Learning the lines

A strong breeze gave temporary relief from the noontime heat for

children crowded on a Newport Harbor dock Wednesday, as they waited

for a red Harbor Patrol firefighting boat.

It was a perfect day for sailing and for these children, a welcome

break from the scenery of a motel on Harbor Boulevard, where many of

the children and their families are full-time residents.

A day of boating and water safety education for these children is

the result of a pilot program started by the Balboa Yacht Club, in

partnership with the Orange County Sheriff’s Harbor Patrol and

Mariner’s Church in Irvine.

“An outing like this is really a big thing for them,” said club

member Alan Oleson, who helps coordinate the program.

Mariner’s Church has been working with children at the Costa Mesa

Motor Inn for nine years as part of the Miracles in Motion program,

said Sheree King, of Mariner’s Church.

The children spend a day at the yacht club, sailing and eating

lunch on the terrace, then go next door to learn about water safety

from the Harbor Patrol.

The program started when some of the club’s junior members

expressed a desire to give back to the community, said club member

Tom Purcell.

Wednesday’s event was the third day that Mariner’s Church has

brought children to spend a day at the harbor. Some children have

been before; others are having a first-time boating experience, said

Balboa Yacht Club sailing director Ben Benjamin.The children receive

some basic sailing instruction when they go out on the club’s boats,

but it’s more like a cruise. The point is to give them the experience

of being out on the water, Benjamin said.

Harbor Patrol Sheriff’s Deputies Steve Shandrick and Brad Lofland

parked the Harbor Patrol boat next to the dock and explained what

they do.

“We catch bad guys that are out here on the water doing wrong

things,” Lofland told the children.

The deputies showed off the safety equipment -- such as an

automatic defibrillator and an oxygen pack -- they carry onboard.

When yacht club members took the program idea to the Harbor

Patrol, they willingly became involved, Benjamin said.

“They’re getting a positive image of law enforcement,” Oleson

said.

King made a special point to ask the deputies how education played

a role in their career choices. Each has a college degree --

Shandrick in geography and aeronautical engineering and Lofland in

marine biology.

“For you kids, a high school degree isn’t going to make it anymore

in the workforce,” Lofland said. “Education is the key.”

* LAUREN VANE covers public safety and courts. She may be reached

at (714) 966-4618 or at lauren.vane@latimes.com.