February 26, 2016

YOUR NO. 1 SOURCE FOR LOCAL NEWS, EVENTS, SPORTS AND MORE

L O C A L N E W S Y O U C A N U S EFebruary 26-March 3, 2016

VOLUME 9, ISSUE 9

www.danapointtimes.com

A Lantern District PioneerPlanning Commission green-lights PCH/Golden Lantern mixed-use development

E Y E O N D P/ PAG E 4

This courtesy rendering shows a southwest-facing view of the PCH/Golden Lantern mixed-use project approved by the Dana Point Planning Commission on Monday.

Local Middle School Surf Teams Excel in

SSS CompetitionDP SURF/PAGE 30

OCTA to Cut Two Bus Routes through

City in OctoberEYE ON DP/PAGE 3

Former Dana Point Yacht Club Sailor Qualifies for

2016 Olympic GamesSPORTS/PAGE 28

Inside: Official Festival of Whales Program

DPDana Point LOCAL NEWS & IN-DEPTH REPORTING

EYE ON DP

www.danapointtimes.comPage 3

What’s Up With...Five things Dana Point should know this week

Dana Point Times February 26-March 3, 2016

An Orange County Transportation Authority Bus on the 191/A route stops at the Metrolink Station in North Beach on Wednesday morning. The OCTA Board of Directors approved a plan to eliminate the 191 and 193 routes, which service riders from San Clemente to Mission Viejo, in October. Photo: Eric Heinz

OCTA 191, 193 Routes to be Cut in October

THE LATEST: On Monday, Feb. 22, the Or-ange County Transportation Authority ap-proved the adoption of its new Bus Service Plan that calls for the October elimination of two bus routes through San Clemente, Dana Point and San Juan Capistrano.

Lori Donchak, the chairwoman of the OCTA Board of Directors and a San Clemente city councilwoman, said there are alternatives for people who use the bus routes, and the OCTA is looking to hold workshops in the near future with members of the public.

The 191 runs from The Shops at Mis-sion Viejo to the San Juan Capistrano Metrolink Station and Avenida Junipero Serra in San Juan Capistrano. It then travels through Capistrano Beach with stops at Doheny Park Road and Domingo Avenue and along Camino Capistrano at Avenida Las Palmas and Camino de Es-trella and then into the San Clemente area.

The 193 route runs through San Clemente from the Metrolink Station into Talega and back down into Capistrano Beach.

Service enhancements to the routes on the Bus Service Plan countywide will begin in June.

She said there are some alternatives in the works to give people options in the interim before certain service routes are reduced.

“We’re extending the hours of the (Same-Day Taxi Program) and implement-ing a countywide pilot program that de-creases the same-day taxi transfer costs,” Donchak said during a phone interview later that day.

The extension Same-Day Taxi Program for ACCESS users would also include an elimination of the $3.60 transfer cost be-tween the Same-Day Taxi and the regular ACCESS service.

ACCESS is the OCTA’s shared ride service for people with disabilities that prevent them from using regular bus service routes.

Donchak said the entire Bus Service Plan intends to increase the OCTA’s rider-ship countrywide to 1.3 million over the next three years.

The 91 bus route, which travels from San Clemente to Laguna Hills along the Pacific Coast Highway, will see no changes

in service from the Bus Plan.According to an OCTA press release,

the bus services have lost more than 20 million passengers, a reduction of 30 per-cent, since 2008.

WHAT’S NEXT: The dates of community meetings and availability of information will be announced by OCTA.

FIND OUTMORE: Donchak said residents can contact her at 949.361.8322 or [email protected] with questions. The Bus Service Plan and a schedule of service reductions can be found online at www.octa.net/Bus/Final-2016-Service-Change. —Eric Heinz

Former DP Resident Pleads Guilty to MurderTHE LATEST: Former Dana Point resident and ex-Marine, Brian Karl Brimager, 39, pleaded guilty in Federal Court in San Diego on Wednesday to the 2011 second-degree murder of girlfriend and former Dana Point resident, Yvonne Baldelli.

According to prosecutors, Brimager and Baldelli met in Dana Point in 2009. The couple moved from Los Angeles to Panama in September 2011.

Brimager admitted to stabbing Baldelli, dismembered her body with a machete and disposing of it in the jungle near Bocas Del Toro, Panama, where the couple had been living and working as caretakers of a hostel.

Baldelli’s remains were discovered in 2013 and Brimager was arrested later that year.

Shortly after the couple’s arrival in Pana-ma, Brimager began emailing the mother of his daughter and making plans for mov-ing back to California to live with her and help raise their child, prosecutors said.

Brimager was also accused of obstruc-tion of justice, falsification of records and making false statements to FBI agents investigating the case in 2012, claiming Baldelli left him to live in Costa Rica when she went missing.

In an effort to make it appear Baldelli was still alive, Brimager withdrew money from her bank accounts and sent emails to her family and friends from her com-puter saying she was living in Costa Rica with another man.

Brimager was living with the mother of his child in San Diego in 2013 at the time of his arrest.

WHAT’S NEXT: Brimager is facing life in prison. His sentencing hearing is set for May 25. —Andrea Swayne

CUSD Board Criticizes Charter’s ApplicationTHE LATEST: Capistrano Unified School District Board of Trustees were vocal in their dissatisfaction of the applica-tion submitted for a new charter school, Global Business Academy, during the Wednesday, Feb. 24 meeting.

Among the trustees’ concerns, GBA’s lack of a proposed location for the school, inconsistencies between reports of agreements between it and University of California-Irvine, the lesson structure presented and the amount of time the charter school would have to become operational by the start of the 2016-2017 school year.

GBA representatives said their school intends to make students more competi-tive in their technological and entrepre-neurial education.

Catherine Sanchirico, a GBA founding member, said during the presentation the agreements with UCI would allow

for professors to speak with students and the school may be able to use some of the university’s facilities.

Contrarily, Trustee Gila Jones said she had received letters from UCI denying any special agreements, rather they were the opportunities any school has to utilize (with some caveats) and that she thought the presentation disingenuous.

Sanchirico said she was led to believe otherwise.

Other concerns from Trustees included what they described as an overly ambi-tious curriculum that would overburden students.

WHAT’S NEXT: The next hearing for GBA is expected to take place at the March 23 CUSD meeting.—EH

CUSD Amends School of Choice PolicyTHE LATEST: At its Wednesday, Feb. 24 meeting, the Capistrano Unified School District Board of Trustees voted unani-mously to change a portion of the School of Choice policy to allow students of employees and teachers to attend the school at which their parents work as well as admitted students’ siblings.

The remainder of the policy change, regarding immersion programs, specific schools for residents within Community Financed Districts and International Bac-calaureate programs, is still being revised by CUSD staff.

CUSD teachers in attendance said they did not think allowing their students to at-tend the school at which they teach would burden classrooms.

In March 2015, CUSD hosted a series of meeting to discuss the school of choice policy.

WHAT’S NEXT: Applications for School of Choice were opened Feb. 1 and closes March 4. —EH

City Recruits for Open Planning Commission SeatTHE LATEST: The city of Dana Point is taking applications for one seat on the Planning Commission, open due to the resignation of former commissioner Liz Claus.

Eligible applicants must be registered voters and residents of Dana Point.

WHAT’S NEXT: The deadline to file an application with the City Clerk’s Office is 5:30 p.m. on Monday, March 21.

FIND OUT MORE: The application and description of duties is posted on the city’s website, www.danapoint.org. —AS

EYE ON DP

Page 4 www.danapointtimes.comDana Point Times February 26-March 3, 2016

This courtesy rendering shows a northwest-facing view of the PCH/Golden Lantern mixed-use project approved by the Dana Point Planning Commission on Monday.

A Lantern District PioneerPlanning Commission green-lights PCH/Golden Lantern mixed-use developmentBY ANDREA SWAYNE, DANA POINT TIMES

Amain street corner in the Town Center/Lantern District is one step closer to a new mixed-use

development after receiving a unanimous thumbs-up from the Dana Point Planning Commission on Monday.

The 34175 Pacific Coast Highway devel-opment, at the corner of PCH and Golden Lantern, will be built on the land now oc-cupied by Union Bank and will consist of 8,730 square feet of commercial space at ground level, three levels of subterranean parking and 39 residential units in the second and third stories.

The development was first introduced to the public at a Planning Commission study session on Sept. 8, 2014 and, according to the staff report, the project approved Mon-day was nearly identical to the developer’s initial presentation.

The project owner, M&A Gabaee, LP, was represented at the meeting by George Ray of GTR Property Development and Michael Bond of the architect, landscape and urban design firm, Studio One Eleven, who presented the project plans and fielded commissioners’ questions.

According to the staff report, the plan, as an “in-fill development project” is exempt from the California Environmen-tal Quality Act, or CEQA, environmental impact review requirements.

Residential units will include seven studios, 24 one-bedrooms, four two-bed-rooms, and four two-bedroom two-level townhomes.

The maximum height of the project is set at 40 feet. In compliance with set building standards, rooftop heating and air conditioning condensers and surrounding screens to hide them are allowed to project above the rooftop by 36 inches, 6 inches under the set 42-inch limit. An enclosed stairway providing roof access for mainte-nance will extend 4.5 feet above surround-ing parapets. The project does not include rooftop decks or elevator access.

The project’s parking plan complies with the city’s currently adopted parking code.

City Council’s recently approved park-ing plan amendment—which has yet to be certified by the California Coastal Com-mission—was not applied to this project.

With a total of 65 residential spaces and 40 commercial spaces, the project is over-parked, at five more spaces than required by the current zoning code. Parking for studios and one-bedrooms is figured at 1.7 spaces per unit and two-bedrooms are figured at 2.2 spaces per unit.

“If the Coastal Commission approves the proposed parking plan amendment, there will be no effect on this project,” Ursula Luna-Reynosa, community de-velopment director said. “If the Coastal

Commission does not approve it, then the current parking plan stands.”

Residential and commercial spaces, all contained within the plan’s three levels of underground garage, will be separated via a mechanical gate.

According to the plan, the modern/contemporary architectural style includes a variety of step-backs on all three levels—including view/lounge decks for resi-dents—in order to avoid a “wedding cake” appearance and provides visual interest on all facades.

The Planning Commission’s vote ap-proved the demolition of the current struc-ture, a sign program permit, a subdivision of ownership for residential and commer-cial portions of the project and a variance to temporarily allow a curb cut on the PCH side for an entry/exit driveway.

THE VARIANCEIn order to promote the pedestrian focus/

continuous storefronts in the Lantern Dis-trict, the Town Center Plan/Lantern District Plan does not allow for new driveways along PCH and Del Prado Avenue. Evan Langan, the city’s associate planner, explained that technically a driveway on Golden Lantern would be allowed; however, due to safety concerns such as traffic and the street’s downward slope, established bus stop and utilities, encroachment permits for a drive-way there would not be granted.

The PCH driveway was seen as a necessity in order to attract and increase the viability of quality commercial (retail and restaurant) tenants which will in turn provide the traction needed to jump start the pedestrian-friendly development in the entire area, said Ursula Luna-Reynosa, community development director.

“Providing better access will help to attract the best restaurants and retail-ers,” Luna-Reynosa said. “As a pioneering project, this is critical to the success of the Lantern District.”

The original proposal came with a ca-veat that the driveway variance be allowed only until either the Town Center Plan’s prescribed PCH widening or development of the adjacent lots (34171, 34713), which-ever comes first. At that time, the drive-way would be closed and converted to an additional 1,100 square feet of commercial space. Planning Commissioner Scott McKhann recommended the addition of a minimum time guarantee for the PCH driveway to remain, in case the adjacent lot happens to be developed quickly, triggering the immediate removal of the driveway. During the motion before the vote, a five-year minimum was added to the variance in order to give the developer at least five years’ use of the driveway.

“Let them bring people in, let them

park, let them dine, that’s what we need,” said Commissioner April O’Connor about the PCH driveway, referring to it as neces-sary to attract businesses that will give pedestrians somewhere to walk to, where now there is nothing.

The five-space parking surplus will ac-commodate the additional commercial space upon the closure of the PCH driveway.

A second, permanent driveway will be located on San Juan Avenue.

PUBLIC COMMENTResident Buck Hill said he agreed that

the development “looks like a nice addi-tion to the town” but questioned the plan’s total commercial area, saying he believes it to be short of about 1,890 square feet, in hallways and utility area, which he believes would make the project park-ing short by four spaces. Hill also asked if there is any way to prevent residential owners from using units as vacation rent-als and criticized what he said was too little time for review of the plan by the public and asked for specific justification for the variance.

According to assistant City Attorney Jennifer Farrell, aside from a homeown-ers’ association disallowing vacation rent-als per its CC&Rs, the city cannot order a property owners to disallow them.

“If allowed, vacation rentals will be sub-ject to city regulations,” Farrell said.

Resident Bob Theel spoke in favor of the project but said he doubted the “reality of this project every getting off the ground” due to it being “fatally flawed” as he be-lieves the cost of the underground parking will render it economically unfeasible.

“Case in point,” Theel said, “is the Advent Group’s mixed-use project at the southeast corner Del Prado and Violet Lantern that was approved in December 2013 … the project met all development standards … and was approved unani-mously by the Planning Commission … to meet requirements it was designed with two and a half levels of underground parking … a significant cost burden to the owner.” Despite the Advent Group being well-capitalized and experienced in devel-

opment finance, the economic burden has not allowed this project to move into the construction phase, he added.

“The 2015 Town Center Initiative throws out the city’s effort to remove excessive parking regulations, throws out the parking management plan and retains the existing excessive parking regulations and under-mines the viability of the Town Center,” Theel said. “It’s a no-growth initiative disguised as a responsible development ini-tiative. I feel this project will meet the same fate as the Advent project if the 2015 Town Center Initiative is not defeated.”

Architectural Guild of South Orange County representative and resident Rich-ard Price said they are not concerned with the aesthetics but they are concerned with the mass of the project.

Resident Harold Kaufman said he is in favor of the project but questioned the reasoning for granting the variance and suggested the commission approve the project but deny the variance.

Bond responded to Price’s massing comment by pointing out the FAR (floor area ratio) for the project is 1.89 and the allowable FAR is 2.5.

“We could have gone considerably bulkier but it was our choice to scale it down at San Juan and Golden Lantern to create variety,” Bond said.

“I think this is a great project,” McK-hann said. “It’s beautiful and it implements the vision for the Town Center. It meets the heights, it meets the set-backs … I feel like it’s compliant with the Town Center Plan massing. The parking meets the current code, not the proposed, adjusted parking management plan that hasn’t been approved by the Coastal Commission. I think this could be a great jump start to the Town Center … I consider the vari-ance justified in that they are not being allowed to take access off of Golden Lan-tern even though the Town Center Plan envisions that and there’s no alley access … I am supportive of this project.”

His fellow planning commissioners agreed, all voicing their support for the project before lodging their unanimous vote in favor. DP

Dana Point Times February 26-March 3, 2016 Page 6 www.danapointtimes.com

EYE ON DP

Community Meetings

DP Sheriff’sBlotterAll information below is obtained from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department web-site. The calls represent what was told to the deputy in the field by the radio dispatcher. The true nature of an incident often differs from what is initially reported. No assump-tion of criminal guilt or affiliation should be drawn from the content of the information provided. An arrest doesn’t represent guilt. The items below are just a sampling of the entries listed on the OCSD website.

COMPILED BY ANDREA SWAYNETUESDAY, MARCH 1

TBID Meeting1 p.m.-3 p.m. The Tourism Business Improvement District meets at City Hall, 33282 Golden Lantern, 949.248.3500, www.danapoint.org.

City Council Meeting6 p.m. Dana Point City Hall, Council Chamber, 33282 Golden Lantern, 949.248.3500, www.danapoint.org.

Dana Harbor Toastmasters7 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Fine-tune your public speaking skills each Tuesday at Capo Beach Church, 26975 Domingo Av-enue, Capistrano Beach, 949.492.7181, 1707.toastmastersclubs.org.

South Orange County Toastmasters Meeting7 p.m.-8:40 p.m. Practice becoming a more confident communicator on Tuesdays at Dana Point Community House, 24642 San Juan Avenue, Dana Point, 949.429.1794, 3944816.toastmastersclubs.org.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2

Monarch Beach Sunrise Rotary Club7 a.m.-8:30 a.m. Join members of the volunteer-centered club for breakfast and a meeting each Wednesday at the Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa, 25135 Park Lantern, Dana Point, www.monarchbeachrotary.com.

SATURDAY, MARCH 5

Recycling Event at Dana Hills High School9 a.m.-11 a.m. Residents can drop off plastic bottles and aluminum cans in the school parking lot for students to collect and sort for recycling. Proceeds are distributed by the school’s PTSA for student programs. For more informa-tion, email [email protected]. Dana Hills High School is located at 33333 Golden Lantern.

MONDAY, MARCH 14

Planning Commission Meeting6 p.m. Dana Point City Hall, Council Chamber, 33282 Golden Lantern, 949.248.3500, www.danapoint.org.

TUESDAY, MARCH 15

City Council Meeting6 p.m. Dana Point City Hall, Council Chamber, 33282 Golden Lantern, 949.248.3500, www.danapoint.org.

Monday, February 22

WELFARE CHECK Niguel Road, 33800 Block (4:27 p.m.) A man was found passed out at the library’s computer station.

PATROL CHECK Shipside Drive/Camino del Avion (Noon) A caller was “extremely irate” that a driver parked a pickup truck with an attached trailer and did not put out cones.

SUSPICIOUS PERSON/CIRCUMSTANCESStreet of the Golden Lantern, 32500 Block (5:55 a.m.) A man in his 60s who had been hanging out in front of the store for hours told an employee he felt “something moving in his belly.”

DISTURBANCE Pacific Coast Highway, Crown Valley Parkway (2:54 a.m.) An apparently homeless man wearing a red and white poncho was being verbally aggressive with a gas station employee.

SUSPICIOUS PERSON/CIRCUMSTANCESOlinda Drive, 33800 Block (12:36 a.m.) A man was standing in the middle of the street staring at the caller’s balcony and hiding when vehicles drove by.

Sunday, February 21

SUSPICIOUS PERSON/CIRCUMSTANCESStreet of the Golden Lantern, 32500 Block (3:06 p.m.) A man in his 50s and possibly under the influence of drugs was inside El Pollo Loco claiming to be “the son of God.”

DISTURBANCE Colegio Drive, 33700 Block (2:43 p.m.) A sober living home resident was on drugs and disturbing the peace.

SUSPICIOUS PERSON/CIRCUMSTANCESSan Marino Place/Colegio Drive (12:47 p.m.) Two homeless men living near a dumpster were under the influence of drugs and being loud. Their presence

was making the caller afraid to go to her car. The men were also reportedly using the dumpster as their bathroom.

SUSPICIOUS PERSON/CIRCUMSTANCESDana Drive, 25000 Block (11:25 a.m.) A caller reported a man and woman who were watching the boats, left the area on foot, in opposite directions. This, along with a “Middle Eastern” appearance, seemed odd and made the caller “very un-comfortable.” The man, who was wearing jeans with pockets that “looked like they had something large in them,” went to the right, and the woman, who “had a cover on her face” and also “had something large in her pocket,” went left. Both were acting strangely, the caller said.

Saturday, February 20

WELFARE CHECK Pacific Coast Highway/Del Obispo Street (9:16 p.m.) A patrol check was requested for two very drunken women in their 20s. One was unconscious and being pushed around in a grocery cart by the other.

DISTURBANCE-MUSIC OR PARTY Monarch Bay Drive, 0 Block (8:32 p.m.) People were re-portedly partying and peeing in the street.

DISTURBANCE Doheny Park Road, 34000 Block (7:52 p.m.) A patrol check was requested for a man carrying a paper bag and yelling at passersby in front of Big 5 Sporting Goods.

SUSPICIOUS PERSON IN VEHICLEStreet of the Ruby Lantern/Pacific Coast Highway (7:40 p.m.) A man, suspected of dealing drugs near Starbucks, was described as being in his mid-20s, having a medium build, wearing a black hoodie and carrying a gray backpack. The caller believed the man was associated with a white minivan.

DISTURBANCE Pacific Coast Highway, 34300 Block (5:44 p.m.) A woman wearing a black top and camo pants and a man in green shorts were either drunk or on drugs and sitting in a red two-door in the parking lot. The caller said the two kept coming into the store and “messing up the displays.”

SUSPICIOUS PERSON/CIRCUMSTANCESVictoria Boulevard, 26000 Block (2:54 a.m.) A man said someone had been con-tinually knocking on his front door. The pranksters were only heard and not seen.

Friday, February 19

DISTURBANCE Doheny Park Plaza/Pacific Coast Highway (7:54 p.m.) Three tran-sients were behind the ampm store setting things on fire and screaming. One of the subjects, a man in his 30s and carrying a guitar, was “growling like a dog at people.”

A crowd was gathering, the caller said.

MUNICIPAL CODE VIOLATIONSVictoria Boulevard/Sepulveda Avenue (11:23 a.m.) A white and blue striped motorhome parked on the street was oc-cupied by a man smoking marijuana. The caller wanted to cite the man for parking the vehicle for more than 72 hours.

SUSPICIOUS PERSON IN VEHICLEDomingo Avenue/Doheny Park Road (9:44 a.m.) A caller didn’t like a green “ creepy looking” van being parked near the playground.

DISTURBANCE Doheny Park Road, 34200 Block (9:44 a.m.) A male transient was sleeping in the lobby and refusing to leave.

DISTURBANCE Street of the Park Lantern, 25100 Block (9:28 a.m.) A man and wom-an were in a physical fight. The man was seen hitting the woman with a skateboard.

Thursday, February 18

SUSPICIOUS PERSON/CIRCUMSTANCESPalm Beach Court, 0 Block (10:43 p.m.) A man said he saw people outside in a vehicle and “they belong in the attic.”

Wednesday, February 17

DRUNK IN CAR Pacific Coast Highway, 34000 Block (11:12 p.m.) A dark colored SUV was backed into a parking spot next to a trash dumpster. Men were seen exiting the smoke-filled vehicle and throwing up.

DISTURBANCE Palm Beach Court, 0 Block (11:06 p.m.) A man reported someone was trying to kidnap him. The kidnappers were not at the location and the man said he did not know who or where they were.

DISTURBANCE Puerto Place/Dana Point Harbor Drive (6:15 p.m.) A woman was driving by when she saw two men walking into the restroom and then heard one of the men screaming as if he was being hurt. One man came out of the restroom and was seen fishing near the jetty.

WELFARE CHECK Dana Strand Road, 34300 Block (5:23 p.m.) A patrol check was requested for six to seven juveniles who had moved construction equipment to the edge of the cliff and were standing on it. The caller was concerned the kids would lose their balance and fall over the cliff.

SUSPICIOUS PERSON/CIRCUMSTANCESNiguel Road, 33800 Block (4:30 p.m.) A man was inside the library at the comput-ers, “rubbing his crotch.”

TERRORIST THREATS Sail Way, 32700 Block (11:33 a.m.) A caller’s brother left a bullet taped to the wall with a message that read, “This one’s for you.”

EYE ON DP

Page 7 www.danapointtimes.com

HONORS

HARBOR GRILL34499 Golden Lantern Street, Dana Point949.240.1416, www.harborgrill.com

Compiled by Rachel Johnson, Assistant Administrative Analyst, Dana Point Com-munity Development

The city of Dana Point has chosen Harbor Grill as the Business of the Month for February.

After working and being around restau-rants for many years, owner John Hicks and his wife, Wanda, dreamed of opening their own restaurant.

The perfect opportunity presented itself in the Dana Point Harbor in the spring of 1984. The Hicks decided to relocate from San Francisco to Dana Point and opened the Harbor Grill.

With John as manager and Wanda tak-ing care of daily business, Harbor Grill was an instant success.

Growing up in the restaurant, their son Keegan decided to focus his college career in resort and restaurant manage-ment. In 2002, Keegan took over the day-to-day operation of the family business in preparation for becoming the operating proprietor in 2006 when John retired.

Today Harbor Grill employs approxi-mately 45 people.

The Harbor Grill sets itself apart from other restaurants with its mesquite grill

News from Dana Point’s business communityDANA POINT TIMES

Business Beat that gives meat a tremendous amount of flavor while still keeping it healthy.

Executive Chef Angel Fabian has been with Harbor Grill for more than 30 years, offering a delicious array of dishes from more traditional to elaborate recipes and inventive styles.

Harbor Grill serves lunch, dinner and a Sunday champagne breakfast.

The staff at Harbor Grill has created an atmosphere that makes customers feel at home from the moment they enter the res-taurant, striving to provide fine food and excellent service in a casual atmosphere. And their commitment to quality is of utmost importance in every aspect of the business, which has contributed to them being named the Best Overall Restaurant in Dana Point in the Dana Point Times’ “Best of Dana Point People’s Choice Lan-tern Awards” for the past five years. The Harbor Grill has also consistently been named one of the top 10 seafood restau-rants in Orange County by Open Table.

The Hicks family believes operating a successful business is more than just mak-ing a profit and feels strongly about invest-ing back into the community. They have provided support for many local nonprofits including Dana Hills High School founda-tions, Fish for Life, Dana Point Symphony, Mission Hospital Foundation and the Assistance League of Saddleback Valley, to name a few.

Keegan has said if they are asked to help, he will find a way for the Harbor Grill to be involved, but still believes his great-est accomplishment is when someone tells him they had a great meal as they leave the restaurant.

The City Council and staff congratulates Harbor Grill for being selected as the Business of the Month and wishes the Hicks family many years of continued success in Dana Point. DP

(L to R) Heather Johnston, Chamber of Commerce executive director, and Mayor John Tomlinson present Busi-ness of the Month honors to Amelie Hicks (holding her and Keegan’s son James), Keegan Hicks and John Hicks (holding Amelie and Keegan’s daughter Harlow) for their business, The Harbor Grill. Photo: DyAnne Weamire

SOUTH COAST WATER DISTRICT: BUNGLED BOAT BUSINESS

BY TIM PICKERING, Laguna Beach; TIMOTHY PICKERING, Phoenix, Arizona; and DENNIS PICKERING, Dana Point

In 1999, South Coast Water District (SCWD) acquired 30 acres for $1 (prob-ably valued at more than $50 million) along San Juan Creek and on the other side of the railroad tracks from the Pickering fam-ily business, Dana Point Marine & Storage (DPMS).

In 2007, in the process of seeking to make the property productive, SCWD de-cided to build a boat and RV business. The impetus was Orange County Harbor’s need to store boats during their revitalization process as well as the pending closure of El Toro’s massive boat and RV storage facility.

By this past fall, the harbor revitalization project that began as a $6.9 million refur-bishing and remodeling project had been recast as a $200 million re-development

DPDana Point VIEWS, OPINIONS AND INSIGHTS

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Dana Point Times, Vol. 9, Issue 9. The DP Times (www.danapointtimes.com) is published weekly by Picket Fence Media, publishers of the SC Times (www.sanclementetimes.com) and The Capistrano Dispatch (www.thecapistranodis-patch.com). Copyright: No articles, illustrations, photographs or other editorial matter or advertisements herein may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher. The publisher assumes no responsibility for return of unsolicited manuscripts, art, photos or negatives. Copyright 2016. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.

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Picket Fence Media Group Senior Editor,City Editor, DP Times> Andrea Swayne

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CONTRIBUTORS Megan BiancoMelissa Calvano Evan Da SilvaDebra HolmTim Trent

Letters to the Editor

project and was put on hold until a master developer could be identifi ed. Also, in Au-gust 2015, the El Toro facility announced it would close on Jan. 31, 2016. It pub-lished a list of 122 facilities where their 3,000 customers could relocate, and since then El Toro has indeed closed, thereby eliminating both of SCWD’s anticipated sources for boats and RVs.

As SCWD has spent about $1 million of reserve funds on their boat and RV stor-age property, which is 99 percent com-plete, the board of directors feels obliged to make a return on their investment.

Without SCWD’s intended boat and RV customer sources, how will it acquire cus-tomers? Until the summer season begins, SCWD could share the few customers that arrive each month with DPMS and add to their losses. Over time, should SCWD’s 6-acre facility share a proportion-ate number of customers with DPMS’s 2-acre storage facility, both would have less than 25 percent occupancy, and both would fail.

Alternatively, SCWD could cut their rates, which would be “patently unfair” as described by one of the board of direc-tors, as they have no debt service to pay, are the recipient of substantial property tax funds (to which their competitors

contribute), have the fi nancial benefi t of operating as a nonprofi t organization and can continue to fund expenses from increased water rates, in-house staff, mate-rials, equipment or new bond issues.

In the small business world, newly projected customer losses warrant a revised proforma, although it has yet to be considered by SCWD.

The California Water Code addresses the disposition of extra land, which can be leased or sold to the highest bidder. However, property development for “recre-ational purposes” is also allowed according to SCWD’s legal counsel’s recent memo-randum. To that point, DPMS has never used its storage facility for recreational purposes in more than 12 years, and by example what other land-based storage facilities provide recreational resources?

As opposed to a competitive private sec-tor business, public utilities such as SCWD are considered a government “franchised monopoly.” The following federal and state references are intended to protect private sectors’ business from them:

Bureau of the Budget Bulletin 55-4, Jan. 15, 1955 - President Eisenhower, SBA Author: “The Federal government will not start or carry on any commercial activ-ity to provide a service or product for its own use if such product or service can be procured from private enterprise through ordinary business channels.”

California Business and Professions Code:“17000 - This chapter may be cited as

the Unfair Practices Act. 17001 - The Leg-islature declares that the purpose of this chapter is to safeguard the public against the creation or perpetuation of monopolies and to foster and encourage competition by prohibiting unfair, dishonest, deceptive, destructive, fraudulent and discriminatory practices by which fair and honest compe-tition is destroyed or prevented ... ”

Moreover, there are no comparable fi nancial threats to a public utility. If the SCWD facility fails, the Board of Direc-tors and their employees are protected as the losses can be covered with use rate increases, bonds, county taxes or a state bail out. In contrast, the DPMS owners are held personally liable and stand to lose all their collateralized business holdings, per-sonal property and assets when the bank’s ubiquitous default loan term is applied to a commercial borrower: “Lender in good faith believes itself insecure” once SCWD starts competing with them.

As previously stated in a letter to the SCWD board of directors: “ ... we’d ask that the SCWD directors wait and limit their offering to only the Dana Point Har-bor boat owners, so as to not adversely affect the 122 small boat and RV business owners by virtue of having an overwhelm-ingly unfair advantage over tax-paying small businesses.”

Inside: maps, Schedules & more

EVenT pROgRamInside: maps,

EVenT pROgRamEVenT pROgRam PRESENTED BY

BY JOHN TOMLINSON, MAYOR, CITY OF DANA POINTOn behalf of Dana Point, I welcome you to

the 45th anniversary of the Dana Point Festival of Whales—one of our city’s marquee events showcasing all Dana Point has to o�er.

Dana Point is home to some of California’s most scenic vistas. In addition to whale watch-ing boat excursions o�ered during the festival, these coastal perches are ideal locations to experience local marine wildlife and the an-nual California gray whale migration.

A visit to the Dana Point Headlands Conser-vation Area is a must. At the Headlands park, visitors will find our city’s nature interpre-tive center where you can learn more about the area’s natural history, local conservation e�orts and the region’s flora and fauna. The Headlands park also has a network of trails providing access to one of the most scenic beaches in the state—Dana Strand.

The annual celebration kicks-o� Saturday, March 5 at 10 a.m. with a parade down Pacific Coast Highway and fair at La Plaza Park. Joining the opening day festival lineup is the inaugural Cardboard Classic Dinghy

Dash, a cardboard boat building contest, race and barbecue. Also on opening night, the city is hosting a viewing of Free Willy: Escape from Pirates Cove at Lantern Bay Park. Fun starts at 6:30 p.m. and the popcorn is free.

This two-weekend extravaganza is full of activities for the whole family including kids’ fishing clinics, a sand sculpting competition, classic car displays, the educational Ocean Awareness Day, hidden treasure Diamond Dig and the ever-popular Whale of a Clam Chow-der Cook-o�.

Another festival highlight is Art in the Park—a showcase that sees local high school students display their artwork and marine-focused science projects alongside profes-sional artists during the festival’s second weekend. Here, student teams will be creating a sidewalk chalk art display and, in an e�ort to utilize art to convey an important environmen-tal message, they will construct a 9-foot-tall by 30-foot-wide gray whale rib cage and spine out of various plastic items to visually share the impact single-use plastics have on the ocean.

The celebration concludes on Sunday, March 13 with the spectacular Concert on the Water featuring performances from The Eliminators, Sapadilla and Garratt Walkin & The Parrotheads.

You can find a full list of events and attrac-tions in the pages of this program. And while you are here, be sure to take advantage of the festival’s free shuttle service and water taxi.

Again, on behalf of all of Dana Point, please enjoy the always fun-filled, educational and exciting Dana Point Festival of Whales!

45th Annual Dana Point Festival of Whales • March 5-6 & 12-13, 2016 • festivalofwhales.com 3

Five years ago stu-dents took over. The Dana Point Festival of Whales logo that is.

For years, the work of renowned artists decorated the annual celebration—artists like Wyland, known internationally for his marine art raising environmental con-servation awareness, and the movie poster illustrator Phil Rob-

erts, who designed posters for films like Bad News Bears, Austin Powers and Encino Man. California’s whale tail license plate co-designer, Bill Atkins, and the surf classic Endless Summer poster illustrator John VanHamersveld, too, have lent their talents to the festival’s logo.

A new tradition arose in 2012 following the resurgence of a 1990s festival logo—a whale fluke, or tail, swimming amid a sea of colorful confetti. That year a bold logo with deep, vibrant shades of yellow, blue and red depicting a fluking whale against Dana Point’s famed Headlands welcomed guests.

Its designer, Carver Moore, bested an impressive field of entries in the festival’s first logo design contest, a challenge featuring only student entries. The 2011 Dana Hills High School graduate became the first in a now-treasured festival tradition that sees local students vying for the ultimate, o�icial logo, prize.

This year’s winner is Camden Butterworth, a Dana Hills sopho-more who utilized skills learned in her multi-media and design class to take her logo entry in an entirely di�erent direction than past festival designs.

“I wanted to go for a cartoonish look with smooth lines and lettering—a simple design that would be fun and di�erent to look at,” she said. Her logo design, the o�icial brand of the 45th

annual event, now appears on advertisements, event programs, online media and festival merchandise.

“I’ve gone to the festival with my family growing up and last year some of my art was on display,” Butterworth said. “But to be this year’s logo designer is a huge honor. To have my logo be among all the famous artists who have done it in the past, as well as the student designs, is amazing.”

Butterworth’s logo, along with those from runners-up Anthony Aguilar (second place), Agustina Cruz (third place), Chloe Gaynor (fourth place) and Fatemah Khanmohammadi (fi¤h place), will be on display throughout the festival’s Art in the Park event—an

art-focused a�air stretching both festival weekends featur-ing artwork from both local students and professionals.

The student art program began in 2011 with Penny Elia, executive director of the festi-val, looking for ways to engage area youth in new and exciting ways. With the help of Natalie Hribar-Kelly, a digital photog-raphy and ceramics teacher at DHHS, the contest was born, and with it student participa-tion in the festival’s Art in the Park showcase and an annual field trip at sea for students to find inspiration.

Every year, students embark on the trip during the heart of

the California gray whale migration season to view the mam-mals in their natural habitat. Sketchbooks and cameras in hand they draw marine life and snap images of their surroundings. Ninety fine arts students attended the first year. Interest among both students and teachers has grown exponentially since. This January, more than 200 students and eight teachers from the

Welcome to the Migration Celebration

SECOND PLACEAnthony Aguilar

THIRD PLACEAgustina Cruz

FOURTH PLACEChloe Gaynor

FIFTH PLACEFatemah Khanmohammadi

FIRST PLACECamden Butterworth

Camden Butterworth, a sophomore at Dana Hills High School, had her design chosen by Dana Point Festival of Whales organizers as the o�icial logo for the 45th annual event. Photo: Andrea Swayne

Dana Hills High School students photograph and sketch wildlife on a whale watching trip to find inspiration for the Dana Point Festival of Whales logo contest. Photo: Allison Jarrell

YoUtHin FOcuSStudent-centric festival program fosters meaningful interaction with community

The Dana Point Festival of Whales brings thousands together each spring to celebrate the Pacific Ocean and the California gray whales’ migration from Baja California lagoons to the Bering Sea. This four-decade-long, ocean-friendly tradition is rooted in environmental awareness, education and fun.

To guarantee that guests for genera-tions to come have the same opportunity to observe and learn about the region’s marine life, festival organizers ask all participating sponsors, exhibitors and guests to be stewards of the ocean—both while enjoying the festival’s merriment and when they return home.

Sponsors, exhibitors and participants

have been keeping the festival’s loca-tion—right at the water’s edge—in mind when planning events for years. In doing so, guests will likely not find balloons, stickers, temporary tattoos, flyers, single-use plastics and other items that could find their way into the ocean.

Festival-goers are also asked to do their part to keep the festival, and local ecosystem, green and clean. A simple way to reduce your impact is to pack a reusable water bottle. Drinking fountains are conveniently located throughout the Dana Point Harbor. Learn more about how you can have a positive impact on the environment during Ocean Awareness Day—Sunday, March 6—at Baby Beach.

KeEpiNg The FEsTivAL cLeAn, GreEN

school’s English, science, math, theater and culinary arts departments boarded whale watching vessels provided by Dana Wharf Sportfishing & Whale Watching and Captain Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Watching Safari to observe and work on curriculum created for the outing.

Incorporating STEM subjects—science, technology, English and math—together with the arts to form a STEAM-based edu-cational experience was the perfect way to satisfy the growing interest among teachers and students, Hribar-Kelly said. Elia agreed. The expansion fulfills one of the festival’s core missions: to involve and educate the entire community and highlight the talent of the city’s next generation of leaders.

“Everybody’s heard of STEM as an edu-cational focus, but art is the way to open minds,” Elia said. “It is our responsibility as adults to mentor the next generation and I think the festival gives us a good platform to do that, across all academic subjects. And the festival will now have a whole lineup of student-created entertainment stemming, or should I say ‘STEAMing’ from the original logo program.”

Just as the field trip has expanded, so too has student festival participation.

Students have displayed their artwork alongside professionals at Art in the Park for the last five years. New in 2016, students will not only showcase their art, they will also be creating it. Fine arts students will create sidewalk chalk art during the festi-val’s second weekend.

Marine biology students, too, will fashion art. Using only single-use plastics, students will construct a whale sculpture to visually

convey the negative e�ect such materials, and their pollution, have on the oceans and marine life. This life-sized spine and rib cage—standing 9-feet-tall and 30-feet-wide—will be large enough for guests to walk through.

“We used currents to understand the current situation of plastic pollution in the ocean,” said environmental science teacher Randy Hudson of his students’ studies. “We don’t see it because it gets kind of entrained in these larger-scale currents o�shore … We’re learning about how we are finding whales with plastic in their gut and chemi-cal e�ects in their blood.”

Students will share what they’ve learned through observations of currents, waves and tides—physical factors of the ocean—and how those, along with pollution, e�ect the biological ocean inhabitants.

Dana Hills’ involvement doesn’t end there. Along with the longtime participation of the marching band in the festival parade, an estimated 15 percent of the school’s 2,700 student body—about 400 students—will be involved in the event. In years past, culinary students faced o� against local eateries and organizations in the Whale of a Clam Chowder Cook-o� and baked goods for various festival events.

“What’s really exciting about this year’s expansion is that we’ve created this really well-rounded program that reaches all kinds of kids, with varied interests, and gives them new opportunities to interact with each other and the community in a very meaningful way,” said Rhibar-Kelly.

—Andrea Papagianis. Andrea Swayne and Allison Jarrell contributed to this story.

Photo: Allison Jarrell

PARKINGParking is free at the Dana Point Harbor but is limited to

four hours. Heed this warning: the restriction is strictly en-forced by sheri� ’s deputies. All-day, and hourly, paid parking is available at Doheny State Beach for a discount rate of $1 per hour. Kiosks are located in the park’s lots and the iPhone and Android app, PassportParking Mobile Pay, allows guests to pay and add time with their phone.

SHUTTLEA free shuttle will run throughout the Dana Point Harbor

and Doheny State Beach parking lots each day of the festival from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The shuttle will service multiple stops along Dana Point Harbor Drive to help festivalgoers get from one area of the festival to another.

PARADE and STREET FAIR: On Saturday, March 5, shuttle services begin at 9 a.m. o� ering guests rides from the harbor and Doheny State Beach to the parade viewing area. The shuttle will continue service from noon to 4 p.m. to and from harbor and Doheny parking lots to La Plaza Park where the Street Fair is held.

WHALE OF A CONCERT: On Sunday, March 15, shuttle services will be extended to 6 p.m. through the Whale of a Concert conclusion.

WATER TAXIGuests can travel from harbor end to end on the Festival of

Whales water taxi—an educational ride featuring interesting facts about Dana Point and gray whales. Daily taxi service will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. between Dana Wharf and the Ocean Institute. Roundtrip tickets cost $5.

In the spirit of conservation, the Dana Point Festival of Whales, Orange County Transportation Authority and Metrolink have once again teamed up to help guests celebrate the California gray whale migration with an af-fordable, hassle-free and environmentally-friendly means of travel.

Throughout both festival weekends OCTA and Metrolink are o� ering a $10 weekend day pass—valid for system-wide travel all day Saturday or Sunday.

To get to the festival, riders can travel to the San Juan Capistrano train station on Metrolink’s OC Line and trans-fer to an OCTA Route 91 bus headed south to Dana Point. Festivalgoers can also bike from San Juan to Dana Point by way of the San Juan Creek trail. This 3-mile trail leads to Doheny State Beach.

Weekend day passes, providing roundtrip transporta-tion and transfers all-day Saturday and Sunday, are available at Metrolink ticket machines. Log on to www.octa.net/whales for full festival-transit schedules.

In addition to enjoying tra� ic-free festival travel, mass-transit riders can also receive special o� ers during the festival by showing their Metrolink ticket, OCTA bus pass or 91 Express Lanes transponder.

HERE ARE THE FOLLOWING EXCLUSIVE OFFERS:BOAT RENTALS Be your own captain and cruise the harbor on a 21-foot

SAVE ENVIRONMENT, CASH WITH MASS TRANSIT TRAVEL

TraVEliNg ABoUt tHe fEStiVAl

electric boat from Vintage Marina Partners. Receive 50 percent o� your rental. Rentals are available from 9 a.m.to 4 p.m. on a first-come, first-served basis. Minimum one-hour rental fee required. Reserve by calling 949.496.6177.

DINING AND DRINK SPECIALS • Buy one premium co� ee beverage at The Co� ee Import-ers, located in the Dana Point Harbor’s Mariners Village on the water’s edge, and receive a second one free. • Snag a seat in Harpoon Henry’s spacious dining room with panoramic harbor views to receive your complimen-tary chef’s choice appetizer with an entrée purchase. One per table. • Enjoy a free side salad with each sandwich purchase at the dockside eatery, Proud Mary’s Restaurant. • Receive a free house appetizer of the chef’s choosing with the purchase of an entrée at Wind & Sea Restaurant. Limit one per table.

OVERNIGHT STAYS Don’t miss a minute of the action! Enjoy a weekend get-away in the heart of the harbor with a special $79 a night rate at the Dana Point Marina Inn. Reservations required. Mention the OCTA/Metrolink rate when booking. Call 800.255.6843 or email [email protected].

WATER TAXI RIDES Take in the sights and sounds of the festival aboard a harbor water taxi from Dana Wharf to the Ocean Institute for just $3 roundtrip. Taxi service runs daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

WHALE WATCHING EXCURSIONS Receive a 50-percent discount o� a whale watching trip with Dana Wharf Sportfishing & Whale Watching. Reservations are required. Confirm your trip by calling 949.496.5764 or by visiting www.danawharf.com.

45th Annual Dana Point Festival of Whales • March 5-6 & 12-13, 2016 • festivalofwhales.com6

EveNt ScHedULeSUNDAYMARCH 615 WHALE OF A SAND SCULPTING COMPETITION8 a.m.–2:30 p.m. Baby Beach

4 LILY: A GRAY WHALE TRIBUTE 8:30 a.m.–9:30 a.m. Captain Dave’s Dolphin & Whale Watching Safari

16 WHALE WALK PAINTING9 a.m.–2 p.m. Doheny State Beach

6 DANA POINT FINE ARTS ASSOCIATION SHOW & SALE9:30 a.m.–5 p.m. Harbor walkway near Mariners Village

3 WYLAND ART LESSONS IN THE WILD10 a.m.–10:45 a.m. Ocean Adventure Catamaran, Dana Wharf Dock

13 MARINE MAMMAL LECTURE SERIES10 a.m.–11 a.m. Harpoon Henry’s

7 SAILING & STAND-UP PADDLING CLINIC 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Westwind Sailing, OC Sailing & Event Center

11 SO CAL WOODIES10 a.m.–4 p.m. Harbor Walkway

11 THE LEGENDARY CORVETTE10 a.m.–4 p.m. Harbor Walkway

12 ART IN THE PARK10 a.m.–5 p.m. Island Way and Dana Point Harbor Drive

15 OCEAN AWARENESS DAY11 a.m.–4 p.m. Baby Beach Park

15 DIAMOND DIG11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. Baby Beach

15 WHALE OF A RUBBER DUCKY DERBY11 a.m.–2 p.m. Baby Beach

15 WHALE OF A BBQ 11:30 a.m.–4 p.m. Baby Beach Park

10 HARBOR MUSIC SERIES Noon–3 p.m. Dana Wharf, Mariners Village

3 KIDS FISHING CLINIC AND TRIPNoon–12:30 p.m.; 12:45–5:15 p.m. Dana Wharf Docks

8 WALKING TOUR OF TOWN CENTER2 p.m. Blue Lantern Street/Pacific Coast Highway

3 DRONE AND GO PRO DEMO 2 p.m.–4:30 p.m. Dana Wharf Sportfishing & Whale Watching

SATURDAYMARCH 12 16 WHALE OF A BEACH CLEANUP 9 a.m.–Noon Doheny State Beach

6 DANA POINT FINE ARTS ASSOCIATION SHOW & SALE9:30 a.m.–5 p.m. Harbor walkway near Mariners Village


13 MARINE MAMMAL LECTURE SERIES 10 a.m.–11 a.m. Harpoon Henry’s

15 5TH ANNUAL CLAM CHOWDER COOK OFF 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Baby Beach Park

11 BRITISH INVASION10 a.m.–4 p.m. Harbor Walkway



4 CAPTAIN DAVE’S CARNIVAL Noon–2 p.m. Dolphin Deck near Baby Beach


5 WHALE’S TALE TALLSHIP SAILING ADVENTURE12:15 p.m.–3:30 p.m. Ocean Institute


9 DRONES OVER WHALES & DOLPHINS2:30 p.m.–3:30 p.m. Dana Point Yacht Club

SUNDAYMARCH 136 DANA POINT FINE ARTS ASSOCIATION SHOW & SALE9:30 a.m.–5 p.m. Harbor walkway near Mariners Village



11 BRITISH INVASION10 a.m.–4 p.m. Harbor Walkway



16 MOBILE MARINE MAMMAL MUSEUM 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Doheny State Beach Visitor Center


15 CONCERT ON THE WATERNoon–5 p.m. Baby Beach

15 WHALE OF A CONCERT BBQ AND SPIRITS GARDENNoon–5 p.m. Baby Beach

3 KIDS FISHING CLINIC AND TRIPNoon–12:30 p.m.; 12:45–5:15 p.m. Dana Wharf Docks


5 OCEAN INSTITUTE – OCEAN EDUCATION CENTEROpen daily during the festival 10 a.m–4 p.m.

MARCH 12–13

CAPTAIN DAVE’S DOLPHIN & WHALE WATCHING SAFARI24440 Dana Point Harbor Drive, 949.488.2828, dolphinsafari.com

DANA WHARF WHALE WATCHING34675 Golden Lantern, 800.979.3370, danawharf.com

OCEAN INSTITUTE24200 Dana Point Harbor Drive, 949.496.2274, ocean-institute.org

Whale watching excursions are available every day of the festival at these Dana Point businesses

WEEKEND TWO

SATURDAY MARCH 56 DANA POINT FINE ARTS ASSOCIATION SHOW & SALE9:30 a.m.–5 p.m. Harbor walkway near Mariners Village

1 FESTIVAL OF WHALES PARADE10 a.m. Pacific Coast Highway

15 CARDBOARD CLASSIC DINGHY DASH & EXPO 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Baby Beach



2 STREET FAIR 10 a.m.–3 p.m. La Plaza Park

11 SO CAL WOODIES 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Harbor walkway

11 THE LEGENDARY CORVETTE10 a.m.–4 p.m. Harbor Walkway


9 JEFFREY ADAM MEMORIAL SAILING REGATTA 11:15 a.m. Dana Point Yacht Club

15 WHALE OF A BBQ 11:30 a.m.–4 p.m. Baby Beach Park


5 WHALE’S TALE TALLSHIP SAILING ADVENTURE12:15 p.m.–3:30 p.m. Ocean Institute

8 WALKING TOUR OF TOWN CENTER2 p.m. Blue Lantern Street/Pacific Coast Highway


14 MOVIE IN THE PARK FREE WILLY: ESCAPE FROM PIRATES COVE6:30 p.m. Lantern Bay Park

5 OCEAN INSTITUTE – OCEAN EDUCATION CENTEROpen daily during the festival 10 a.m–4 p.m.

WEEKEND ONE MARCH 5–6

WHALE WATCHING

45th Annual Dana Point Festival of Whales • March 5-6 & 12-13, 2016 • festivalofwhales.com 7

Arts and CultureART IN THE PARK March 5, 6, 12, 13; 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Regional artists and students from Dana Hills High School will display their unique paintings, ceramics, photography and more at the corners of Island Way and Dana Point Harbor Drive. Live entertainment all day. 12

DANA POINT FINE ARTS ASSOCIATION SHOW & SALE March 5, 6, 12, 13; 9:30 a.m.–5 p.m. A walk along the Harbor Boardwalk—along the Mariner’s Village boat docks and near The Co�ee Importers—sees the work of local award-winning artists on display. Peruse or purchase watercolors, oil paint-ings and more. A portion of the nonprofit’s festival proceeds will benefit local high school students. 6

WALKING TOUR OF TOWN CENTER March 5, 6; 2 p.m. Join the Historical Soci-ety on a tour of Dana Point’s notable down-town to hear stories of the city’s origin, buildings, homes and landmarks built from 1924 to 1939. Meet your guide at the Blue Lantern Café—Coastal Kitchen—at 34091 Pacific Coast Highway. For group reserva-tions, call 949.248.8121. 8

Cardboard Classic and Sailing RegattaCARDBOARD CLASSIC DINGHY DASH March 5; 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Experience the exhilaration of racing your own watercra¤. Dinghy Dash teams will work all morning long designing and building their cra¤s from just cardboard and duct tape before competing in age divi-sions in the a¤ernoon. $25 per team. Materials supplied. Inaugural event includes vendor booths, barbecue and more. 15

JEFFREY ADAM MEMORIAL SAILING REGATTA March 5Dana Point’s yacht clubs, sail-ing schools and Sea Scouts come together to honor Je�rey Adam, a local 22-year-old who died from a rare bacterial meningitis, with his favorite pas-time—sailing. Dinghy sailors of all ages are welcome. Spectator cruises, lasting 80 min-utes, are open to the public. They depart at 11:15 a.m., noon and 1:15 p.m. 9

Captain Dave’s Whale Watching and MoreDRONES OVER WHALES & DOLPHINS March 12; 2:30 p.m.–3:30 p.m. Discover how innovative drone technology is help-ing local marine experts learn more about dolphins and whales than ever before and see how the aerial tools can be helpful in entanglement rescues. 9

LILY: A GRAY WHALE TRIBUTE March 6; 8:30 a.m.–9:30 a.m. Capt. Dave Anderson welcomes guests aboard his 62-foot re-search and rescue vessel Lily—named for a gray whale who became entangled—to the public for a free tour, lecture and signing of Anderson’s book—“Lily, A Gray Whale’s Odyssey.” 4

UNDER THE SEA CARNIVAL March 12; Noon–2 p.m. All members of the pod are invited to experience an under the sea adven-ture on land. Join Capt. Dave for an a¤ernoon of educational fun complete with games, cra¤s, prizes, facing painting and an underwa-ter simulation at the Dolphin Deck. 4

Classic Car Displays

BRITISH INVASION March 12, 13; 10 a.m.–

4 p.m. Britain’s greatest 1960s exports, aside from James Bond and The Beatles, classic sports cars are on display along the Harbor walkway. View Austin-

Healey, Jaguar, Morgan and Triumph sports cars up close

throughout the weekend. 11

SO CAL WOODIES March 5, 6; 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Meet loyal owners of Califor-nia’s quintessential cars who preserve a piece of the state’s rich surf culture history. The National Woodie Club’s area branch presents wood-paneled, chrome-finished Fords, Buicks and more along the Harbor walkway. 11

THE LEGENDARY VETTE March 5, 6; 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Chevrolet’s iconic American homegrown sports car, the Corvette, stars in this Harbor walkway display. Pacific Coast Corvettes presents the car that has captured enthusiasts and casual drivers for seven model generations. 11

Dana Wharf Whale Watching and MoreDRONE AND GOPRO DEMO March 5, 6, 12, 13; 2p.m.–4:30 p.m. Learn how Dana Wharf’s crew operates drones safely and respectfully to capturing stunning images and videos of local marine wildlife during a 2.5-hour whale watching excursion. 3

KIDS FISHING CLINIC AND TRIP March 6, 13; Noon–12:30 p.m. Young guests will learn how to cast, catch and reel in fish from local ex-perts at this dockside clinic. A free fishing trip, including equipment, for kids 12 and under will follow from 12:45 p.m.–5:15 p.m. Adults are $46 plus license and equipment. 3

MARINE MAMMAL LECTURE SERIES March 5, 6, 12, 13; 10 a.m.–11 a.m. Local marine biologists and guest experts share recent findings on marine life at this continental breakfast at Harpoon Henry’s. Lectures are free. A 2.5-hour whale watching trip is o�ered right a¤er. Whale watching tickets are $55 for adults and $35 for children and seniors. Speakers include: Lei Lani Stelle (March 5); Doug Thompson (March 6); Kirsten Donald (March 12); and Todd Mansur (March 13). 13

WYLAND ART LESSONS IN THE WILD March 5, 6, 12, 13;

10 a.m.–10:45 a.m. Learn how renowned wildlife artist Wyland creates his paintings and sculptures at this dock-side video presentation and art lesson. Kids can enter

their artwork to be judged by Wyland for a grand prize.

Cost is $5 per child. Participants receive a free same-day whale

watching excursion with paid adult ticket for $45. 3

Diamond DigDIAMOND DIG March 6; 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. Ahoy Mate! Come dressed in your pirate best to loot buried treasures in the Baby Beach sands. Riches include jewelry, toys and more. Entry into this Monarch Beach Sunrise Rotary Club hosted event costs $10 per child. All proceeds benefit local children’s charities. 15

Doheny State BeachMOBILE MARINE MAMMAL MUSEUM March 13; 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Gain an ap-preciation for the sea’s creatures at this display of marine mammal artifacts at the Doheny State Beach Visitors Center. Free, one-hour parking is available at the state beach for mobile museum visitors. 16

WHALE OF A BEACH CLEANUP March 12; 9 a.m.–noon Toast to the coast and help keep a treasured California locale pristine by lending a hand in this annual cleanup of Doheny State Beach. Meet at lifeguard headquarters to learn how you can do your part to maintain coastal resources all year-round. Bring work gloves and a recyclable

bag or bucket. Free shuttle available from harbor. 16

WHALE WALK PAINTING March 6; 9 a.m.–2 p.m. Help add a 75-foot long fin whale mural to Doheny’s whale walk—featuring life-sized paintings of the

world’s largest mammals: the gray, blue, humpback and

orca whales. Call the Doheny State Beach Interpretive Associa-

tion for more information at: 949.544.4627. 16

Food Fun WHALE OF A BBQ March 5 & 6; 11:30 a.m.–4 p.m. Barbecued hot dogs, hamburgers and other treats will be served. Stand will be set up adjacent to Baby Beach. 15

WHALE OF A CLAM CHOWDER COOK-OFF March 12; 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Festival-goers, prepare your taste buds. Local eateries and clubs are battling it out in a clam chowder throw down benefitting the non-profit organization Fish for Life that takes children with special needs on fishing excursions. So stop by, sample each entry and vote for your favorite. Cost is $10. There will also be a beer & wine garden available to guests 21 and over. 15

WHALE OF A CONCERT BBQ March 13; Noon–5 p.m. Enjoy barbecued favorites on the sands of Baby Beach while local bands take to the floating stage to close out the 45th annual Festival of Whales. Barbecue includes a spirits’ garden for guests over 21. Valid driver’s license must be pre-sented. 15

EveNtS & ATtRacTIonS


# = Event location; See map on page 6.

(Cont. on page 10)

Diamond Dig

Traveling day and night, the California gray whale makes one of the mammal world’s longest annual migrations. The more than 10,000-mile, roundtrip migration see the species travel from the icy waters of the Bering and Chukchi seas to the warm lagoons of Baja California each fall and returning in spring. During the peak springtime travel, 40 to 50 of these majestic mammals pass by Dana Point each day using the famed 200-foot Headland’s cli�s as a migratory-path landmark. Visitors can head out on a maritime excursion with Captain Dave, Dana Wharf and the Ocean Institute throughout the 45th annual Dana Point Festival of Whales to learn more about the gray whales’ migration and other local marine life from knowledgeable captains, naturalists and researchers. Gray whales, dolphins and more can also be experienced by land from the Dana Point Headlands Conservation Area. The park includes a three-mile public trail system with scenic overlooks and beach access.

Dana Wharf Whale Watching34675 Golden Lantern, 800.979.3370, danawharf.com Climb aboard a family-owned Dana Wharf vessel to experience Orange County’s original whale watching with expert captains and certified naturalists detailing the gray whales’ movements. These 2-hour excursions depart each hour on the hour from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Price is $45 for adults, $35 for seniors and military members, $29 for children 3-12 and free for kids under 2. Special 8 a.m. trips, 4 p.m. sunset cruises and catamaran ad-ventures o�ered throughout the festival’s two weekends. The Dana Wharf marine mam-mal “rain check” ensures a good show of whales and dolphins or the next trip is free.

Captain Dave’s Dolphin & Whale Watching Safari24440 Dana Point Harbor Drive, 949.488.2828, dolphinsafari.com See what it’s like to swim with dolphins and whales aboard one of Captain Dave’s hi-tech catamarans, featuring eye-spy dolphin nets and state-of-the-art research equip-ment. On the catamaran sailboat, enter the eye-to-eye viewing pod, hear dolphins below the surface and explore marine artifacts in the micro-museum. Safaris are never crowded with just 49 guests, and are all topped with a special treat—Mrs. Capt. Dave’s triple fudge brownies. Tickets for these 2.5-hour trips are $65 per adult, $45 for children 1 to 12 and $20 for infants. Departure times vary. Call or visit Capt. Dave’s website to book tickets.

Ocean Institute24200 Dana Point Harbor Drive, 949.496.2274, ocean-institute.org Join the Ocean Institute’s skilled and expert crew on a 2.5-hour cruise aboard the marine educational vessel, R/V Sea Explorer, to glimpse into the mysterious world of the whales and dolphins that call Pacific waters home. These 2.5-hour learning-adventure trips are o�ered at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. throughout the festival. Each sea excursion in-cludes hands-on learning activities for kids onboard. Trip cost is $45 for adults, $35 for seniors and military members, $25 for children 4-14 and free for children 3 and under. Weekend admission to the institute is included with each ticket purchase.

Dana Point Nature Interpretive Center34558 Scenic Drive, 949.542-4755, danapoint.org Walk along this blu�-top preserve’s three-miles of trails to view marine-mammal migra-tions from above. The Dana Point Headlands o�ers coastal switchback trails from Dana Point Harbor to Dana Strand Beach complete with sweeping panoramic views and remote desert landscape. The Nature Interpretive Center is open each day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Trails are accessible from 7 a.m. to sunset daily.

Movie in the ParkFREE WILLY: ESCAPE FROM PIRATES COVE March 5; 6:30 p.m. The city of Dana Point hosts an outdoor screening of the latest Free Willy installment at Lantern Bay Park. Bring lawn chairs, blankets and a picnic dinner for this night under the stars. Free popcorn. Beverages and snacks available for purchase. 14

MusicHARBOR MUSIC SERIES March 5, 6, 12, 13; Noon–3 p.m. The Dana Point Harbor Association presents live entertainment in the Dana Wharf Court-yard and grassy area near Mariner’s Village throughout the festival. 10

CONCERT ON THE WATER March 13; Noon–5 p.m. Close out the year’s Festival of Whales with live music and dancing at Baby Beach. Local bands take the floating stage all day long. A barbecue and a spir-its’ garden for guests 21 and older round out the celebration. Line-up includes: an opening from Molly Bergman, then old school surf from The Eliminators at noon; reggae from Sapadilla at 1:30 p.m.; and a Jimmy Bu�et tribute from and Gar-ratt Walkin & The Parrotheads starting at 3:30 p.m. 15

Ocean Awareness DayOCEAN AWARENESS DAY March 6; 11 a.m.–4 p.m. The Dana Point Harbor As-sociation presents interactive displays, demonstrations and live entertainment highlighting area envi-ronmental programs and ocean-related issues. Event is located at Baby Beach. 15

Ocean Institute Whale Watching and MoreWHALE’S TALE TALLSHIP SAILING ADVENTURE March 5, 12; 12:15 p.m. From “devil fish” to “friendliest whale” travel through time to discover how man’s perceptions of the gray whale have changed. Then, set out to sea aboard a historic tallship to gain insights into humans’ evolving relationship with the ocean. 5

ParadeFESTIVAL OF WHALES PARADE March 5; 10 a.m. Thousands of local participants open the 45th annual Dana Point Festival of Whales in a lively parade along Pacific Coast Highway to celebrate the gray whales’ “Magical Migration” with floats, giant balloons, horses, vintage

cars, bands and more. Route travels PCH south from Selva Road to Golden Lan-tern. Free shuttle available from Harbor to parade viewing area. This year’s grand marshal is the comedian and actress Rita Rudner. 1

Rubber Ducky Derby WHALE OF A RUBBER DUCKY DERBY

March 6; 11 a.m.–2 p.m. The Dana Point Women’s Club puts a fun spin on a

classic rubber ducky race. Cost is $6 per duck or $10 for two.

Funds go toward children’s summer programming at the Dana Point Library. Prizes awarded to first, second and third place. 15

Sand Sculpting Fun

WHALE OF A SAND SCULPTING COMPETI-TION March 6; Sculpting begins, 8 a.m.; Judging, 2:30 p.m. Bring your buckets, sculpting tools and imagination to Baby Beach to create ocean creatures, pirates, woodies and more in this annual contest hosted by OC Parks. Twenty plots available. No entry fee. 15

Sailing and Paddling

SAILING RIDES March 6, 12, 13; 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Take to harbor waters and learn how to steer and sail a Carpi 14 on these half-hour educa-

tional sessions. Cost $15 per boat with a three-person

maximum. Proceeds benefit the Dana Point Aquatic Foundation’s

at-risk youth and adaptive-boating programs. 7

STAND-UP PADDLING CLINICS March 5, 6, 12, 13; 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Experience the SUP craze firsthand during these 45-minute on-the-water clinics. $10 per person. For participants ages 12 and up—12 to 14 year olds must be accompanied by an adult. Lifejackets are provided. 7

Street FairFESTIVAL OF WHALES STREET

FAIR March 5; 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Visit La Plaza Park a¤er the parade for the fun-filled Whales and Tails Wag-a-thon and fair hosted by

the Pet Project Foundation and Dana Point Chamber of

Commerce. Event includes: live entertainment, food trucks, carnival

games, more than 70 booths, a pet costume parade, farmers market and more. Free shuttles are available both to and from the Harbor. 2

*All events are dependent on weather.

WhALe wATcHinG


EveNtS & ATtRacTIonS(Cont. from page 8)


Top: Randy Hudson, an environmental science teacher at Dana Hills High School and past recipient of Capistrano Unified School District’s “Teacher of the Year” award, instructs students on an annual field-study trip to Baja California. Courtesy photo Above: With a li from its mother, a young California gray whale gets close to a panga boat in Ojo de Liebre—or Scammon’s Lagoon—located in Mexico’s Baja California Sur about 450 miles south of Tijuana. Photo: Randy Hudson

BY RANDY HUDSON, ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE TEACHER AT DANA HILLS HIGH SCHOOL

This year, the National Park Service celebrates its centennial—100 years of conservation that sprung from a novel but powerful idea: to protect wildlife and habi-tat for future generations.

This idea may have started in America but has since morphed into a global e�ort to es-tablish parklands and legislate on behalf of endangered species. It has even blossomed into entirely new fields of study. One of the sentinels of this early movement was John Muir—an author, naturalist and environ-mental philosopher—who had an uncanny beat on how the natural world functioned and an understanding that everything in the universe is ultimately connected.

Nearly 150 years ago, Charles Scammon sailed past Dana Point in his initial pursuit of the gray whales to their Baja California, Mexico nursery grounds in Ojo de Liebre. The result of this voyage, and more in the following years, decimated the east Pacific population as whalers e�ectively removed two generations of whales from the oceans in less than a decade.

Numbers remained low for the next century when, in the spirit of conservation, the United States enacted the Marine Mam-mal Protection Act. This federal legislation, coupled with the protection of the gray whales’ nursery grounds in Baja, has had a profoundly positive impact on the species.

Census counts performed in the same lagoons that once ran red, boast record numbers of gray whale adults and calves for the last three years.

Having ventured to the famed Scam-mon’s Lagoon twice in recent years to interact with the whales has proven to be an amazing experience for my family. Here, mothers proudly display their young calves to eager onlookers, oen swimming along-side panga boats and occasionally propping their calf upward where watchers may be introduced to the new addition. My children regale as they recount their own interac-tions and are gied with memories I hope will last well into their adult lives.

This month we celebrate the 45th annual Dana Point Festival of Whales, an interpre-tive-education event which shares in the same spirit of conservation. We mark the return of the gray whales as they venture north from the lagoons of Baja to the Bering Sea, and more symbolically a return from their drastically low numbers.

It’s a success story that we use to remind ourselves of where we once were, how we recognized the folly of our ways and recti-fied the issue. But did we?

Gray Whales may no longer be hunted in North America, but they still face a formi-dable foe—us.

They migrate more than 10,000 miles an-nually through an ocean in transition, one being altered by human activity and thus continues to present more obstacles to their survival.

Issues of plastic pollution are an ex-ample. Single use plastic items of conve-nience enter our oceans on the order of millions of tons per year and are turning up in carcasses of wildlife from fish to birds to gray whales. The synthetic estrogen-like compounds that adhere to both the in-gested plastic and subsequently the whale’s blubber have the power to render a species extinct by e�ectively sterilizing its reproduc-tive system.

Recent studies show the sheer volume of the non-biodegradable, prey-like debris outnumbers plankton on the order of 10 to 1. And that’s just plastic. Human induced climate change is warming the surface waters, altering the pH of our oceans and redistributing organisms and the food they require to survive.

Unfortunately, these impacts are the obvious ones to list. One must think on the level of John Muir to identify those minute and obscure connections in order to truly grasp the magnitude of this new reality.

So, as we celebrate the return of the California gray whales and feel the inspira-tion that many have experienced over the years to make a positive impact on their lives, perhaps we should focus on making changes to our own lives first.

“When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.” —John Muir

The SEa Is CalLInG anD we MUsT liStENOur choices, no matter how small, have an impact on our environment

The California gray whale landed on the endangered species list in the early 1970s. Around the same time, Don Hansen—a local captain running whale watching trips for high school students—moved his small sportfishing company from the San Clemente Pier to the not-yet-opened Dana Point Harbor.

Aer years of heavy hunting by the native peoples in Alaska and Serbia, the gray whale population dwindled—nearing extinction. The National Marine Mammal Protection Act and Endangered Species Act worked to change that. The acts estab-lished safeguards to protect the whales’ more than 5,000-mile migration corridor—from the Bering Sea to Baja California Sur. The Mexican government, too, took action and gave sanctuary status to the lagoons whales migrate to each winter.

The population grew over the next two decades. In 1994, with an estimated popu-lation of 21,000, the California gray whale was removed from the endangered list. It was the first marine being to be delisted.

During this time, Dana Point became the West’s whale watching epicenter.

Hansen’s harbor move brought about the founding of Dana Wharf Sportfishing & Whale Watching. To celebrate the com-pany’s opening, Hansen and late Orange County and Dana Point historian Doris Walker launched the first—and unnamed—Dana Point Festival of Whales. One year saw the festival really get o� the ground.

The festival and gray whale population are symbiotically linked—each growing with the passing years.

“Gray whales are exceeding expectations. Every year we see record aer record being set in terms of population,” said Donna Kalez, Hansen’s daughter and general manager of Dana Wharf, who sits on the festival’s governing committee. “It is super exciting. Awareness of whales and dol-phins is at the highest it has ever been. It is something to be proud of. Dana Point can be proud of the awareness it has brought to whales and dolphins.”

From humble beginnings, the festival has transformed into a two-weekend educa-

tional event. It has maintained its origins, however. This festival is grassroots—both organized and executed by the commu-nity, for the community.

Each day, each event, members of the local fold help make this festival possible.

The city of Dana Point kicks the celebra-tion o� with a parade down Pacific Coast Highway—a hallmark event that sees hun-dreds of residents, students and organiza-tions take part. Right aer the parade, the Dana Point Chamber of Commerce and Pet Project Foundation welcome guests to the annual street fair at La Plaza Park.

Throughout the festival local organiza-tions such as the Dana Point Historical Society, Dana Point Fine Arts Association, Monarch Beach Sunrise Rotary Club, Doheny State Beach Interpretive Associa-tion, Fish for Life, Ocean Institute, Dana Point Harbor Association, Dana Point Women’s Club, Mariner Sea Scouts, Dana Point Aquatic Foundation, Orange County Parks, City of Dana Point, and more host events for the whole family.

“We call it “festival synergy”—the working together of two or more things to produce a result greater than the sum of their individual e�ects,” said Penny Elia, executive director of the Festival of Whales. “Local organizations don’t just work on their own event, they interact with each other and create an incompa-rable synergy that can be seen and felt not only throughout the two weekends but during the year-long planning process for this huge event.”

Festival marks 45 years of education, celebration

A Community Tradition

SHOP & DINE DANA POINT HARBOR


YOUR SEVEN-DAY EVENT PLANNERGETTING OUTDP

Dana Point


For our full calendar, visit the “Event Calendar” at www.danapointtimes.com.

Have an event? Send your listing to [email protected]

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27: DANA POINT SYMPHONY7:30 p.m. The Dana Point Symphony Orches-tra kicks off its four-concert 2016 season with conductor Dean Anderson and featuring Aya Kiyonaga on violin. Program includes Grieg’s “Two Elgiac Melodies,” Bedr̆ich Smetana’s “Má Vlast Moldau” and Brahms’ “Violin Concerto” and “Hungarian Dances.” Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for students, seniors and military. Buy tickets online or at the door on a first come, first served basis. St. Edward’s Church, 33926 Calle La Primavera, Dana Point, www.danapointsymphony.com.

Friday | 26FOUR CORNERS BAND7 p.m.-10:30 p.m. Live music at Iva Lee’s. 555 N. El Camino Real, San Clemente, 949.361.2855, www.ivalees.com.

MIKE SCARPELLO7:30 p.m. Live music at Wind & Sea Restaurant. 34699 Golden Lantern, Dana Point, 949.496.6500, www.windandsearestaurants.com.

Saturday | 27DANA POINT FARMERS MARKET9 a.m.-1 p.m. Seasonal produce, flowers and much more at La Plaza Park each Sat-urday. 949.248.3500, www.danapoint.org.

BUNNYPALOOZA Noon-3 p.m. In honor of Adopt a Rescued Rabbit Month, the San Clemente-Dana Point Animal Shelter and Pet Project Foun-dation will be hosting a rabbit adoption and education day. Free nail trimmings, grooming and supplies will be available. Adoptions will be $20 off. 221 Avenida Fab-ricante, San Clemente, 949.492.1617.

CLIF MILLER7:30 p.m.-11:30 p.m. Live music at Harpoon Henry’s. 34555 Golden Lantern, Dana Point, 949.493.2933, www.windandseares-taurants.com/harpoonhenrys.

SLAPBAK9 p.m. Live music at StillWater Spirits& Sounds, 24701 Del Prado Avenue, Dana Point, 949.661.6003, www.danapointstillwater.com.

The ListWhat’s going on in and around town this weekCOMPILED BY STAFF

At the Movies: ‘The Witch’ Is the OneFBY MEGAN BIANCO, DANA POINT TIMES

or the past few years, cinema has churned out some great at-mospheric, slow-burn horror/

thriller indie flicks that have saved the film industry from completely selling out to superheroes. With the likes of Under the Skin, The Guest, It Follows and Ex Machina have been dazzling film fanatics, and newcomer Robert Eggers offers his own trippy experience with The Witch. A hit during the festival circuit throughout the past year, Eggers’ horror period piece is

the unusual must-see for this February.In 1640 New England, a family of English

immigrants settle in the middle of a forest filled with tall trees and gray weather. Iso-lated from most of society, the family cares to its children and farm animals. While the eldest daughter Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy) is watching over the baby, the youngest child is abducted into thin air. The parents, William (Ralph Ineson) and Katherine (Kate Dickie), wonder if there’s evil around the forest, while younger son Caleb (Harvey Scrimshaw) is curious of what’s beyond

the woods.Eggers wisely casts unknown actors for

the family members and the movie benefits from the slow pacing and period detail, particularly the old English dialogue, with the actors not feeling out of place. The Witch does everything a quality arthouse feature should: create a unique universe, set a solid tone and theme, use distinctive direction and tell a story through aesthetics and atmosphere. For movie fans who want to see one of the creepiest horror movies since Crimson Peak, The Witch is the one. DP

Sunday | 28HANDS & PAWS CHAMPAGNE BRUNCH FUNDRAISERNoon-3 p.m. Join Hands & Paws for a champagne brunch and live entertainment at Casanova Ristorante to benefit The Ark of San Juan companion animal rescue. Tickets are $50 per person and include hors d’oeuvres, salad, choice of main dish, dessert, champagne, wine and a raffle tick-et for a hotel stay in Las Vegas. 33585 Del Obispo Street, Dana Point, 949.388.0034, www.arkofsanjuan.org.

Monday | 29COUNTRY DANCIN’ WITH PATRICK AND FRIENDS6:30 p.m. Every Monday at The Swallow’s Inn with steak night and happy hour prices. 31786 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano, 949.493.3188, www.swallowsinn.com.

PJ STORYTIME WITH THE SUNSHINE READERS7 p.m-8 p.m. Reading event for children of all ages, accompanied by a parent or guardian. Wear your pajamas if you like. No pre-registration required. Dana Point Library, 33841 Niguel Road, Dana Point, 949.496.5517, www.ocpl.org.

Tuesday | 01TACO TUESDAYS AT SUNSETS4 p.m. Tacos for $2 and $3, $5 margaritas and tequila, $4 Mexican beers and a DJ starting at 7 p.m. Sunsets Bar & Grill, 34700 Pacific Coast Highway, Capistrano Beach, 949.276.8880, www.sunsetsbar.com.

Wednesday | 02EASY FLORAL ARRANGEMENTS WITH JANELLE WILEY1 p.m. Floral designer Janelle Wiley will demonstrate how to create an easy floral arrangement and a more complex English garden basket at the next meeting of the San Clemente Garden Club. The meeting is free and open to the public. Business meeting starts at 1 p.m., followed by a refreshment break. Wiley’s presentation begins at 2 p.m. at St. Andrews By-the-Sea United Methodist Church, 2001 Calle Frontera, San Clemente, www.sanclement-egardenclub.com.

LOCALS NIGHT AT THE POINTOpen to close. Locals get a 20 percent food discount on Wednesdays. Ask server for details. The Point Restaurant, 34085 Pacific Coast Highway, Dana Point, 949.464.5700, www.thepointrestaurantandbar.com.

Thursday | 03NETWORKING AT NOON: BONEYARD BEACH CAFÉ11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Join the Dana Point Chamber of Commerce for their first Thursday of the month lunchtime gather-ing where networking reigns. Cost is $20 for members and $25 for non-members. Price includes lunch, a non-alcoholic bev-erage, tax and gratuity. Boneyard Beach Café, 25300 Dana Point Harbor Drive, Dana Point, www.danapointchamber.com.

UPCOMING EVENTS

FRIDAY, MARCH 4: EL PRESIDENTÉ BALL6 p.m.-10 p.m. The Fiesta Association’s 2016 El Presidenté Ball is a Wild Western formal event celebrating the heritage of San Juan Capistrano. Enjoy food and old-fashioned fun while dancing to live country music at El Adobe de Capistrano. Tickets are $65 and can be purchased in advance online. Tickets will not be avail-able at the door. 31891 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano, 949.493.1976, www.swallowsparade.com.

SATURDAY, MARCH 5: DANA POINT FESTIVAL OF WHALES10 a.m. The 54th annual event spans two weekends—March 5, 6, 12 and 13—at the Dana Point Harbor, featuring education and entertainment celebrating the annual migration of California gray whales. Events include whale watching, art show and sale, Diamond Dig, sandcastle building contest, music, games and more. The event kicks off at 10 a.m. on March 5 with a parade down Pacific Coast Highway and a street fair at La Plaza Park. For more information, including parking, shuttle and event list-ings, visit www.festivalofwhales.com.

Photo: Courtesy of A24

Dana Point Symphony opening night will feature Aya Kiyonaga on violin. Photo: Courtesy

EDITOR’S PICK

DPDana Point PROFILES OF OUR COMMUNITY

DP LIVING


Cub Scout Pack 712 visited the Picket Fence Media offices on Feb. 18 to earn

their Communicator pin, the last pin required before bridging this week to Boy Scout Troop 113. The Scouts learned about what it takes to publish the Dana Point Times, San Clemente Times and The Capistrano Dispatch. They were interviewed and photographed by reporters and their stories were laid out on a mock news page and cover.

SCENE{ I N DA N A P O I N T }

Each Sudoku puzzle consists of a 9x9 grid that has been subdivided into nine smaller grids of 3x3 squares. To solve the puzzle, each row, column

and box must contain each of the numbers 1 to 9. Puzzles come in three grades: easy, medium and difficult. Level: Medium

SudokuBY MYLES MELLOR


indicates the age of the hotel. The ghost of Fidel, who is still living, didn’t appear that night, but in the morning, the shower doors were wet as if someone had taken a shower during the night (and neither of us had).

The following day, on the four-hour ride to

Havana, our bus got a flat tire. Luckily, we were near a truck stop that served ice cream, soft drinks, beer and rum. It took three hours to change the tire. Not one person complained about the wait. In fact, the group bonded because of the incon-venience. A couple of bottles of Havana Club rum were shared, which, of course, helped the cause.

Our hotel in Havana for five nights was the majestic, 21-story Melia Cohiba, which opened in 1995. Simona and Vivian had a surprise for the group the following morn-ing: Since our bus was being serviced, they had 11 old convertibles—tops down, each a different color and make—pick us up at the hotel and drive us around Old Havana. Our caravan turned many heads around town.

During lunch, driver Ernesto ap-peared and gave us the thumbs-up: the bus was repaired and ready to go. The group applauded him. He had become an important part of the cameraradie that had grown among us.

The meals on this trip were incredible. Everything was fresh—tropical fruit, black beans, rice, chicken, seafood and pork. Most wines were from Chile. Bottled water was served with all meals and was always available on the bus. You even brushed your teeth with bottled water.

That afternoon, we were driven to the home of Ernest Hemingway, about 40 minutes outside of Havana. Tourists are not allowed inside, but since the doors and windows were open, one could see nearly the entire home by peeking in the open-ings. Hemingway is considered a hero in Cuba.

One morning, we had a tour of a cigar factory where 17,000 cigars are handmade daily. Each person can bring a combina-tion of Cuban cigars and rum worth $100 into the states. Greta and I spent about half of our allotment on both.

Being on an educational tour, our group enjoyed lectures by two college professors and other experts. We learned about Cu-ban history and how Cuba is embracing

ON LIFE AND LOVE AFTER 50

By Tom Blake

y life partner Greta and I traveled to Cuba for one week on a people-to-people educational exchange tour.

There were 42 alumni in our group from colleges across the U.S., including 14 who booked reservations through five different University of California campuses. Greta was the only person from UC Irvine.

Traveling with us were Vivian, a bi-lingual Cuban guide; Simona, a tri-lingual guide from Italy; and Ernesto, a wonderful Cuban bus driver. There were 39 couples in the group and four single women. Other than their spouses; most people did not know each other beforehand.

All of us were seniors, ages 60 to mid-80, except for one younger couple. Most were retired. All had interesting backgrounds and histories.

On Valentine’s Day night, the group gathered in a Miami hotel conference room for an initial briefing.

On Monday, Feb. 15, we had to arrive at the airport four hours before departure be-cause processing visas and paperwork for travel to Cuba—even with an educational group—takes time. We flew from Miami to Santa Clara, Cuba, which is located in the central part of the country.

After landing, Ernesto drove us to the Hotel Memories Paraiso Azul, a huge re-sort on Cuba’s north shore. The members of our group were gradually getting to know each other.

At the hotel, currency was exchanged for the Cuban tourist peso, called the CUC. Credit cards are still not accepted in most places in Cuba.

On day two, there was a five-hour bus ride through farmlands and small towns to the historic city of Trinidad, a UNESCO World heritage site. There, our group was invited into the private home of Mata, a well-known Cuban painter. He and his wife served coffee as we viewed his paintings.

Also in Trinidad, we were entertained in a club by an Afro-Cuban band. Many of our group danced onstage with the band’s vocalists.

That night our group stayed at the Hotel Jagua, located in the south coast city of Cienfuegos. Dinner was served at a private home that had been converted into a res-taurant. For all of our lunches and dinners, the first item served was the Cuban drink, Mojito, a popular rum concoction with lime and mint leaves.

When Greta and I went to our room, Simona pointed out that we were occupy-ing the room in which Fidel Castro had slept on Aug. 18, 1960, which, of course,

American Seniors Explore the Splendor of CubaM

GUEST OPINION: On Love and Life After 50 by Tom Blake

PLEASE NOTE: In an effort to provide our readers with a wide vari-ety of opinions from our community, the DP Times provides Guest Opinion opportunities in which selected columnists’ opinions are shared. The opinions expressed in these columns are entirely those of the columnist alone and do not reflect those of the DP Times or Picket Fence Media. If you would like to respond to this column, please email us at [email protected]

the free world but faces many challenges along the way. We learned about the heroes and villains; Fidel Castro is highly regarded here while Batista is despised.

We visited an elementary school, senior nursing home, an eco-friendly community and two renowned Cuban dance studios. One night, we had a one-hour salsa lesson. At the University of Havana, one young student gave us an informative talk and a walking tour of the campus. Education in Cuba is paid for by the state, all the way through college, including medical, law and engineering degrees.

By the end of the eight days together, many friendships had been formed among our group.

We found the beautiful people of Cuba very welcoming of Americans. They

seemed to be thrilled that we were in Cuba and that relations between our two countries are warming. And in our group, all seemed to feel the same way.

Tom Blake is a Dana Point resident and a former Dana Point businessman who has authored several books on middle-aged dat-ing. His latest book can be found online at www.smashwords.com/books/view/574810. See his website at www.findingloveafter60.com (Yes, after 60, time rolls on.) To comment: [email protected]. DP

Last week’s solution:

ADDICTION RECOVERYTREATMENT

Body Mind Spirit IntensiveOutpatient Program949.485.4979 [email protected]

AUTO REPAIR

Dana Point Auto34342 Coast Hwy., Unit B, 949.496.1086

CAFE - DELI

Coffee Importers Espresso Bar34531 Golden Lantern, 949.493.7773, www.coffeeimporters.com

COFFEE SHOP

Coffee Importers Espresso Bar34531 Golden Lantern, 949.493.7773, www.coffeeimporters.com

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Represent.xyz949.274.0590, www.represent.xyz

DANCE/FITNESS

Club Salsa Dance Studio34202 Camino Capistrano, 949.230.0543, www.clubsalsadance.com

HANDYMAN

Beach City Handyman33292 Bremerton St., 810.569.7295, gnarlyconceptdesign.com

HAULING

Cheapest HaulingCall Robert 949.973.6288

ICE CREAM

Coffee Importers Scoop Deck34531 Golden Lantern, 949.493.7773, www.coffeeimporters.com

INSURANCE SERVICES

Patricia Powers24551 Del Prado, Ste. 364, 949.496.1900, [email protected]

State Farm/Ted Bowersox34085 Pacific Coast Hwy., Ste. 204, 949.661.3200, www.tedbowersox.com

Statefarm/Elaine LaVine34080 Golden Lantern, 949.240.8944, www.elainelavine.net

MASSAGE

Crystal Clyde Intuitive Bodywork32840 Pacific Coast Highway, Ste. E, 949.584.2462, www.crystalclyde.com

MUSIC INSTRUCTION

Danman’s Music School24699 Del Prado, 949.496.6556, www.danmans.com

SCHOOLS

Capistrano Valley Christian Schools 32032 Del Obispo Street, San Juan Cap-istrano, 949.493.5683, www.cvcs.org

WINDOW & DOOR REPLACEMENT

Offshore Construction949.444.6323, www.offshoreconstruction.org

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STORIES, SCORES, SCHEDULES AND MORESPORTS & OUTDOORSDP

Dana Point


BY STEVE BREAZEALE, DANA POINT TIMES

Dolphin ReportDolphin

Top-Seeded Nighthawks Take Down Dolphins Water Polo in Quarterfi nals

Following a double overtime victory in the fi rst round of the CIF-SS Divi-sion 2 Championships, the Dana Hills girls water polo team traveled to play top-ranked Murrieta Valley in the quar-terfi nals. Murrieta Valley powered its way past the Dolphins 16-10 thanks to a stout fi rst-half defensive effort. The Nighthawks outscored the Dolphins 11-2 in the fi rst two quarters.

Dana Hills defeated Long Beach Wilson 9-6 in double overtime in the fi rst round on Feb. 18.

The Dolphins went 15-16 on the season and fi nished third in the South Coast League.

Dolphins Basketball Falls to Cypress in Overtime

Four quarters of regulation could not separate the Dana Hills and Cy-press girls basketball teams in a CIF-SS Division 1A fi rst-round matchup on Feb. 18. In overtime, Cypress emerged with a 56-47 victory.

Dana Hills senior guard Maddy Bloom scored a team-high 26 points and sophomore Peyton Romo scored 17 points, pulled in 10 rebounds and recorded 10 steals in the loss.

The Dolphins went 16-8 overall on the season and fi nished second in the Sea View League.

Edison Gets Golden Goal in CIF Playoff Win Over Dolphins

The Edison girls soccer team scored the decisive goal in double overtime of its game against Dana Hills in the fi rst round of the CIF-SS Division 1 Champi-onships on Feb. 18 to seal a 3-2 victory.

The Dolphins and Chargers each scored twice in the second half, which forced the game into overtime.

Dana Hills went 6-5-10 on the season and fi nished third in the South Coast League.

San Clemente native Paris Henken, right, and U.S. Sailing Team Sperry teammate Helena Scutt will represent the United States in the 49erFX sailing event at the 2016 Olympic Games. Photo: Sailing Energy

Paris Henken and Helena Scutt maneuver their 49erFX boat during a race in Miami. Photo: Jen Edney

f the ocean can be considered a blank canvas on which a competitive sailor has the opportunity to create, Paris

Henken is an up-and-coming artist wield-ing a brush.

Henken, a San Clemente native, and her racing partner, Helena Scutt, have been painting master strokes in their 49erFX-class sailing boat at an elite level in 2016. The duo, which has been competing in the U.S. Sailing pipeline for years, now has a chance at creating a masterpiece.

After a 17th-place fi nish at the ISAF Sail-ing World Cup in Miami in January and a 20th-place fi nish at the 49erFX World Championships on Feb. 12 , Henken and Scutt qualifi ed to represent the United States in the newly formed 49erFX class competition at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Henken and Scutt’s performance at the two major events solidifi ed their standing as the top American team in the 49erFX class, a high-performance skiff, which punched their ticket to Rio.

Henken, 20, grew up sailing at the Dana Point Yacht Club and moved to San Diego to focus on competitive sailing when she was 10 years old. Since then she has shown an aptitude for guiding multiple classes of boats and, once she teamed up with Scutt, has become one of the young faces of American competitive sailing.

“Helena is the scientist onboard, and Paris is the artist,” U.S. Sailing Team Sperry coach Willie McBride said. “(Hen-ken) just has this natural sense that I think she’s developed from sailing so many of these high-performance boats. She’s re-ally able to feel these tiny changes before many of the other sailors are … the two together are a really powerful combina-tion.”

McBride was brought in to guide Hen-ken and Scutt toward an Olympic push in late 2015. McBride noticed immediately how Scutt, whose responsibility as crew is to work and adjust the 49erFX’s main sail, was more meticulous while sailing, always paying attention to the minute details. Mc-Bride says Henken, who steers the skiff, has an unparalleled connection to the boat and how it reacts in the water.

The two need to constantly work in tan-dem when sailing in the 49erFX, a larger,

On the Road to RioParis Henken and U.S. Sailing Team Sperry qualify for 2016 Olympic GamesBY STEVE BREAZEALE, DANA POINT TIMES

I

two-man boat that can travel upwards of 20 mph, depending on wind. Each two-member team is tethered to the boat and they suspend themselves to the point where they are parallel with the water be-low, their feet gripped to one of the boat’s wings. 49erFX races normally consist of boats making laps around buoys for 1 mile and is considered one of the faster classes in competitive sailing.

Henken’s journey toward becoming an Olympic athlete demanded her full attention. That’s why, after her freshman year at College of Charleston in South Carolina she decided to take a year off and immerse herself in the sport. Scutt, 23, who is in the process of completing her master’s degree, did the same.

“When we started this campaign we wanted that goal: to go to the games,” Henken said. “We didn’t know if we were going to accomplish it, but we were defi nitely going to try our best … we both made a lot of sacrifi ces. It was an awesome feeling to know we fi nally did it.”

Now that U.S. Sailing Team Sperry has proven it is the top 49erFX team in the country, they will test their strengths against the rest of the world.

Henken and Scutt will compete in two tune-up events in Spain later this spring and, starting in May, they will begin taking monthly trips to Rio until the Olympics begin.

Both Henken and McBride said the currents that run through the water in Guanabara Bay in Rio, the main sailing venue, are unusually strong, which can make for a tricky adjustment period. Henken and her team scheduled their upcoming trips to Rio to coincide with the area’s lunar cycle, which has a major ef-fect on the tides. The team is hoping their practice runs will be identical to the ones they will encounter in August under the bright lights of competition.

With a combined age of 43, U.S. Sailing Team Sperry will be among the younger teams in the fi eld at the Olympics, ac-cording to McBride. They will be sailing against other athletes who have competed multiple times on the biggest of stages. The team is hoping their youth will serve as a major advantage. Henken and Scutt are able to put in more hours of training and will have a physical edge other teams won’t be able to match.

“They’re up against experience but I

think the two of them really bring a power-ful combination into the boat,” McBride said. “I think they’re going to be working hard the next couple of months, and my prediction is they’re really going to sur-prise a lot of people with how they perform in Rio.” DP

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SCOOP ON THE LOCAL SURF COMMUNITYDP SURF


DP SURF IS PRESENTED BY:

GROM OF THE WEEK KAI MCPHILLIPS

ai McPhillips, 13, of San Clemente, continues to carve out a name for himself among the ultra-competitive

field of up-and-coming grom surfers in the tri-city area.

In Scholastic Surf Series competition, Kai is a valuable member of the top-ranked Shorecliffs Middle School surf team. At SSS event No. 4 on Feb. 20 in Oceanside, Kai not only showed his shortboard prowess, with a runner-up finish in Division 1 Boys Short-board, but also his logging talent, taking the

K

SSS Division 1 Boys Shortboard finalists at event No. 4, Feb. 20 at Oceanside Pier were (L to R) were from Shorecliffs, 1. Nicholas Coli, 2. Kai McPhillips, 3. Myles Biggs and 4. Taj Lindblad, 5. Kiko Nelsen from Thurston and Max Beach (Shorecliffs). Photo: Scott Graham

SSS Division 1 Girls Shortboard finalists Feb. 20 in Oceanside were (L to R) 1. Jayme Linnes (Vista Del Mar), 2. Ryann Daly (Marco Forster), 3. Tess Booth (Thurston), and from Shorecliffs, 4. Reese Hartnett, 5. Makayla Moss and 6. Zoe Mortenson. Photo: Scott Graham

Kai McPhillips. Photo: WSA/Jack McDaniel

SURF FORECAST

Water Temperature: 59-62 degrees F

Water Visibility and Conditions: San Clemente: 4-8’ Poor-Fair, Catalina: 8-14’ Poor-Fair

Outlook: New run of WNW swell builds in on Friday. Fun surf in the shoulder-overhead high zone with bigger sets at standouts. Fa-vorable conditions with light offshore winds in the morning. Sunny weather. Check the full premium forecast on Surfline for more details and the longer range outlook.

RESULTSScholastic Surf Series, OC Middle School, Event No. 4, February 20, Oceanside, Pier

TEAM DIVISION 1: 1. Shorecliffs, 258; 2. Bernice Ayer, 150.5; 3. Thurston, 123.5; 4. Marco Forster, 122; 5. Niguel Hills, 79.5; 6. Vista Del Mar, 79; 7. Don Juan Avila, 44.5. BOYS: 1. Nicholas Coli, Shorecliffs; 2. Kai McPhillips, Shorecliffs; 3. Myles Biggs, Shorecliffs; 4. Taj Lindblad, Shorecliffs; 5. Kiko Nelsen, Thurston; 6. Max Beach, Shorecliffs. BOYS LONGBOARD: 1. Kai McPhillips, Shorecliffs; 2. Cole Thompson, Bernice Ayer; 3. Kiko Nelsen, Thurston; 4. Riley Kraatz, Bernice Ayer; 5. Matt Economos, Shorecliffs; 6. Jack Keefe, Shorecliffs. GIRLS: 1. Jayme Linnes, Vista Del Mar; 2. Ryann Daly, Marco Forster; 3. Tess Booth, Thurston; 4. Reese Hartnett, Sho-recliffs; 5. Makayla Moss, Shorecliffs; 6. Zoe Mortenson, Shorecliffs. GIRLS LONGBOARD: 1. Hana Catsimanes, Shorecliffs; 2. Alexis Morgan, Shorecliffs; 3. Tess Booth, Thurston; 4. Alexis Alston, Marco Forster; 5. Mason Gray, Niguel Hills; 6. Camryn Harrell, Vista Del Mar. COED BODYBOARD: 1. Eian McMillen, Niguel Hills; 2. Spencer Collins, Thurston; 3. Liam Gillon, Marco Forster; 4. Gavin Whitehead, Niguel Hills; 5. Chris Earley, Don Juan Avila; 6. Elijah Tomlinson, Shorecliffs.

TEAM DIVISION 2: 1. Shorecliffs, 140; 2. Bernice Ayer, 62; 3. Dana Point, 42; 4. Marco Forster, 29. BOYS: 1. Jim-my Wynne Shorecliffs; 2. Chandler Petri, Shorecliffs; 3. Liam Mateer, Shorecliffs; 4. Tyler Douglas, Bernice Ayer; 5. Joey Madison, Shorecliffs; 6. Hayden Millerick, Shore-cliffs. BOYS LONGBOARD: 1. Ty Connelly, Shorecliffs; 2. Caden Evans, Shorecliffs; 3. Tommy Coleman, Shorecliffs; 4. Nathan Langer, Bernice Ayer; 5. Nathan Tolosa, Bernice Ayer; 6. Griffin Glenn, Bernice Ayer. GIRLS: 1. Cora Nord-heim, Dana Point; 2. Bryn Kurt, Marco Forster; 3. Carolyn Sachse, Shorecliffs; 4. Nicole Economos, Shorecliffs; 5. Reese Dewey, Shorecliffs. GIRLS LONGBOARD: 1. Taylor Stacy, Shorecliffs; 2. Cora Nordheim, Dana Point; 3. Emily Schad, Bernice Ayer; 4. Felicia White, Marco Forster.

UPCOMING EVENTSFebruary 21: Scholastic Surf Series, OC High School, Event No. 4, Huntington Beach, Goldenwest Street Febru-ary 27: Soul Surf Series, Event No. 5, San Clemente, T Street February 27-28: NSSA Open, Event No. 9, Ventura, C Street March 5: Scholastic Surf Series, OC Middle School, Event No. 5, San Clemente, Pier March 6: Scholastic Surf Series, OC High School, Event No. 5, San Clemente, Pier March 12-13: WSA Championship Tour, Event No. 8, Oceanside Harbor, South JettyMarch 12-13: WSA Championship Tour, Event No. 6, Make-up heats from Jan. 16-17, Oceanside Harbor, South Jetty; Event No. 7, Make-up heats from Feb. 13-14, Hun-tington Beach, Pier March 19: Soul Surf Series, Event No. 6, San Clemente, Pier March 19-20: NSSA Open, Event No. 10, Huntington Beach, Pier April 16: Soul Surf Series, Event No. 7, San Clemente, T Street April 16-17: NSSA Explorer, Events No. 7 and No. 8, Carlsbad, Ponto

n inherently selfish sport, surfing is most often all about the perfor-mance of the individual. But for area

Scholastic Surf Series competitors, the joy of working together for the glory of the team is both a part of the challenge and of the fun.

SSS Orange County middle school team surfers were treated to summer-like weath-er and fun 4- to 6-foot waves for event No. 4 at Oceanside Pier on Feb. 20, giving it their all, not only to make late season climbs in individual ranks but in an inspired effort to help their teams to victory.

“It was a welcome change to have some summer weather in February after some brutal El Niño conditions in the early part of the season,” said Carolyn Krammer, SSS

competition director. “The kids had a great time displaying their talent throughout the event.”

Shorecliffs Middle School held on to their No. 1 ranking, fielding the dominant teams in both Division 1 and Division 2 team competition. Bernice Ayer Middle School claimed the runner-up position in both divisions. Marco Forster Middle School narrowly missed third in Division 1, 122 to 123.5 behind Thurston Middle School. In Division 2, team Dana Point claimed the third-place spot and Marco Forster Middle School finished in fourth place.

In Division 1 Boys Shortboard individual competition, five of six finalists were Shore-cliffs athletes. Nicholas Coli, Kai McPhil-

ABY ANDREA SWANE, DANA POINT TIMES

Taking One for the TeamSSS middle-schoolers meet for event No. 4, Feb. 20 at the Oceanside Pier, local surfers excel in both team and individual competition

win in Boys Longboard. He currently holds the SSS No. 2 rating in shortboard and No. 1 in longboard.

In Western Surfing Association competi-tion, Kai currently holds the No. 2 ranking in in both Boys U14 and Boys U16 shortboard divisions. He is set to make an appearance in the finals of event No. 7, postponed due to a Feb. 13-14 fog delay and set to finish up in Oceanside in March.

His skill and versatility, which also includes SUP surfing and racing, has made Kai one of the area’s most promising wave-riding athletes.

Keep up the great work Kai! —Andrea Swayne

lips, Myles Biggs and Taj Lindblad locked up first through fourth places, respectively. Kiko Nelson from Thurston Middle School claimed the No. 5 spot and the sixth-place trophy went to Shorecliffs’ Max Beach.

Division 1 Girls Shortboard top honors went to Jayme Linnes of Vista Del Mar Middle School (her second win of the season) and the Coed Bodyboard win went to Eian McMillen of Niguel Hills Middle School.

In Division 1 longboard competition, McPhillips was the Boys Longboard winner and Hana Catsimanes, also from Shorecliffs, was the girls’ winner.

Three of the four Division 2 wins were claimed by Shorecliffs surfers. Jimmy Wynne took top honors in Boys Short-board, Ty Connelly in Boys Longboard and Taylor Stacey in Girls Longboard. The Division 2 Girls Shortboard victory was claimed by team Dana Point’s Cora Nordheim.

To see a full list of team and individual rankings, visit www.surfsss.org.

SSS OC Middle School competition is set to continue, with event No. 5 on March 6 at the San Clemente Pier. DP

Documents

February 26, 2016