Posted on June 9, 2021
Paul Blank has sailed the world and visited 52 ports.
Still, Newport Harbor remains his favorite; it’s where he first learned to sail as a 10-year-old.
“There’s nothing I have more passion for than boating in this harbor,” he said, discussing his new job as the city’s harbor master. “As a result of sailing in Newport Harbor, I had, and took, opportunities to sail around the world.”
Blank, 56, spent a year in Sydney, a harbor he considers a close second. “Both harbors are the core of the cities’ energies; life is centered around the harbors.”
In his new role, Blank said he wants to showcase what the 880-acre Newport Harbor has and is. To get the job, he beat out 11 other applicants.
“It’s a fantastic marriage of pursuit and passion,” he said.
With recreational and commercial uses, the harbor generates about $393 million a year in direct economic output, more than $1 billion a year in indirect economic impacts, and directly supports more than 4,800 jobs, Newport Beach officials say.
About 4,500 boats call the harbor their hail port on a typical summer weekend and on popular weekends such as Memorial Day, about another 500 boaters visit.
“My vision is to make Newport Harbor the safest, cleanest and most well-enjoyed harbor on the planet,” Blank said.
Blank, who previously sat on the Harbor Commission for eight years, now manages the day-to-day operations of the Harbor Department, overseeing one full-time employee and 13 part-time employees.
The department’s staff serve as “ambassadors” of the harbor, providing education and assistance to residents and visiting boaters. Blank also coordinates the use of about 1,000 anchorages and mooring fields and manages the city’s guest marina at Marina Park.
Blank’s staff include collecting debris and trash from the harbor in their daily duties. Since the city created the department in 2017, Blank estimates they’ve collected more than 3,000 pounds of trash.
Dredging is also critical to the harbor’s cleanliness. A $4 million project by the Army Corps of Engineers is currently underway to clear silt and debris from the ocean floor and will help with the harbor’s navigation channel. Blank said more dredging will be done in other areas of the harbor over the next two years.
Blank is keeping an eye on a project to clear invasive algae that an underwater diver discovered off China Beach in April. It forced some quick changes to the schedule for the harbor dredging.
The bushy, invasive species known as Caulerpa prolifera is easily spread and threatens native plants, such as eelgrass. An aggressive effort by a five-agency team, led by the Department of Fish and Wildlife, is figuring out how best to eradicate the algae without it spreading further.
An avid boater, Blank said he is also vigilant in making sure the harbor is safe for those in vessels, those on paddleboards and for those who live alongside the water.
While most locals go out early in the morning, Blank estimates on weekends and in the late afternoon there are at least 1,000 casual, non-regular users who come to the harbor to use their paddleboards. The department’s ambassadors are there to help those struggling get back to land. He estimates that happens about five times a month.
They also let the local rental companies know when that happens because people might need more training on the stand-up paddleboards before they head out.
This weekend, Blank and his team will be keeping an eye on the bridges throughout the harbor. Bridge-jumping has become an issue – especially at the Lido Island Bridge. In June 2018, a teen jumped from the bridge and landed on a passing vessel, damaging the Duffy boat and injuring the boat’s operator.
“This will be a focus this weekend, but will be even stronger when kids are out of school,” he said.
Those caught jumping can face citations starting at $100. If the person jumping is a juvenile, Blank said the citation is sent to the parents.
While no citations were issued last summer, Blank said likely that will change this summer.
Blank said he is all about helping harbor users find the fun things they can do or learn about unique opportunities.
Some examples Blank points to are the harbor’s more than 100 dock-and-dine options that vary from casual to luxury. His most favorite thing of all, though, goes back to lore that comes from the movie “A Little Romance.”
“There’s an old superstition about kissing a loved one while transiting under a bridge,” he said. “I love to tell people about that.”
