Neighbors ask yacht dwellers to disembark

Alicia Robinson

Newport Harbor may be one of the largest small-boat harbors in the

world, but there are a few things it’s just not big enough to

accommodate.

One is extremely large yachts. Another is people living on them.

In Newport Beach, there are only two public spots to dock or moor

large vessels -- for instance, a yacht that’s 50 feet or longer. Big

boats can dock at a private residence, but city codes don’t allow

anyone to stay on those boats for more than 72 hours.

Those regulations created a problem for two Newport Beach couples

-- the Huzyaks, who own a home here but spend most of their time

cruising on their 100-foot yacht, the Besame; and the Josephs, who

complain that the Besame’s crew robs them of privacy in their Lido

Isle home.

Although the city does offer 51 permits for people to live on

their boats, those are for moorings in the harbor. Live-aboards, as

they’re called, are prohibited in residential areas.

But the Huzyaks, who are docking Besame at a Lido Isle pier, said

they need to have their captain and crew on board to protect the boat

and to make sure nothing goes wrong with electrical systems, bilge

pumps and other equipment.

The Josephs complained to the city’s Harbor Commission about the

Besame crew, which they said can see them when they’re in their yard.

This was a somewhat new situation for the Harbor Commission, which

has never had occasion to talk about live-aboards in its nearly

three-year existence.

Large-boat owners who want to come to Newport will have to

continue to struggle with where to dock.

The commission Wednesday decided to reject the Huzyaks’ appeal of

the harbor permit policy, it did not create a new sort of live-aboard

permit that would serve boaters like the Huzyaks. However,

commissioners said they understand the need for captains to live on

larger vessels.

“Our biggest problem is it’s a legitimate activity, but over what

period of time?” said Commissioner John Corrough.

The trend in recent years has gone toward bigger boats, and the

city should find ways to provide amenities for them, he said.

But doing that may require more fundamental changes that would be

a long time coming.

“To me the issue is, this is the wrong harbor,” Commissioner Ralph

Rodheim said. “This is a small-boat harbor. We don’t have room for

the mega-yachts.”

* ALICIA ROBINSON covers government and politics. She may be

reached at (714) 966-4626 or by e-mail at

alicia.robinson@latimes.com.