Cabrillo Marina Advertised to Invite Applications for Slips

“Need a slip?”

That’s the question now being asked in advertisements placed in 11 newspapers by the Los Angeles Harbor Department as part of a campaign to alert boaters to the new Cabrillo Marina in San Pedro.

Eric Lucas, the Harbor Department’s marina consultant, said the ads, which have been placed in both Los Angeles and Orange county papers, will appear three consecutive weekends. The first ads ran last weekend.

Besides extolling the amenities planned for the marina, the ads contain a slip application form for boaters to fill out and mail to the Harbor Department. Applications must be accompanied by a $25 non-refundable processing fee.

The applications are part of a plan adopted by the port to allot the marina’s approximately 1,150 slips. A lottery will be held some time after mid-February, and a waiting list formed.

Lucas said about 2,600 applications have already been mailed to boaters who had earlier contacted the Harbor Department to inquire about the slips, which will range from 30 feet to 70 feet and be completed by the end of next year.

As these applications are returned, they will be tossed into the same pile as those clipped from the newspapers, he said.

Because of the chronic shortage of boat slips in the Los Angeles area, port officials have predicted that demand for slips at Cabrillo will far exceed the supply. And while Lucas said he has received surprisingly few calls in recent weeks, he still averages about 30 a week from people seeking information on how to obtain a slip.

Those who eventually get a slip will pay a stiff price, however. The Board of Harbor Commissioners is expected to approve a $6.95-per-foot monthly fee for boats within the next several weeks. Port officials have said the fee is comparable to that charged at other Southern California marinas.