SAN DIEGO _ The ribbon-cutting ceremony last Tuesday for the Shelter Island Launch Ramp was spit-shined and polished, from the Port of San Diego's snappy press release, to muckety-mucks with oversized scissors at the ready, to a group of Polynesian dancers.
The moment loomed as huge for the sportfishing crowd, which waited ... and waited ... and waited some more for the $9.6 million project to re-open the most direct access to San Diego Bay through, the Port maintains, the busiest ramp in California.
Make no mistake, though: This was a breech birth, from the project's bow to stern.
"Patience is indeed a virtue," Port Chairman Garry Bonelli said to the assembled crowd. "Patience, patience, patience."
There's zero doubt the undertaking, a beautiful 10-lane aquatic front porch, will spark activity at a place that already logged in excess of 50,000 documented launches annually before its extreme makeover. Using identical space, engineers increased maneuverability by 80 percent, doubled the dock footage, built an impressive walkway, modernized lights and signs, and addressed ADA accessibility requirements.
The whole of it also reminded us how long it can take a kitchen clogged with chefs to bake meaningful and lasting results.
"It took forever, mostly because it's California and the regulations, red tape and hurdles you have to jump through," said Scott Sherman, an avid fisherman and San Diego councilman. "Then you had to find the funding. It was one of those things in government, it just doesn't happen overnight unfortunately."
Sherman used to eyeball tidal patterns to weigh the risk of using the old ramp to launch or trailer his 25-foot Parker.
"At low tide, you wouldn't even consider launching a fairly large boat," he said. "Now there's a lot more room to maneuver and a lot more room to tie up down there."
There's no argument, the ramp was sorely needed. The end product, too, provided a whistle-worthy finish line. The winding, halting, bumpy path to make it happen, however, offers a fascinating glimpse at the frustrating grind required to get there.
Jim Brown, who worked as San Diego City Lakes Manager for nearly 29 years, recalled conversations with then-Department of Boating and Waterways Director Raynor Tsuneyoshi about a full-scale ramp rethink that dates all the way to 2003. Grabbing the ear of Port officials back then proved, um, challenging.
A Boating and Waterways report show that between 1960 and 2000, registered boat ownership in California rocketed from 11.2 per thousand residents to 26.2. The stress and strain in San Diego, a sportfishing mecca, became even more pronounced.
Those in the fishing community asked and asked and asked themselves hoarse about the ramp debut, which quietly happened on Dec. 21.
"People were frustrated," said Catherine Miller, a member of the plucky ramp's neighboring Outboard Boating Club whose family helped found H&M Landing. "They would check in on a regular basis to see when it would be done. Without it, it was a great inconvenience to get to the water.
"It's very meaningful to this whole boating community, commercial and sport. A lot of people were impacted. Mission Bay and Coronado were adversely impacted, because they took up the slack."
Coronado Councilman Bill Sandke explained the ripples felt across the waterways of San Diego. His community's ramp, which has parking for only 12 to 14 trailers, suddenly was swamped with those willing to cover the additional eight-mile nautical trip to Point Loma just to reach the bay.
That crush led to a few cranky captains. Sandke said the Port offered help with security during the Shelter Island closure.
"On occasion we'd have a fracas or two with all the people trying to get their boats out after a long day on the water," he said.
The trickle down revealed itself in other ways, as well.
"When the ramp was closed, you'd pull up to the (Everingham) bait receiver (in the bay) and sometimes you had to wake the guys up to scoop bait," Sherman said. "In the old days when it was open, even with the sub-standard ramp, you'd show up during tuna season and there would be a line of 10, 11, 12 boats. So all the ancillary business that goes with it, it makes a huge difference.
"There were so many things that went on with this, government related, it was just nuts. But it's finally here. It's great to see it."
Buck Everingham of Everingham Brothers Bait Co. said the stranglehold on the Shelter Island ramp impacted business by 10-15 percent. Boats with permanent slips on the bay stemmed the damage.
"I'm very glad it's open," he said.
All good things to those who wait. And wait. And wait.
