Outrigger Canoe Clubs Want To Stay Where They Are

As the city begins wrestling with redeveloping its harbor areas, City Manager Bill Workman held a public meet-and-greet Tuesday on a poke of land the city owns but hasn't done much with.

It's a small strip jutting into the harbor at the end of Marine Way, a place outrigger canoe paddlers have used for 40 years. And they'd like to keep using it. In fact, they'd like nicer facilities. But at the least, they'd like to keep things as is.

A couple dozen members of the Nahoa and Lanakila outrigging canoe clubs showed up Tuesday and filled out suggestion cards as to the future of the 1.6 acres officially called Mole B, or Moonstone Park. The city council will have the final say next June on all plans for the land next to the crowded King Harbor Marina parking lot.

The outrigger canoe clubs keep their canoes and other equipment on a third of the property, and pay the city $600 a year.

Workman's causal outdoor workshop was an opportunity for stakeholders of the property to be heard.

"As a person who loves the ocean, loves the outdoors, as I think everyone here in Redondo does, I think it should remain for outrigger canoe use and for the open land that is here now. That is what I would love to see," said Bernd Schulze, a member of the Nahoa Outrigger Canoe Club.

Dave Quinn said he hopes that "at least some space is assigned for our recreation."

Between them, the two clubs have about 250 members, a hundred of which are youngsters, said Jerry Marcil, an outrigger paddler.

"I'd like to see our facility get expanded," Marcil said, adding that club members do what the land was intended for: Low-cost use. The outriggers are willing to spend their own money on the upgrade, Marcil said.

"We're willing to spend, but they are not willing to let us spend the money. After being here for 40 years, we'd like to improve it. And we've been stymied as far as that goes," Marcil said.

Out of the 27 outrigger clubs scattered in harbors along the coast, Redondo Beach's club facilities are the second worst, Marcil said.

"I don't know if it's worth going through this because I don't think the city has the money or the will to do anything," said Marcil. "Mostly it'd just be talk. I think they've been talking for about ten years and they'll probably be talking for the next ten. I'd like to see something get done. Like I said, we're willing to spend our own money. We have nothing. We can't even shower here. You get out of the water, it's cold at night. It's tough.