Gregg Mansfield has lived in Ventura, Calif., since 1993. When he first moved to the area, the city’s harbor and waterfront had more of a commercial feel. Ventura Harbor has been the long-time home of the state’s commercial squid-fishing boats and other charter and commercial fishing vessels.
More recently, a condominium-development project – and upgraded concrete docks that replaced the old wooden ones – gave the harbor a welcome facelift. The new look has drawn more recreational boats and weekend visitors to the area.
“It’s helped bring people down there,” said Mansfield. “The modern docks have been the most noticeable and the number of (pleasure) boats that have come in has gone up. It’s something the harbor was missing for quite a few years.”
In the interest of disclosure, Mansfield and I are both former editors in chief at Powerboat magazine, which had its offices in Ventura Harbor at 1691 Spinnaker Drive. I was there from 1993 to 1999 and Mansfield was one of the editors that followed me. The magazine left the area in 2005.
Modern Amenities
Today, Ventura Harbor offers quite a bit to attract boaters at four marinas, including Safe Harbor Ventura Isle, Portside Marina, Ventura West and Derecktor Ventura Harbor. If someone wants to stop in for lunch, slips are available for free for two hours and, depending on availability, there are overnight slips at Ventura Village Harbor Marine, and three of the marinas, Derecktor Ventura, Safe Harbor Ventura Isle and Ventura West.
Portside Marina is linked to the condo development and has 104 slips. For slip customers, the harbor has modern restrooms and showers, laundry, a boater’s lounge, workout room, storage and freezer lockers, office and mail services, pumpout stations, cable TV, complimentary Wi-Fi, picnic/BBQ areas, secured gates, night security, free land-based parking and even a half basketball court.
“The nice part about the marina is if you get a slip in the marina, you get all the amenities of the apartments,” said Scott Estes, general manager at Portside. “The harbor district is putting a lot of effort into bringing in more recreational amenities.”
Portside has 104 slips ranging in size from 30 to 80 feet and Estes said he tries to keep three or four transient slips available for boaters who want to drop in for the night. Portside also has a 90-foot public paddleboard dock.
He says that the slip renters at Portside come from a mix of locations with about 50% being local, about 25% from greater Los Angeles and the other 25% from the San Francisco Bay area. Most of the boats are cruising sail and power models with some sportfishermen thrown in the mix.
Rates for a slip at Portside start at $545 per month for a 30-footer; the contracts are month to month.
The San Diego-based property management company Beauchamp Leslie has owned and operated Ventura West Marina since they opened. Phase 1, which has 388 slips, opened in 1978 and Phase 2 came on board in 1982. The latter has 160 slips. Boat sizes at both phases range from 22 to up to 90 feet for end-ties.
The majority of the boats at Ventura West are in the 30- to 40-foot range, mixing cruising sail and powerboats. Eric Leslie, who is in development and management at Beauchamp Leslie, said that slip renters range from weekend boaters to liveaboards.
Amenities at Ventura West include a boater’s lounge, a fitness center, large men’s and women’s showers, laundry, gear storage and even freezer lockers. “There’s a lot of sportfishing and commercial fishing that goes on off Ventura Harbor,” said Leslie.
He said that the marina doesn’t have dedicated transient slips, but will accommodate a visiting boater if the marina has an open slip. “It’s not uncommon for someone who went out to the Channel Islands to want to come into Ventura Harbor for a few nights,” said Leslie.
Because Beauchamp Leslie is nearing its 50th anniversary, the company is working with the Ventura Port District to update its facilities with new docks in the next year or two. “The success that Portside has had caught our interest and they were able to fill all their slips,” said Leslie. “They have nice boats over there and we’re hoping to improve that side of the harbor as well.”
Another benefit for customers of Ventura West marina is that they are offered reciprocal privileges at Harbor Island West Marina in San Diego because both are owned and managed by Beauchamp Leslie. A boat can stay in San Diego for up to a week on the house during a one-year period.
For those who want to take a closer look at the harbor, Ventura Boat Rentals has character-themed electric boats including swans, ducks, dragons and flamingos, plus kayaks, pedal boats and stand-up paddle boards. The character boats even have lights and go out at night. In December, Eric Cooper, who owns the rental operation, and his crew convert the office into a gingerbread house. For those who want to let someone else drive, the company has The Dreamer, a party boat that gives tours of the harbor. It can be reserved for private parties and burials at sea.
“We have people who have been coming for years,” said Cooper. “On October 25, we have the Witches Paddle. Last year, we had 200 witches and warlocks paddling around the harbor in costumes.”
Island Packers has been a Ventura Harbor Village attraction for decades and takes crowds out on whale watches and to see the seals at the Channel Islands off the Ventura coast. Boaters who call Ventura Harbor home can head up to Santa Barbara for lunch or get more adventurous and head across the Pacific to Catalina Island.
Getting There
Because Ventura is on the coast of the Pacific, the initial entry to the harbor can be rough, so a captain should plan ahead. The entrance buoy 2VU is located about a half mile off the harbor entrance and should be kept to starboard when entering. Get this right and you’ll avoid the mouth of the Santa Clara River that is a half mile to the south of the harbor entrance. The main channel is between the two jetties that protect the harbor. Avoid the area behind the breakwater because it’s designed as a sand trap and is subject to shoaling.
Some rules to keep in mind when arriving at the harbor include the 5-mph speed limit. That includes any area within 200 feet of all beaches frequented by bathers or within 100 feet of any swimmer. A personal flotation device (life jacket) must be worn aboard a kayak or paddleboard.
For powerboats, no one under the age of 16 can operate a vessel powered by a motor rated at more than 15 hp or a sailing vessel longer than 30 feet unless accompanied by a person who is at least 18 years old. The older person must be attentive and supervising the operation of the vessel. Exceptions include a person operating as a performer in a professional exhibition or someone who is participating in a regatta, race or water-ski race.
For boaters who want to bring in their boat for the day by trailer, the port district has a launch ramp in the northwest corner of the harbor near Portside.
