The Marine Boat Auction, hosted by Long Beach’s Marine Bureau, will take place later this month.
The auction is scheduled for Jan. 24 outside the marina office, 205 Marina Drive, with viewing starting at 8 a.m. and bidding beginning at 9 a.m. The bureau will accept cash, credit cards or cashier checks.
After a boat is purchased, it cannot return to any Long Beach Marina for six months.
I ventured to the dock at the marine office to check out what might be part of the sale. One vessel appeared to be one of the small sailboats that offered 90-minute wine cruises in Newport Beach as part of the Ship N Bottle fleet.
Harbor cruises like that were popular for a number of years and one local vendor, Corks Away Wine Cruises, was popular in Alamitos Bay. In 2014, on the fourth season of “Shark Tank,” the wine-pouring sea captains pitched their company. The founders asked for $105,000 in exchange for 20% equity — but the sharks didn’t bite.
The popularity of wine cruises sitting on park benches bungee-corded to the deck faded and business floated away.
For more information about the auction, call 562-570-3215.
Martime art
Local maritime artist Bob Senske will host a free art show at Alamitos Bay Yacht Club from 5 to 9 p.m. Jan. 23.
While the event is free, you can also RSVP for the $25 hors d’oeuvres package by contacting the Alamitos Bay Yacht Club ahead of time. RSVP at abyc.org/events-list.
For details about Senske, go to senskeart.com.
America’s Cup
Riptide Racing will host a fundraising celebration at 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 12, to help bring the America’s Cup back to the U.S.
The event, which will take place at ABYC, is intended to support sailor Chris Poole and his Riptide Racing, American sailing and the America’s Cup.
“Our initial focus,” Riptide Race’s website says, “now is on securing our target funding goal through individual and corporate support to go ahead with the challenge by January 31st, 2026.”
Riptide Racing has a goal of raising $30 million to meet late entry requirements and a total campaign budget of $50 million. For more information, go to riptideracing.com.
Young sailor dies
The 19-year-old man who died recently on a hiking incident on Mount Baldy has been identified as Marcus Muench Casanova. He is survived by his father and mother, Ken and Fabiana (mother), and brother Nicolas.
Casanova was from Seal Beach and was a local sailor.
“We are destroyed by the loss of our beloved Marcus,” a message from his family said. “He was a graduate of Los Alamitos High, a freshman at Santa Clara University’s Levy School of Business, and an avid sailor and outdoorsman. He loved racing on Jolie with their tight knit crew of best friends and family. With them, he raced LBYC’s ‘Catalina Series,’ the ‘Newport to Ensenada,’ and was preparing for the 2026 Pacific Cup to Hawaii. He was also a sailing instructor at Leeway for three years and counting, where he loved sharing his love of the water with young sailors-to-be.
“More importantly, he was an incredibly sweet and empathetic young man that will be missed sorely by many,” the family added. “It is difficult to explain the pain and anguish we are going through and ask for privacy as we try to find our way. Thank you for your love and kind thoughts.”
Casanova also worked as a sailing instructor for the Long Beach Parks, Recreation, and Marine Department’s Leeway Sailing and Aquatics Center, according to city spokesperson Kevin Lee.
“Marcus had a rare gift of connecting with everyone he met, making summers and weekends brighter for sailing program participants and his fellow colleagues,” Lee wrote on LinkedIn. “He was always bright and approached every task with warmth and enthusiasm, whether teaching sailing or helping with simple duties like washing windows. Marcus always went above and beyond in his responsibilities, leaving a lasting impression with all who knew him.”
Small world
Grunion columnist Jo Murray’s cousin Steve Shongut, from New York, will arive on Princess Cruises’ Island Princess on Thursday, Jan. 8. This 2003 file photo shows the Island Princess being escorted out to sea in the San Francisco Bay Area. (Mindy Schauer, The Orange County Register/SCNG)
In this week’s small world department, my cousin Steve Shongut, from New York, will arive on Princess Cruises’ Island Princess on Thursday, Jan. 8. I posted on social media that I had sailed on the original Island Princess 50 years ago.
Another friend, David Mayer — the son of “Mama Mayer,” who trained hundreds of Queen Mary tours guides on how to spiel about transatlantic travel — noted he too is on the cruise sailing from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Turns out, the two of them had played pickle ball on board — and exchanged sea stories.