SailingTazzy: Chapter 3 - Newport Beach - a familiar place with familiar places.

Sailing into Newport Beach from Two Harbors was a familiar experience. We have sailed here from there many times. It was nice to see snow on the mountains from out at sea.

Our plan was to enter the harbor and head for the anchorage off the end of Lido Island. Which we did. We dropped the hook at around 2:30 p.m.We didn't do much the rest of the day. Anchoring in NPB is always interesting because of all the activity going on around you. All day long and even into the evening, there are boats of all shapes and sizes moving in the harbor. When in the anchorage, it seems like you are center ring with all of it happening all around you.

The next day, we needed to pick up a pole holder for the Starlink. So, we hopped in the dinghy and went to the back of the harbor, on the far end of Lido, to the West Marine. Along the way, we sighted Invictus anchored in the west anchorage. She is a beast.

Invictus is a motor yacht with an overall length of 65.5 meters (216 feet) The yacht's builder is Delta Marine from United States, who launched Invictus in 2013. The superyacht has a beam of 13.1 m (43 feet), a draught of 3.9 m (13 feet) and a volume of 1,943 GT. She can cary up to 12 guests and 22 crew members, including the ship's captain. Invictus has a steel hull and a GRP superstructure. She is powered by 2 Caterpillar Inc. engines, which give her a top speed of 16.8 kn. The yacht carries 194,192 litres of fuel on board. Invictus is equipped with amenities such as a cinema, gym, pool, elevator, and beach club, making it an ideal choice for those seeking a luxurious and comfortable yacht charter experience. Yeah, right!

We had lunch at an interesting place and then walked around a bit on Lido Island.

After lunch, we hopped back in the dinghy and cruised over to Balboa Island, one of our favorite places in NPB. On the way there, we passed by Marina Park, the new marina (now several years old but still immaculate) in NPB.

In the early 1900's, Balboa Island was a summer vacation place. Most homes had no heaters, and were closed up in the winter. Families came down for the entire summer. Cooking was done on a gasoline stove as there was no gas or electricity. Coal oil lanterns and candles were used. The first “seawall”, a wooden bulkhead that protected part of the Island, was built in 1909. This was partially replaced by a cement barrier (cheap German cement) in 1912. Water lines to the Island were first laid in 1914.

The island grew slowly at first, but in 1916, it became part of the City of Newport Beach. In 1918 the Balboa Island Improvement Association was started (and is still going strong). The BIIA was a strong motivating force in working with the City on bulkhead repair, ferry service, a sewer system, water, gas, electricity, paved streets and sidewalks, and street lighting.

By 1921, homes were beginning to fill in the Island and Balboa Peninsula. Roads to the Newport Harbor area were still largely undeveloped, and many people still arrived by rail to the peninsula and took the ferry over to the island. Although the first Bridge from the mainland to the North Bayfront was built in 1912, it was not capable of carrying automobiles until 1929, when it was refurbished.

In 1924, the narrow bridge to Balboa Island was replaced with two lanes of wood. That bridge existed until 1928, when it was demolished to make way for a Concrete Bridge. Some of the wood from the old bridge was used to construct the building next to the “Jolly Roger” restaurant on Marine Ave. (now Wilma’s - great breakfast house). In 1929, a new Concrete Bridge was built and served for 51 years. Population grew from a little over 100 in 1929 to today’s 4,500 in winter and close to 10,000 summer renters. In 1981, the Bridge was replaced with a modern concrete structure with 9′ wide walks as it is today.

Some of your favourite war movies were filmed on the islands in Newport Harbour. John Wayne didn’t want to commute far from his Newport Beach mansion when filming the movie Sands of Iwo Jima in the 1940s, so they shot scenes on a barren island near his home. That island is now covered with luxury homes.

There is a lot of interesting history in Newport Beach and much of it is covered at the Balboa Island Museum. You can read more about it here: Get to know about all things Newport Beach, including the local residents restaurants, shops, businessses, activities, history, events and more.

Balboa Island is a nice place to walk. The sights include beautiful homes, interesting stores, historical places, but most importantly, frozen bananas.