6 • August 15 - 28, 2014 • The Log


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Have an opinion about something you read in The Log?


Write to: Log Editorial, 17782 Cowan, Ste. C, Irvine, CA 92614; or email ambrosia@thelog.com.


Keep the bonfires


With the question of whether bonfires will stay or be forced to leave local beaches, the issues has continued to gather steam as a new bonfire bill was introduced to the Senate Appropriations this summer.


City constituents appeared to be taking advantage of the bon-


fires this Fourth of July as the smell of burning wood filled the air of Huntington Beach and other SoCal beaches. “Beach bonfires are an activity enjoyed by people from all


across California, including those who cannot afford multi-mil- lion dollar beachfront homes,” said Assemblyman Travis Allen, co-sponsor of the bill (R-Huntington Beach). “This legislation will ensure that every Californian has access to our beautiful beaches through the irreplaceable attraction of a beach bonfire.” In a 7-0 bipartisan vote, lawmakers pushed through AB1102, which may help preserve beach fire rings in the area. The bill will moves forward to the Senate Appropriations Committee before going to the full state Senate. “The fire rings have been an important part of California’s culture for decades,” said Doug Swardstrom, a founder of


See COMMENTARY page 17


What’s Your Beef? Do you have an opinion on anything you’ve seen in The Logor about an issue affecting Southern California boaters? Reader editorials are subject to editing and should not be more than 600 words. Submissions should be emailed to ambrosia@thelog.com or sent to The LogEditor, 17782 Cowan, Suite C, Irvine, CA 92614. Please include your name, city of residence, phone number and/or email address (for verification purposes only).


Bring back the crossword puzzle Editor:


I started doing The Log’s cross- word puzzles in 2007 when I first started to learn how to sail at the San Diego Yacht Club. I looked forward to it every week and learned some sailing terms, too. I wouldn’t look up the words on the internet but asked other yacht


That’s Some Name — H2OTEL


Should I trust my boss? Q


By David Weil, Esq.


I work as a chef aboard large motor yachts, mostly in the


Caribbean. I have a job lined up for three months aboard an American flagged yacht, but I am a little concerned about the owner’s track record when it comes to paying crewmembers on time and withholding tips. Can I do anything to prevent this from happening? What can I do if he fails to pay me when I leave the boat?


earnings as a professional crewmember aboard a yacht,


A


club members and sailors if they knew the answer, if I was stumped. Everyone knew of the crossword puzzle in The Log. Please bring it back. Your newspaper just isn’t the same without it. I know it has been a while since I asked last time, but I figured I would ask again when I recently saw a letter to the editor requesting the same thing.


Regards, Linda Judd


Hi Lisa, Good news, the crossword puz- zle is back! The puzzle can be found on page 22. Thank you for reading The Log.


Boat owners Kevin Howe and Ron Archer feel like spending time on their boat is like staying in a resort hotel on the water.


Bring America’s Cup to San Diego


Does your custom boat name show your love for boating? Send The Log a picture, and let us share it. Email your photo, contact information and a short caption to ambrosia@thelog.com or send it to The Log Editor, 17782 Cowan, Ste. C, Irvine, CA 92614.


Our reader has a number of legal options to protect her


but if the owner’s reputation is a significant concern for her she may want to reconsider taking the job at all. The fact that she is worried about her legal rights at a point that she has not yet spent one day aboard the boat is not a good sign. One of the most funda- mental rules of litigation pro- vides that it is usually better to avoid a lawsuit than to win one. With that warning in mind,


let’s take a look at her legal rights. First, she can demand cer- tain assurances and protec- tions in her employment con- tract, but this may not be practical since many boat owners will simply look for another crewmember who will not make any contractual


Editor:


San Diego is so close to host- ing America’s Cup that if we lost the bid it would be heart- breaking. At least to this sailor. I’ve followed the cup for years but have never been able to attend an actual race. If it’s in my backyard then I


demands. So let’s look at her legal rights after she is employed.


The good news is that


admiralty law has historically been extremely protective of the rights of merchant sea- men. In a U.S. Supreme Court case decided in 1823, the court observed that seamen are “generally poor and friend- less, and acquire habits of gross indulgence, careless- ness, and improvidence.” That observation may sound funny today, but this was serious business 200 years ago. Merchant seamen were con- sidered “Wards of the Admiralty,” and the law held that liens for unpaid crew wages were “sacred liens enti- tled to protection as long as a See ATTORNEY page 19


won’t have an excuse not to go. Thanks for all the cover- age.


Anxiously awaiting good news,


Robert Haws San Diego


On Board With Johnson by J.R. Johnson


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