Auction Keeps Sea Scouts’ Ships in Shape
In order to keep their Sea Base in Newport Harbor afloat, the Boy Scouts of America’s Orange County Council of Sea Explorers once a year invites the public to a boat auction at the Balboa Bay Club.
Sunday, 300 showed up to bid on vessels ranging from dinghies to ocean-going schooners, on boat paint and nautical fittings, on sails piled up in one corner of the Quarterdeck Room, and on such non-nautical items as a self-portrait by Phyllis Diller.
According to auction chairman Ralph Rodheim, $48,000 was raised toward the operating budget of the base, which is located just up the street from the Bay Club.
The Sea Scouts are a branch of the Boy Scouts for boys and girls ages 14 and up. Local director Andy Fitzpatrick said the Orange County Council, with “about 400 active kids on about 11 ships,” has “more units, more kids, better boats and more programs” than any base in the United States.
“In the summer the kids go on long cruises, for as long as the adult (skippers) can take time off,” Fitzpatrick explained. “They’ve gone to Sacramento and down to Baja, but most go to the Channel Islands.
“They all have ranks on the ships. (They rise) from apprentice seaman to able seaman to ordinary seaman. The ultimate is quartermaster, which I think is tougher than Eagle in scouting. The Eagle knows a little about a lot of things, the quartermaster has to know everything about one thing.”
Each weekend one Sea Scouts unit maintains the Newport Harbor Base. Last weekend it was a girls’ unit.
According to Fitzpatrick, the girls “compete like heck with the boys,” which Sea Scout Tammy Jones, 17, of Huntington Beach, quickly confirmed.
“We like competing against the boys,” Jones said, adding that in fact she finds competition--especially the statewide trials, called the Ancient Mariner Regatta--to be the most exciting thing about Sea Scouts.
Do the girls ever win?
“Always,” Jones replied. “We’re good. “
Auctioneer was former America’s Cup winner Bill Ficker, who said that although he’s very excited about the upcoming Cup event, he will not travel to Perth. An architect, Ficker used to spend all his free time sailing.
“It’s somebody else’s turn to have fun,” Ficker said. “I’ve been enjoying finding out what other people do on weekends.”
The MRES Express, the new women’s support branch of the Medical Research and Education Society, got off to a flying start last week, when it sponsored the opening of the 30th Street Bistro in Newport Beach.
“We’re going places,” said Mary Ann Miller, event chairman, of the Express. More than 40 new members joined MRES at the $50 Express level at the party; 20 joined at the $250 corporate level. The organization, the major support group of the UC Irvine College of Medicine, now boasts 250 members.
Miller and her husband, Len, have been members of MRES since its formation five years ago. Their involvement deepened shortly after when Mary Ann’s brother underwent a heart transplant at Stanford University.
“My brother didn’t survive,” she said. “At one point, I had said to him, ‘Griff, is this worth it?’ He said, ‘Mary Ann, I’d rather have one day of hope than a year with none.’ We’re putting his philosophy in motion.”
The 30th Street Bistro is located on the former site of Ambrosia and, more recently, Vintages. Bistro owner Steve Contursi was also the owner of Vintages.
“Everything is different from Vintages,” Contursi said. “The only things that are the same is that bar and this rug.” New are brass-and-glass front doors, a state-of-the-art kitchen and the bathrooms. “The bathrooms are hot ,” said Contursi. A seafood bar features everything from lobster to sashimi, and 20 different caviars.
Though originally scheduled for 3:30 to 7:30 p.m., the party continued till 11 p.m.
Hannes Tulving, one of now-defunct Ambrosia’s most frequent customers, opened charge account number 001 at the Bistro, ordering bottles of Roederer Crystal for his fellow celebrants. When he turned to Contursi and said, “Just keep it going,” it was difficult to ascertain whether he meant to keep bringing the Crystal or whether he was wishing Contursi good luck with his newest venture. (The bottles kept coming.)
Restaurateur Claude Koeberle, who brings with him some colorful credits, oversees the operation.
Koeberle began as a pastry chef apprentice with revered French chef Paul Bocuse. Ten years and three apprenticeships later, he found himself at the acclaimed Le Francais in Wheeling, Ill. Wolfgang Puck lured him West to Ma Maison. Before coming to Newport Beach, where he redefined Cano’s by removing Mexican food from the menu, he also left his mark on L’Orangerie in Beverly Hills and Les Anges in Santa Monica.
At the ripe old age of 30, Koeberle, who at one time had earned a reputation as being temperamental, seems to have relaxed considerably. At least at the opening.
“He looks like a French Donny Osmond,” noted new MRES member Joan Stevens.