Time is running out for Cheyenne

NEWPORT BEACH – It seems as if the sands of time are close to running out for the owner and operator of Cheyenne. After residing in Newport Harbor for about four years, the Newport Beach Harbor Commission requested that Chris Welsh, the catamaran’s caretaker, to report back to them with regular updates of whether Cheyenne would soon be ready to embark on a substantive mission. In a 6-1 vote at their on Nov. 17 meeting, commissioners directed Welsh to provide updated status reports every 30 days and inform them by March 30 whether Cheyenne will be able to leave the Newport Harbor by July 31. “With the updates and March review, we will be able to track the progress of the project and identify if the program is on schedule to leave Newport Harbor during the summer of 2015. These periodic reviews will enable the Harbor Commission to assess the progress of the program over the time period it remains in the harbor,” Commissioner David Girling said. Measuring 125 feet in length, the catamaran originally known as PlayStation and renamed Cheyenne in 2003, became the mothership for a series of deep sea expeditions for Virgin Oceanic known as “5 Dives.” On the expedition, a...