Ferry involved

On Friday night, the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce honored

Seymour Beek as its Citizen of the Year. Beek -- whose father,

Joseph, came to town more than 90 years ago, sold lots on Balboa

Island and came to be one of the city’s most influential legends --

has taken up his dad’s most marked mantle: the Balboa Island Ferry.

But Seymour Beek does much more than ensure the people can back

and forth between the peninsula and island. His community involvement

includes the city’s harbor and economic development commissions and

the chamber’s Commodore’s Club -- that’s just the tip of the iceberg,

were one to appear in the harbor.

Before receiving his award, Beek took time to answer a few

questions from Pilot managing editor S.J. Cahn.

What’s the best thing about working on Newport Harbor?

The bay is beautiful and I just like being near it. The

surroundings are generally very pleasant and most of the people you

run into around here are pleasant and friendly. And since I live

here, I don’t have to commute by automobile.

What’s a typical day like at the Balboa Island Ferry?

Like most things around here, it all depends on the weather and

the season. On a warm summer weekend, it can be a madhouse, crowded,

busy and full of tourists. On an off-season weekday, it can be quiet

and relaxed, even if the weather is nice. During storms, it can get

scary and sometimes we have to stop running the ferries due to wind,

waves or current.

How has Newport Beach changed during your lifetime?

Of course, there has been the change from beach resort to

year-around community, which has been closely related to the

urbanization of inland Orange County. The summer environment, at the

beach, hasn’t changed nearly as much as the inland areas. Ever since

I can remember, it’s been crowded at the beach on nice summer days

and parking was always a problem.

One very positive change, as a resident, is the access to stores

and shopping of all kinds. When I was a kid, downtown Santa Ana was

the closest real shopping area, and it was pretty limited.

On the negative side, despite freeways and beautiful streets, it

takes longer to get from here to just about any other place in Orange

County, and it’s slower getting around Newport Beach.

For a kid growing up in my era, this was paradise, maybe it still

is, but it’s a different kind of paradise. We didn’t have all the

organized stuff: Little League, AYSO, Junior Lifeguards, etc. What we

had was tremendous freedom, in an area with wonderful resources.

Of all your community work, which are you most proud of? Why?

Since I am very interested in the bay and boating activities in

general, I have most enjoyed working in yacht club and sailing

organizations as well as well as in the harbor-related activities of

the Chamber of Commerce Commodore’s Club. I am particularly happy to

continue to assist and support the Balboa Island Yacht Club (a kid’s

summer program on Balboa Island), as my parents did for almost 60

years. This organization has introduced generations of children to

water sports and is fondly remembered by many in this community. I am

happy to have been one of the voices that convinced the City Council

to form the Newport Beach Harbor Commission. Although only 3 years

old, I think the commission has already done some good and has taken

some burden from the City Council.

Of all the Newport Harbor Christmas Boat Parades you’ve been

involved with, which one stands out the most? How come?

Sorry, I can’t really pick one parade, but I can certainly

remember certain boats that stand out year after year. It is amazing

how much effort the same people expend, year after year, to dazzle us

with their beautiful work. I hope they keep doing it.

You’re a member of the city’s Harbor Commission. Do you think

enough is being done to protect the harbor and ensure its water is as

clean as possible? Is it difficult to balance the needs of the

environment with needs of the city’s businesses?

As to the first question, is enough work being done, the short

answer is “Yes.” I think good progress has been made in cleaning up

the bay and I think there should be ongoing efforts to continue the

process. I think there is considerable misunderstanding and even

hysteria regarding bay water quality. In my opinion, from a health

standpoint, it has generally been perfectly safe to swim in the lower

bay, except after big runoff events or spills of some kind. I, and

many others I know, have been swimming in the bay for years and I

know of no connection between this activity and any illness. As to

pollutants in the water that may affect plant or animal life, that is

quite another matter. Much progress has been made in the last 15

years or so in improving water quality for things that live in the

bay. Eelgrass has returned in abundance and there are more fish in

the bay, for example. Then there is trash. Ugly trash floating around

probably doesn’t have much effect on water chemistry, but it is still

ugly and I applaud all efforts to get rid of it. Many people still

don’t realize that the major sources of trash and pollutants are not

in Newport Beach, but come from inland sources and are transported to

the bay by runoff. Newport Beach has set a great example of how to

control trash and pollutants.

As to the second question, needs of the environment versus needs

of businesses, I don’t think there are many issues anymore. I don’t

think anyone knows how much local businesses contributed to bay

pollution 25 years ago. I personally think it was fairly minimal even

then. Since then, however, a number of measures have been taken to

eliminate pollution from the most obvious sources. For example,

boatyards must retain all their wash water and other waste, and the

water from sidewalk cleaning must be recaptured.

An observation: Clean water makes the harbor more attractive,

which attracts visitors and benefits business. Most business people

are keenly aware of this.

What would you do on your perfect non-working day?

Summer -- go for a boat ride.

Winter -- go skiing.