Back to Drawing Board for ’91 Cup : Unknowns Plague Port District Planning for Full-Scale Regatta

Now that Dennis Conner and Stars & Stripes have defeated Michael Fay and New Zealand on the water--and presuming they can repeat the performance in court--the focus will almost immediately return to the logistics of planning and preparing for a full-scale, multinational regatta in San Diego in 1991, a process that has been on hold for almost five months.

But things have changed in some significant ways, and what was believed possible several months ago, from the standpoint of constructing the important bayside facilities that will be needed by the competing sailing syndicates, is being reevaluated.

The rethinking is being caused in large part by environmental obstacles in the way of large-scale dredging and filling of San Diego Bay--hurdles that state and federal environmental agencies are adamant they will uphold--and the consensus among sailing officials that the era of 12-meter yachts seems to be over, apparently to be replaced by larger boats.

Need for Deeper Water?

The latter is particularly important because evaluations of sites along the harbor, including dock space and water depth needed to accommodate the vessels’ keels, have been based on the next Cup being contested in 12-meter boats.

The larger yachts are certain to have longer keels needing docks with deeper water--requiring more dredging at some potential sites.

Because of that, the head of San Diego Unified Port District, the public agency responsible for both picking sites for the facilities and paying for their construction, says it is likely that three areas that had previously had a low ranking or had been dismissed by the consultant will now be looked at more closely:

First, the South Bay, specifically the 24th Street Marine Terminal area in National City, will be looked at because, among other things, it has water that is about 35 feet deep, has 20 acres of available land and would require minimal dredging.

Second, because of strenuous objections to dredging, the use of barges with cranes to lift yachts in and out of the water each day--like the New Zealand syndicate used for this race--will be given serious consideration.

Third, the idea that all syndicates must be located in the same area now seems less likely than ever.

Don Nay, Port District executive director, says that, before any recommendations are made, his agency will need to know two things: The exact dimensions of the new class of boats, and the number of syndicates that will compete in the 1991 regatta. Although general information about those two considerations is likely to be available soon, more detailed data might take several months.

Nay said Conner told him it is probable that the new class of boats might be 65 to 85 feet long and have a keel draft of 14 to 15 feet. Both dimensions are considerably larger than the traditional 12-meter.

If the boats have a 15-foot draft, Nay says it will be difficult to put the vessels in many of the proposed locations--such as the East Basin next to Harbor Island, recommended by the Port’s America’s Cup consultant--without significant and expensive dredging.

The consultant, Hallenbeck, Chamorro & Associates, last spring evaluated eight possible Cup locations, all situated in north San Diego Bay. Costs to develop the sites ranged from $10.8 million to $36.6 million.

The consultant, however, said that the best place is the East Basin, which would cost $30 million in changes to handle the Cup fleet. The cost includes construction of a 10-acre peninsula and covering Convair Lagoon--and its PCB-tainted bottom--with an additional 10 acres of dirt.

The East Basin, the consultant said, meets a number of key criteria, such as keeping the syndicates in one place and improving public access to the bay. The consultant ruled out any facilities south of the San Diego Coronado Bay Bridge, in part because of the time it would take the competing yachts to reach the race course off Point Loma.

But the East Basin recommendation has run into major problems.

Before a peninsula could be built, according to various environmental agencies, the Port District would have to replace habitat lost by dredging, at a minimum acre-per-acre ratio. Complicating matters is where such a habitat for fish and birds would be located since little space remains in San Diego Bay. Dredging and pile driving is restricted between April and September of each year to prevent disturbing the nesting of the endangered least tern.

Nay said that in a meeting with conservation agencies about two or three months ago, “they let it be known quite strongly” they are still adamant against any “filling and dredging.” While extensive dredging would be required in the East Basin to accommodate 12-meter boats, even more digging would be needed for larger boats.

In lieu of extensive dredging and filling at any proposed locations in the bay, the use of barges becomes more attractive, Nay said. The barges, outfitted with cranes, are used to lift the yachts out of the water daily.

Another major problem with the East Basin is that the Coast Guard, which has a station adjacent to the proposed site, is opposed to creating a peninsula. The Coast Guard contends that masts on the 12-meter racing yachts docked at the peninsula would be hazardous, interfering with helicopters taking off on emergency calls. Larger boats would likely mean higher masts, presumably compounding the Coast Guard’s objections.

Nay says there is still the unanswered question about whether the present lease holders in the area, General Dynamics and Lockheed, would be willing to give up use of their property.

Aside from the 24th Street pier area in National City, other sites in the bay with water deep enough to hold large yachts without extensive dredging include the La Playa area, near the Kona Kai Club, and the Commercial Basin, near the intersection of North Harbor Drive and Rosecrans Street. “That’s what we have to look at, what’s available without significant dredging,” said Nay.

The consulting firm working on Cup facilities has essentially been on hold since May because the Port District was concerned about spending several hundred thousand dollars until the New Zealand challenge was defeated.

Harry Hallenbeck, president of the consulting firm, said last week that he agreed with Nay’s assessment that the next phase in the study will depend on what type of boat will be used in 1991. But Hallenbeck was more optimistic that, unless the draft was significantly deeper, several of the top-ranked sites--including East Basin--would be able to handle larger boats with a little more dredging and a little more cost.

The East Basin site, for example, has enough land and dock space to handle 11 large syndicates and 22 small ones.

“I think we’ve got a pretty good idea of where they’re going (on a new boat type) . . . and we feel we’re not very far off. I don’t think we’ll have to start (the study) over,” Hallenbeck said. He added, however, that if additional dredging is not possible, more focus will have to be put on commercial terminals, such as the one New Zealand and Star & Stripes are using now.

Said Graeme Colman, spokesman for the New Zealand syndicate, “One thing we’ve learned is that you don’t have to construct huge new port facilities. You simply charter (a) barge . . . You don’t need to build a huge new marina.”

Hallenbeck says the state and federal environmental agencies “haven’t been very encouraging, particularly about dredging and filling.” But one problem with the 24th Street Marine Terminal, he said, is that most syndicates wouldn’t want to be that far away from the race course and it can handle only about 10 to 15 syndicates. About 20 to 25 syndicates are expected in the next Cup regatta.

The time schedule to select, prepare and build a Cup facility by 1990--when a pre-America’s Cup race called the 12-meter world championships is to be held--was already tight before the consultant firm stopped its work last spring. It’s even tighter now.

“We’ve lost a good six months, no questions about it,” Hallenbeck said. But others, such as Nay, point out that much of that schedule was built on the time required for dredging and filling. If extensive dredging and filling is not required--which would be the case if barges are used--then “that changes the situation quite a bit,” said Nay, noting that pressure to meet the Cup deadline would be eased for the Port District.

Malin Burnham, president of Sail America, said last week he believes a decision on a new Cup class of boat, at least in general terms, “could be possible in the next couple of days . . . I think we’ll be able to get a pretty accurate consensus” in a short time. A final decision on a configuration, though, could take six months, he said.

He says it’s important for the Port District to begin moving again on a plan for facilities, even though he admitted there might have to be changes from the ideal, including having to break up the syndicates.

“As a businessman, I hope the port takes the businessman’s approach to this . . . and keeps going,” he said.

The Port District, Burnham said, must find out what it can do and when it can do it as rapidly as possible. The East Basin site “still seems the most viable,” he said, but added he is very cognizant of the problems facing the proposal, specifically noting the Coast Guard’s objections.

Burnham said it is possible the race could be delayed until 1992, though Sail America would not favor a delay, he added. Other Sail America officials said they don’t want 1992 competition because it would conflict with the Olympics.

“I hope we can mitigate those concerns,” Burnham said. If the problems can’t be overcome, then the Port District has to come up with realistic alternatives, he said.