Bill Lapworth, one of the best-known Southern California sailboat designers, has died. A private ceremony to scatter his ashes at sea was held yesterday, according to an item I read in Sailing Scuttlebutt this morning: Eight Bells.

William “Bill” Lapworth — perhaps the foremost West Coast Naval Architect in the post World War II period — has passed away.

…He designed Cal boats in all sizes from 20-48 feet and of course the famous Cal 40. That design proved itself over and over, winning many races including the Bermuda Race in 1966 and the TransPac in 1965, 1966, 1967 and 1985. The Cal 40 was so successful that it was inducted into the American Sailboat Hall of Fame, and led Bill Schanen, the editor of Sailing magazine to hail Lapworth as one of the sport’s greatest designers. In cruising designs his Cal 46 was also produced in great numbers and continues to be enjoyed by the cruising set.

As a shipmate Bill was absolutely tops to sail with; a consummate helmsman and extremely valuably tactician; always sought as a crew on major races. He also sailed on boats not of his own design, providing these most useful characteristics to their owners. His designs gave him a primacy never before achieved by a naval architect as yet on the West Coast. His calm demeanor was a most recognized characteristic and his evenhanded nature fostered only the best in his fellow sailors.

Bill is survived by his wife of 40 years Peggy Lapworth. His children Barbara Burman Rolph, Charles William Lapworth III, Robert Lapworth, Jr., Susan Cohl and Kim Sorenson. A private burial at sea will be held on Friday, April 7, 2006. A reception will follow at 3:00 P.M. at the Newport Harbor Yacht Club, Balboa, CA. In lieu of flowers, a donation to the Newport Harbor Sailing Foundation would be appreciated. — Excerpts from the LA Times and Latitude 38

Another interesting item on Lapworth that I googled up ran in Latitude 38 back in December April, 2002: An afternoon with Bill Lapworth.

I learned today from an article in the Los Angeles Times that the National Park Service is once again allowing landings and overnight camping on Santa Cruz: Camping ban on Santa Cruz Island is lifted.

According to the Times:

The National Park Service has lifted a temporary ban on camping on Santa Cruz Island, imposed in November to ensure public safety while hunters taking aim at the island’s feral pigs focused their efforts near camping areas.

The park service said the $5-million pig hunt was necessary to protect the endangered Santa Cruz Island fox. Since last April, a New Zealand-based hunting company that it hired has killed about 4,800 pigs and cleared an estimated 85% of the island, said Yvonne Menard, a park service spokeswoman.

Boaters should note that restrictions on travelling inland on the island are still in effect throughout the western two-thirds of the island (that is, the part controlled by the Nature Conservancy). In that part of the island, landings require obtaining a per-vessel permit in advance from the Nature Conservancy, you are restricted (through June 2007) to visiting only beach areas, and certain beaches are completely closed. (See the Nature Conservancy’s beach closures page for details.)

There was a flurry of excitement over the last week regarding the future status of Santa Rosa Island. Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-El Cajon) had attempted to add language to a defense spending bill that would have removed the island from the national park system, making it instead a military reserve where active-duty military personnel and veterans could conduct training exercises and engage in recreational hunting and camping.

Now, in the face of loud criticism from Congressional Democrats, environmentalists, and others, Hunter has agreed to withdraw the plan — for now. His stated intention is to try to re-introduce the plan — which he had previously floated back in May, also — next year, as part of a separate piece of legislation.

The LA Times had an interesting article on the issue back on December 9th: Military wants Santa Rosa Island. (The Times subsequently ran a correction, acknowledging that it was Rep. Hunter, not the military, that was pushing for the change.) From that article:

Hunter put forward a similar measure in May, but withdrew it after objections from environmentalists and Democrats and after consulting with Republicans.

In a statement e-mailed Friday night by his spokesman, Hunter said the proposed amendment “would broaden the recreational use of Santa Rosa Island to the benefit of wounded and disabled members of the armed services who have sacrificed for our country.”

[snip]

Hunter’s proposal calls for the Department of Defense to transform the 53,000-acre island into a military operation, effective Jan. 1, 2009. The goal, the proposal said, was to provide “morale, welfare and recreation activities to members of the armed forces and their dependents, veterans, official guests and such other persons as the [Defense] secretary determines to be appropriate, including paralyzed and disabled persons.”

The island, according to the proposal, also could provide training areas for special operations forces and would continue to allow deer and elk hunting that is currently permitted.

Critics of the proposal said military personnel already can visit the park, just like the general public.

Rep. Lois Capps, a Democrat whose Santa Barbara district encompasses Santa Rosa Island, said the proposal is a bad idea “that is being pushed in secret negotiations.”

“All Americans should have access to the Channel Islands National Park, not just top military brass, members of Congress and folks who can pay thousands of dollars to go on private hunting trips,” Capps said.

Santa Rosa is the second-largest of the five Channel Islands that make up the park.

Among those who criticized Hunter’s proposal was Ron Sundergill, Pacific regional director of the National Parks Conservation Association. In a December 10 press release, Sunderhill wrote:

Why would Representative Hunter, why would anybody for that matter, want to suddenly restrict a large portion of this beautiful place to a small portion of Americans? It makes no sense!

We can only guess that the reason this is being proposed is to protect the commercial interest that operates the elk and deer hunting venture on the island. The owners of the venture, whose family sold the island to the federal government in 1986 for nearly $30 million, will be required to end their commercial activities in 2011. The timeline for ending the elk and deer hunting results from a legally binding agreement between the National Park Service and the National Parks Conservation Association, but the owners of the hunting venture strongly objected to the agreement.

If Santa Rosa Island is turned over to the Department of Defense for military recreation and other purposes, the permit for the commercial hunting operation is then likely to be renewed. This is especially evident since the proposed amendment requires that the current contract with the commercial hunting operation be honored, and contains no restriction on the renewal of the contract.

Anyway, Hunter has now pulled back on the plan, at least for the time being. From the LA Times: Lawmaker retracts plan for military use of island.

The measure, proposed during House-Senate conferences over the military appropriations bill, initially called for shifting management of the island to the Defense Department from the National Park Service. Although Hunter removed that provision Friday, critics said the proposal was still in conflict with a 1997 court settlement requiring the former owners of Santa Rosa Island to start phasing out elk and deer in 2008 and to eliminate them by the end of 2011.

“I am ecstatic it has been withdrawn,” Park Supt. Russell Galipeau said in a phone interview from the island. “This great piece of real estate that is now owned by the public will remain a great place for them to recreate and learn about this resource and endangered species … for generations to come.”

I don’t know if Hunter is trying to pull a fast one on behalf of a well-connected constituent, as Ron Sundergill has speculated, but if so, then it’s pretty lame for him to try to dress it up as some kind of noble action on behalf of disabled veterans. Santa Rosa Island, like all the Channel Islands, is a very special, very beautiful place, and a national park is the perfect way to preserve it.

Photo: I found that lovely shot of Santa Rosa Island on the web site of the Bruns Lab, which is part of the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology at UC Berkeley. Apparently they do some sort of ongoing scientific research on the island. I used the image without their permission; I hope they don’t mind.

As part of the ongoing effort to remove non-native feral pigs from Santa Cruz Island, the National Park Service is restricting shore access to the eastern part of the island while professional hunters track down and kill the pigs.

I spoke by phone with Yvonne Menard, public information officer for the National Park Service Channel Islands, and she explained that the restrictions have been designed to minimize disruptions to public access. The island has been divided into five zones for the pig-eradication project, with the schedule having been modified so the closure in the most-visited Park Service portion of the island occurs during the winter months.

Between November 1, 2005 and March 20, 2006, no overnight camping will be allowed in the national park (overnight camping by private boaters is never allowed in the non-Park Service portion of the island). The landing area and shore facilities at Scorpion Cove will be open to the public from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, as will the hiking trails between there and Cavern Point and Potato Harbor. The park property at Prisoner’s Harbor will remain open 7 days a week, again between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Otherwise, the Park Service portion of the island is closed to the public until March 20.

For more details on the Park Service closure, see this news release at www.nps.gov: Feral pig eradication begins on park property on Santa Cruz Island.

For those of us lucky enough to have access via our own boats to other parts of the island, the situation is slightly different. Going ashore on the western three quarters of the island, which is operated by the Nature Conservancy, requires prior purchase of a per-vessel landing permit. Currently the cost is $15 for a 30-day permit, or $40 for a calendar-year permit. Since the pig hunt began in March, 2005, permit holders may not hike inland; they may only explore the island’s coastline and beaches.

In addition, certain parts of the Nature Conservancy portion of the island are currently closed to all landings. As of September 1, 2005, beach closures are in effect at the following locations:

• Ladys Harbor
• Diablo Anchorage
• Frys Harbor
• Platts Harbor
• Twin Harbors
• Pelican’s Beach
• Tinker’s Cove
• Alamos Beach
• Laguna Harbor
• Playa Larga
• Posa Anchorage
• Sauces Beach
• Christy Beach

The following map shows the beaches currently closed:

For more information, see the following online resources:

• Santa Cruz Island page (National Park Service)
• Nature Conservancy page on the Island fox recovery program at Santa Cruz
• Nature Conservancy page on the Santa Cruz landing permit program
• Nature Conservancy page on Santa Cruz Island beach closures

I came across this article in San Diego’s The Log the other day: Renovation planned for Catalina’s Isthmus pier.

Isthmus Pier on Santa Catalina Island will get a facelift next year, including the addition of a new harbormaster office and a pumpout station.
Work on the 180-foot pier is scheduled to start in early 2006 and will likely take three to four months, Two Harbors Harbormaster Doug Oudin said. It should be completed in time for the summer season…

The pier will likely be completely closed, including the fuel dock, for the duration of the project, Oudin said. Details are still being worked out to provide emergency fuel and water and passenger access to and from the beach.

I remember tying up to the current pier on a busy Fourth of July weekend a number of years ago, after a long morning row from Howland’s Landing to buy ice. Dinghies were tied up three deep, and I had a tricky scramble before I could actually reach the pier.

(Photo by Becky Mucha.)