Newport Sea Base Hosts Opening Day

Byline: Ambrosia Brody

Newport Sea Base Hosts Opening Day

NEWPORT BEACH — A crowd of more than 300 people helped celebrate Newport Sea Base’s Opening Day, April 13.             Newport Sea Base, an institution that provides Orange County youth with educational programs and nautical skills, welcomed the public to explore the facility during its Opening Day/Open House event. The celebration also marked the base’s 76th year in operation.

“Every year, we strive to expose more youth of Orange County and beyond to the wonders of the waterfront,” said Shana Bannert, executive director of Newport Sea Base. “It is important to mention that our classes are open to girls and boys, to scouts and non-scouts.”

Orange County families enjoyed a free day of fun, games and pontoon boat tours of the harbor. Sea Scouts from local Sea Scout ships Triton, Del Mar and Renegades kicked off the event with the color guard. Emily Miller sang the national anthem, while Orange County Sheriff’s Harbor Patrol officers shot water from their fireboat’s water cannon.

Elected officials were also in attendance, including former Newport Beach Mayor Steve Rosansky and California Assembly Member Allan Mansoor (R-Costa Mesa). Attendees heard from Sea Scout Jack Donnell about his experiences at the Sea Base, kayaking, fishing and winning the 2012 Koch Cup at the International Sea Scout Regatta.

With the celebration under way, visitors snacked on hamburgers and hot dogs grilled by volunteers from the Newport Beach Firefighters Association, posed for photos at the Viral Booth and toured Sea Scout vessels.

Sailboat and pontoon boat harbor tours were also offered. Coastie, the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary’s “talking tugboat,” was on site to meet local children.

For more information on Newport Sea Base, visit newportseabase.org.

Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *