Boaters’ Bay Access Hours Are Restored

The restriction on pleasure boat travel through Anaheim Bay, imposed after the Sept. 11 attacks, has been lifted, to the cheers of Huntington Harbour boaters.

The Navy was limiting access to four hours a day, giving boaters a small window of time to get their boats to and from the ocean. The restriction was imposed because Anaheim Bay is near Navy ships that deliver and retrieve ordnance at the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station.

Greg Smith, a spokesman for the weapons station, said boaters should not get too comfortable just yet. “Yes, the harbor is back to normal, but that is subject to change at a moment’s notice,” he said.

Boaters can call a hotline--(562) 626-6000--for updates about the bay’s security status.

Security measures are still heightened at the bay, but Smith would not discuss them in detail. He also declined to discuss what prompted the Navy to lift the Anaheim Bay restriction.

The restriction not only inconvenienced boaters but also hurt harbor businesses. Scott Lindenblatt, owner of Mariner’s Point, the only gas station in the harbor, said his business dropped about 50%. He said marina operators and shipyards were also affected.

He added that many of the boaters in the harbor are fishermen who “want to be [at their fishing spots] at daybreak, which they were precluded from doing.”

The bay had been open from 6 to 8 a.m. and 2 to 4 p.m. on weekdays, and 6 to 9 a.m. and 2 to 4 p.m. on weekends. Those restrictions were officially lifted Dec. 22.

Mike Vaughn, who normally takes his 55-foot motor yacht out twice a week--once on weekends and once during the week--had been limiting his excursions to just the weekend.

“It was just a headache to . . . have to time your return to the opening of the harbor,” Vaughn said.

The restriction also affected the annual holiday Cruise of Lights, when passengers on tour boats and personal craft from neighboring marinas view the lights on the harbor houses.

Except for the several tour boats, “this year it was dead,” Vaughn said.