Dana Point

[BajaMike]

My favorite of my moms paintings, Dana Point, Oct 1970. My mom usd to drive my brother John and our neighbor Doug Allen to “Killer Dana” and paint while we were surfing. Before the harbor.

check out the coloring in the sunset, and the illumination mirrored in the sea, the waves and the sand.

I think it’s a great painting and a great memory for me n

 

[WhatExit?]

Excellent painting

Years back I went to Dana point all the time to ride my Jetskis. I had many great days outside the harbor

 

[sirbob]

Excellent painting

Years back I went to Dana point all the time to ride my Jetskis. I had many great days outside the harbor

We used to drop a milk jug for an anchor buoy and leave a cooler full of beers on the rocks and surf the break before they made it illegal to bring the Jetskis in that close - early 80s

That was our hang out!

 

[JB in so cal]

Dana Hills High School '82

 

[BajaMike]

Dana Hills High School '82

i was probably at your games. I never missed a Dana Hills HS or San Clemente HS football game if I was in town.

 

[BoatCop]

First learned to surf at Dana Point, 1961. Family camped there a lot and my Dad, a Northern Michigan guy who grew up litterally on the shore of Lake Superior, wanted the whole California experience and had bought a 12' hollow redwood board. Started out with him pushing me into waves, like pretty much every other grom. Didn't take long before I was paddling into the line up, by myself. That did it. I was hooked. This was me at about 3 years old, and 13.

 

[Willie B]

...Had some wonderful times in Dana point but it certainly is not what it used to be...

 

[Looking Glass]

...Had some wonderful times in Dana point but it certainly is not what it used to be...

For a guy who is from the Midwest and "Dreaming" of California and everything it was and had, sure is Sad to hear that statement over and over on a regular basis.

You people let things Slip away from you.

 

[450grip]

Dana hills class of 88’
Cheers!

 

[jeteater1]

I did a shit ton of work in the Salt Creek area 7 years ago.

 

[Water Romper]

Doheny, Dana Point- Even sang about by the Beach Boys (Surfin USA) Surfed there as well as up and down the coast all through the 70's. Still have my Original Plastic Fantastic surfboard I purchased in 1974, Main Street Huntington Beach. Paid 175.00 Back then, I had to make payments via Lay Away. Funny, I'm in Idaho and have 4 boards I just cant let go.

 

[Water Romper]

First learned to surf at Dana Point, 1961. Family camped there a lot and my Dad, a Northern Michigan guy who grew up litterally on the shore of Lake Superior, wanted the whole California experience and had bought a 12' hollow redwood board. Started out with him pushing me into waves, like pretty much every other grom. Didn't take long before I was paddling into the line up, by myself. That did it. I was hooked. This was me at about 3 years old, and 13.

View attachment 942538 View attachment 942539

Great picture...looks like somthing from Endless Summer. Life seemed so simple back then.

 

[boatpi]

Not to mention Doheney beach was unimaginable back then you could walk out a quarter of a mile at low tide, the break was out about the same. I’ll before the harbor.

 

[Taboma]

Late 60's, worked for a small electrical contractor located in San Juan Capistrano. Lots of interesting projects working for Don. Nixon's Casa Pacifica, the San Juan Mission, Balboa Bay Club, custom cliff side homes along the coast, putting up Christmas Tree lighting for rich coastal dwellers and relative to this thread, certain phases and infrastructure of the Dana Point Harbor construction.

The most interesting phase of the harbor construction was the wiring, de-wiring and re-wiring of the large 480V 3-phase pumps they used to de-water the damned up segments.

Once they'd sent divers in to remove the lobsters and any other sea critters they'd deemed in need of protecting, they sealed off the inner harbor area and started pumping it out in sections.

Once most all the water was pumped out of that section, they'd bring in the huge dozers and earthmovers and the excavated material was hauled off in those huge dump trucks you see used on large mining projects.

The first day I drove the service truck in and I found myself staring out the truck window at the bottom lug nuts of these massive wheels, the feeling I could be crushed like a bug was freaky and intimidating. I gave those guys a wide berth whenever possible.

We'd made large gauge direct burial cables into essentially cords, those cords along with the portable pump control boards would get connected to the closest temp power poles.
Once a section had been pumped, they'd call us and we'd disconnect everything, they'd move the pumps, we'd return the following day and re-connect them all. Usually two or three pumps per section were used.

The real entertainment for me as a young man was sitting on the coffer dams, eating my lunch with maybe a foot or so of water remaining in the section and watching the hundreds of trapped fish and numerous blue sharks all flopping about in vain. I have no idea how many tons of dead fish were buried in some landfill as a result of that project. One thing for sure, I didn't want to slip and slide in with them.

Would have been fun to have had a .22 and done some "Fish in the barrel" shooting, but not wanting to get escorted off the project, I had to settle for marbles and a wrist rocket for my lunch time amusement

The Balboa Bay Club tennis court lighting was fun in a different way. Working up on the scaffolding, peering down and noticing the really hot receptionist giving some really extra special attention to a well heeled club member, being one example. Moonlighting, in broad daylight for lunch money perhaps ??

 

[jetboatperformance]

Conjuring Up Great memories for me I "lived" in the water for years , One free Morey pope nose rider (sponsor) and a Yater spoon too , won a couple junior mens contests , good times , healthy best shape I was ever in ! There was a time when life literaly was Surfing ,,, Anyone but me remember Surfer Mag little stick figure showing up in pictures and "the greeter" ? LOL My 9 foot board was considered "small" back then... anyone old enough to remember "Stanleys" (just south of Rincon) before the freeway changes

BTW To the OP beautiful painting !! sorry for the nostalgia thread jack !!

 

[rivermobster]

Excellent painting

Years back I went to Dana point all the time to ride my Jetskis. I had many great days outside the harbor

X2. Jumping the waves was a blast!

 

[Goodtime$]

Class of DHHS 99’
My sister was 98’

Parents were HB loser grads

Dana point......what’s your point ?

 

[Wayn-o]

Dana Hills High School '82

Dana Hills 1982 as well
Grew up in Dana Point my whole life. My folks have home movies of me and my brother on the beach with the jetty being built in the background. My dad would surf all day and fish the jetty in the evening. My folks are still in their same house in Dana Point from before I got here.

 

[Taboma]

The way I heard it, in the late 60's, whatever you wanted, could be had at the Dana Inn if you knew who to ask.

 

[JB in so cal]

Dana Hills 1982 as well
Grew up in Dana Point my whole life. My folks have home movies of me and my brother on the beach with the jetty being built in the background. My dad would surf all day and fish the jetty in the evening. My folks are still in their same house in Dana Point from before I got here.

Lacher? Martin?

 

[JB in so cal]

The way I heard it, in the late 60's, whatever you wanted, could be had at the Dana Inn if you knew who to ask.

that's Wind n Sea haha

 

[JB in so cal]

Class of DHHS 99’
My sister was 98’

Parents were HB loser grads

Dana point......what’s your point ?

Party Time in Dana Point

 

[BajaMike]

Conjuring Up Great memories for me I "lived" in the water for years , One free Morey pope nose rider (sponsor) and a Yater spoon too , won a couple junior mens contests , good times , healthy best shape I was ever in ! There was a time when life literaly was Surfing ,,, Anyone but me remember Surfer Mag little stick figure showing up in pictures and "the greeter" ? LOL My 9 foot board was considered "small" back then... anyone old enough to remember "Stanleys" (just south of Rincon) before the freeway changes

BTW To the OP beautiful painting !! sorry for the nostalgia thread jack !!

Interesting comment! I had a 9’6” Hobie, cost I think $199?

 

[BajaMike]

that's Wind n Sea haha

Or the “Villa”.

 

[JB in so cal]

Or the “Villa”.

My brother in law worked at the Villa. True

 

[Goodtime$]

Turks........... please stay open!!!!!!

 

[JB in so cal]

Turks........... please stay open!!!!!!

I'll have to ask for the Dolphin Deal if I get a Tahiti haha

 

[BajaMike]

Thanks all you guys for your great comments. I had no idea there were this many Dana Point/San Clemente alums.

 

[BajaMike]

Turks........... please stay open!!!!!!

I love Turks Bloody Mary, fill up the glass with vodka, add 2 tablespoons of Bloody Mary mix. Yum!

 

[JB in so cal]

Proud Mary's before the fire; skippers galley; jolly roger....

 

[sirbob]

Proud Mary's before the fire; skippers galley; jolly roger....

The morning of my wedding my groomsmen and I had breakfast burritos at Proud Mary’s and washed them down with Turks bloody Mary’s !

 

[Taboma]

Or the “Villa”.

Yeah, you guys are right, it was the Dana Villa, the Dana Inn is in Mission Bay SD. I believe it was torn down right after the harbor was completed.
I'm surprised they didn't make it a historical monument.

 

[framer1]

Conjuring Up Great memories for me I "lived" in the water for years , One free Morey pope nose rider (sponsor) and a Yater spoon too , won a couple junior mens contests , good times , healthy best shape I was ever in ! There was a time when life literaly was Surfing ,,, Anyone but me remember Surfer Mag little stick figure showing up in pictures and "the greeter" ? LOL My 9 foot board was considered "small" back then... anyone old enough to remember "Stanleys" (just south of Rincon) before the freeway changes

BTW To the OP beautiful painting !! sorry for the nostalgia thread jack !!

I used to surf at Stanley's. A lot of Thousand Oaks people surfed there. Nice little shorebreak, AH, those were the days...

 

[OCMerrill]

I have a little history with Dana. My father and a couple of his business partners kept a Skipjack there in a slip back in mid 70's to the mid 80's. We fished all the time and my Dad used that Harbor as a tool to build a business. We would routinely pull in Marlin and had a fighting chair on the engine cover. Good times they were.

Fast forward another 35 years and here I'm the guy with the boat hanging out in a slip on the island side. If you would have told me this when I was 15 there is no way I would have believed that was going to transpire. Now 10 plus years with this very challenging at times endeavor.

Currently the Harbor remains unchanged since opened in 1971 HOWEVER..... That's about to change. Personally I want to move the boat as I don't want to live through it.

The Dana East and Dana West Marina concessions are now gone. We are controlled by "The Harbor at Dana Point" run by the County of Orange.
Their plans to completely revamp the harbor are in full swing. I'll attach a link so you folks can see what's gong to take place. If you launch there get ready to deal with a parking structure and very little parking. If you like the current shops and restaurants, visit them now as many will not return. El Torito we know for sure will not return.

The conversion will be done in phases. The costal commission has approved everything except the smaller new hotel. They want a low dollar option is the last talk of the dock. Our slips now parallel the parking lot. They will flip 90 degrees to match the Dana East side.. The slips in front of the food and shops will flip so you can eat and look at the backs of the big boats 50+ feet and up only. The wharf side will stay the same for the most part. There will be slips where the bat receiver is currently. There is no plan for the bait receiver. The talk is he will move to the back fairway.

PDF with a ton of pics.

https://www.ocparks.com/civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?BlobID=81507

 

[Wayn-o]

Or the “Villa”.

Midnight tacos and that Chris Cram guy playing crappy music

 

[Happy Smitty]

I grew up in Dana Point and San Clemente. Moved away in 2000. A lot has changed. Not the same towns I remember anymore. They went pretty heavy on the coastal tourism theme.

 

[Wayn-o]

Yeah, you guys are right, it was the Dana Villa, the Dana Inn is in Mission Bay SD. I believe it was torn down right after the harbor was completed.
I'm surprised they didn't make it a historical monument. l

It was there into the early 2000's, though it was vacant for a long time. Several attempts to rebuild into a new hotel never made it and eventually it was torn down.

 

[Taboma]

I have a little history with Dana. My father and a couple of his business partners kept a Skipjack there in a slip back in mid 70's to the mid 80's. We fished all the time and my Dad used that Harbor as a tool to build a business. We would routinely pull in Marlin and had a fighting chair on the engine cover. Good times they were.

Fast forward another 35 years and here I'm the guy with the boat hanging out in a slip on the island side. If you would have told me this when I was 15 there is no way I would have believed that was going to transpire. Now 10 plus years with this very challenging at times endeavor.

Currently the Harbor remains unchanged since opened in 1971 HOWEVER..... That's about to change. Personally I want to move the boat as I don't want to live through it.

The Dana East and Dana West Marina concessions are now gone. We are controlled by "The Harbor at Dana Point" run by the County of Orange.
Their plans to completely revamp the harbor are in full swing. I'll attach a link so you folks can see what's gong to take place. If you launch there get ready to deal with a parking structure and very little parking. If you like the current shops and restaurants, visit them now as many will not return. El Torito we know for sure will not return.

The conversion will be done in phases. The costal commission has approved everything except the smaller new hotel. They want a low dollar option is the last talk of the dock. Our slips now parallel the parking lot. They will flip 90 degrees to match the Dana West side.. The slips in front of the food and shops will flip so you can eat and look at the backs of the big boats 50+ feet and up only. The wharf side will stay the same for the most part. There will be slips where the bat receiver is currently. There is no plan for the bait receiver. The talk is he will move to the back fairway.

PDF with a ton of pics.

https://www.ocparks.com/civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?BlobID=81507

Still, the location of that harbor is so convenient as it's not to far from Catalina for day tripping, yet still within fairly easy reach of the many great offshore fishing hotspots.
Plus you don't have that long idle out like Newport, although Newport is sure a fun harbor for cocktail cruising.

I recall, oh 30 years ago when my wife and I were taking our sports fisher from San Diego to Catalina for a week and decided to overnight in a transient slip in Dana Harbor.
I'll never forget having been driven close to insanity by the crackling sound of "Popping Rice Crispys" as if something was attempting to gain access through the bottom of the hull. I was crawling around the bilge trying to locate the source, but it was everywhere and rather loud. I finally gave up, later I learned it was some brine shrimp or some critter munching away at anything edible on my boats bottom, which I had regularly cleaned, so who knows. Anyway, I'd never heard that before or since.
Freaked me out for awhile.

 

[Taboma]

It was there into the early 2000's, though it was vacant for a long time. Several attempts to rebuild into a new hotel never made it and eventually it was torn down.

Had no idea it lasted that long, thanks That place was a real dive in the late 60's, but the bar was always rockin on weekends. I know a lot of harbor construction workers were staying there during the harbor build.

 

[Water Romper]

Harbor House Cafe...is it still there? On PCH. One in Sunset Beach too. Surf in the morning, Chili Cheese Omelet when we were done. Yumm

 

[BajaMike]

I have a little history with Dana. My father and a couple of his business partners kept a Skipjack there in a slip back in mid 70's to the mid 80's. We fished all the time and my Dad used that Harbor as a tool to build a business. We would routinely pull in Marlin and had a fighting chair on the engine cover. Good times they were.

Fast forward another 35 years and here I'm the guy with the boat hanging out in a slip on the island side. If you would have told me this when I was 15 there is no way I would have believed that was going to transpire. Now 10 plus years with this very challenging at times endeavor.

Currently the Harbor remains unchanged since opened in 1971 HOWEVER..... That's about to change. Personally I want to move the boat as I don't want to live through it.

The Dana East and Dana West Marina concessions are now gone. We are controlled by "The Harbor at Dana Point" run by the County of Orange.
Their plans to completely revamp the harbor are in full swing. I'll attach a link so you folks can see what's gong to take place. If you launch there get ready to deal with a parking structure and very little parking. If you like the current shops and restaurants, visit them now as many will not return. El Torito we know for sure will not return.

The conversion will be done in phases. The costal commission has approved everything except the smaller new hotel. They want a low dollar option is the last talk of the dock. Our slips now parallel the parking lot. They will flip 90 degrees to match the Dana West side.. The slips in front of the food and shops will flip so you can eat and look at the backs of the big boats 50+ feet and up only. The wharf side will stay the same for the most part. There will be slips where the bat receiver is currently. There is no plan for the bait receiver. The talk is he will move to the back fairway.

PDF with a ton of pics.

https://www.ocparks.com/civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?BlobID=81507

Good info. When I had my Baja, after a six month wait, I got a parking spot in the harbor. I kept it at the harbor in the winter and at Campbell’s in Havasu in the summer.

I could walk down to the harbor from my house, they would pull my boat out, put it in the water on the sling, I boat all day, they put it on the trailer and pull it over to the wash rack, I wash it down and they put it back in my parking spot. Pretty convenient....don’t think this type of service will be available in the future.

 

[BajaMike]

Yeah, you guys are right, it was the Dana Villa, the Dana Inn is in Mission Bay SD. I believe it was torn down right after the harbor was completed.
I'm surprised they didn't make it a historical monument.
View attachment 942867

Great old picture, fun place (sometimes pretty wild) in the 80s, almost did some dumb shit there.....it was the 80s......

 

[OCMerrill]

Still, the location of that harbor is so convenient as it's not to far from Catalina for day tripping, yet still within fairly easy reach of the many great offshore fishing hotspots.
Plus you don't have that long idle out like Newport, although Newport is sure a fun harbor for cocktail cruising.

I recall, oh 30 years ago when my wife and I were taking our sports fisher from San Diego to Catalina for a week and decided to overnight in a transient slip in Dana Harbor.
I'll never forget having been driven close to insanity by the crackling sound of "Popping Rice Crispys" as if something was attempting to gain access through the bottom of the hull. I was crawling around the bilge trying to locate the source, but it was everywhere and rather loud. I finally gave up, later I learned it was some brine shrimp or some critter munching away at anything edible on my boats bottom, which I had regularly cleaned, so who knows. Anyway, I'd never heard that before or since.
Freaked me out for awhile.

There is a ton of water life in Dana, right under those SUP riders feet. When late at night we can hear the popping noises as well. Fortunately were west of the bridge so we don't have to deal with the massive sea lion issue. This Harbor revamp is going to majorly suck. Were going to be shuffled several times.

The County of Orange is desperate to make Dana Point like Newport Beach so they can call Dana their LAM success story.

 

[BajaMike]

Midnight tacos and that Chris Cram guy playing crappy music

Chris Cram is a great guy.....he will play any song you know and do it well.

 

[sirbob]

Great picture...looks like somthing from Endless Summer. Life seemed so simple back then.

The original photo that was turned into the Endless Summer logo was taken just south of the current harbor looking north not far from the location of the OG posters pic...

 

[HBCraig]

Class of DHHS 99’
My sister was 98’

Parents were HB loser grads

Dana point......what’s your point ?

Take it easy on HB graduates.

 

[tejota]

DHHS class of '01 here! I remember going to the Villa as a little kid! DP has definitely changed the last decade.

 

[76 Hondo]

Grew up in Orange Co. (Orange), going to really date myself first job in construction was at the Dana Point marina, Summer of 1970. Apprentice Operating Engineer, oiler on a Northwest 6 cable backhoe the only machine that would dig 25+ feet sewer trenches. Beers after work at the Dana Villa, hell no I wasn’t 21!