even at dockside, she appears to be moving forward.

 

If you Google the name “Princes Mariana”, you will find many websites with detailed information about "The Princess", so I will not provide that information here.  However, according to Power & Motoryacht, she is in the forty-second largest private yacht in the world.

 

Last Sunday, we happened to be near her mooring at the Marina del Rey gas dock when she executed a turning maneuver.  Although it took quite a while to cast off her many dock lines, the 180° turn took only a few minutes.  From our vantage point, we were able to view her from every angle.

 

Although most of us will not experience the pleasure of having twenty-six crew members servicing only twelve guests, watching from afar was pleasure enough for us.  After we had our fill, we returned to our own personal yacht, WindSong.  With an overall length of 35 feet, WindSong is seven feet shorter than Princess Mariana’s beam.  However, WindSong carries no loan or mortgage.

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By James McGillis at 04:15 PM | Personal Articles | Comments (0) | Link

Time for Frito-Lay to Help Clean Up The Mess They Make - 2004

 

Time for Frito-Lay to Help Clean Up the Mess They Make 

In the winter of 2003-2004, while living aboard my boat in Marina del Rey, California, I visited Venice Beach several times each week, strolling along the tide-line and picking up discarded plastic items, as well as seashells, driftwood and whatever else the sea chose to give up.  My guess is that I picked up several tons of plastic waste during that season alone. I considered it my contribution to a "Healthy Earth". 

 

Not surprisingly, the #1 trash item, by count, if not by sheer volume was Frito-Lay, Inc. chip wrappers.  Often, they outnumber all other trash items combined.  On a good day, I could clean half a mile of tide line until it was free of trash.  In a tough day, after a storm sent urban runoff down Ballona Creek and into Santa Monica Bay, I would be lucky to clear one hundred yards of beach.

 

Since I love Fritos, Doritos and “Cheetos-breath” as much as the next person, I decided to see what Frito-Lay might be doing about the reduction of trash and solid waste in our environment.  Since they prominently display the word “Being Green” on their corporate website, I clicked there to see what the company had to say.

 

I was impressed to see how much the corporation was doing to decrease their use of energy, water and to reduce unnecessary packaging.  The problem is that chips need packaging and the sheer number of chip bags produced and discarded outweighs all of the company’s other efforts combined. 

 

On an even more disappointing note, Frito-Lay puts plastic packaging recycling directly back on the consumer.  Quoting from their website, they say, “Cans, paper and glass bottles tend to be more popular recyclable items than plastic [bags].  For more information about the feasibility of starting plastic recycling, we suggest contacting your local city sanitation department”.

 

The net result of this responsibility shifting is that very few of Frito-Lay’s chip wrappers are recycled.  When you combine their lightness with the American propensity to litter the landscape, millions of these wrappers are wafting away on the wind each day.

 

If there are few, if any plastic-wrap recycling programs in America, what can be done to reduce this “number one, with a bullet” solid waste disposal issue?  The solution is simple.  Each chip bag should come with a two-cent deposit, paid at the time of purchase.  One cent could go to whoever returns a chip bag to an authorized recycling center and one cent could go to the recycler for shipping and handling.  Frito-Lay, for their part, could provide sanitary, sealable containers to their route drivers and use their existing deliver fleet to pick up their own trash and recycle it.

 

American business has a long, sad history of polluting the land and water, changing its ways only when forced to do so.  Wouldn’t it be nice if a corporation as large and ubiquitous in our lives as Frito-Lay would step up and take responsibility for its role in the trashing of America?

 

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By James McGillis at 04:14 PM | Environment | Comments (0) | Link

Homeland Security Boarding Party - 2007

 

WindSong Ericson 35 Mk II - Homeland Security Boarding Party

While returning from Isthmus Cove, Catalina Island to Marina del Rey, California, Carrie McCoy and I received a visit from the U.S. Coast Guard. Perhaps it was because we were the only boat in the Main Channel that we received this special pleasure.

As I was setting up the boat for our return to the 1300 Dock, a group of four service members deployed in an orange and black inflatable boat pulled alongside. The person in charge asked us how long it had been since the Coast Guard had boarded and inspected our vessel. “Never”, was my response.

Within a minute, two men hopped aboard WindSong and then asked for my driver’s license and the boat registration slip. During our sail from the Isthmus Cove at Catalina, we had seen rough weather and the registration had fallen from the chart table down to the sole of the boat. There it remained hidden throughout our encounter with the Coast Guard.

After inspecting our safety flares for date compliance, we were “let go” with a warning on the missing registration.

By the time completed our onboard discussions, we arrived at the dock. With there being no one else there to help, I asked one of the Coast Guardsmen to help secure WindSong to the dock, which he did. Before they departed, I asked our Marina del Rey Homeland Security boarding party to pose for a quick picture, which they proudly did.

In these uncertain times, it is good to know that the small boat harbor known at Marina del Rey and nearby Venice Beach are under the watchful eye of the U.S. Coastguard.

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