Kid commodores

For eight weeks every summer, almost 200 kids and their parents

gather daily at the beach by Seymour Beek’s dock on Balboa Island.

The children, ages 4 to 17, spend all morning rowing,

paddle-boarding, sailing, swimming and diving.

This is the Balboa Island Yacht Club, now in its 83rd season.

Before the island was the residential and retail community it is

today, it was a prime summer vacation spot for families. Real estate

developer and Balboa Island ferry service founder Joseph A. Beek --

Seymour Beek’s father -- and his family were one of a few families

who actually lived on the island.

In 1923, after noticing that kids didn’t have much to do in the

summer, Joseph A. Beek started the yacht club.

The club, which is run entirely by children, was recognized as an

official yacht club during World War II and is a member of the

Southern California Yacht Assn.

Although the club’s composition has changed, the activities are

basically the same as they were 83 years ago.

“It’s been pretty much the same ever since I can remember,”

Seymour Beek said.

The club’s commodores, secretary and treasurer manage all aspects

of the operation, with Seymour Beek and some of the parents acting as

advisors.

“When you’re commodore, you take over everything,” said Commodore

Quincy Bock, 17, of La Jolla.

Bock, whose family owns a summer home on the island, has been a

member of the yacht club for 13 years.

Bock started as rear commodore, then moved up to vice commodore,

and now she pretty much runs the show. She said that she helps manage

the club’s $20,000 bank account and is in charge of organizing the

members, the merchandise and the multitude of club events.

Seymour Beek said several staff commodores at local yacht clubs

got their start at the Balboa Island Yacht Club. That includes Beek,

who served as commodore in 1946.

“An awful lot of sailors from the Balboa Island Yacht Club went on

to become well-known sailors,” he said.

One thing that has changed are the dues. Seymour Beek said that

when he was commodore, dues were less than a dollar per person for

the whole summer. It now costs $100 per person for the eight weeks,

still a reasonable price.

“The price is unbelievable,” said Costa Mesa’s Mark Keyes.

Both of Keyes’ daughters -- Page, 10, and Megan, 7 -- are in the

program and have been for four years.

“It’s such a great program,” Keyes said. “They love the water. It

is a great reason to come to the beach every day.”

The program is a family commitment. It is not a drop-in day camp

-- the parents must agree to attend all the sessions their children

do. In fact, one of the club’s special events is a parent

participation day, where they have to do all the same activities as

the kids.

“You spend two months with each other year after year and you get

to know everybody,” said Michael Del Rey of Downey. “This becomes a

community; it’s more than a camp.”

Both of Del Rey’s children are in the program and commute 35 miles

from Downey every day.

“We call it the best kept secret because we don’t advertise,” said

Cherlyn Converse of Newport Beach, whose son -- 16-year-old Curtis

-- is vice commodore.

Most of the families involved with the club learn of it through

word of mouth. Many parents were members when they were young.

Bock said both her mother and grandmother were members when they

were kids.

“I think there must be some fourth-generation people in the Balboa

Island Yacht Club,” Seymour Beek said.

Cody Reddin, 11, of Balboa Island has been coming since he was 5;

his mother, Stephanie Reddin, was a member 35 years ago.

“She sailed that same boat that I sail,” Cody said.

* LINDSAY SANDHAM can be reached at (714) 966-4625 or

[email protected].