It has until April 30 to relocate Pride of Newport.
NEWPORT BEACH - It's official: The Newport Harbor Nautical Museum (NHNM) is in open for business on the Balboa Peninsula.
"Comparatively, we have had good numbers," said David Muller, executive director for the NHNM.
The museum reopened its doors to visitors in mid-March after relocating from the familiar Pride of Newport riverboat to the Balboa Fun Zone, starting in December 2006.
"It [Pride of Newport] served us well for 10 years, but our lease was ending with the Irvine Co. on June 30 [2007]," Muller said.
Knowing they needed a new place to house their extensive collection of nautical memorabilia, the museum's Board of Trustees began looking at the possibility of acquiring the former east wing of the Fun Zone, which once housed the bumper car ride.
Nestled between the merry-go-round and the candy shop, the museum features a touch-tank filled with sea urchins, starfish and sea cucumbers, a fishing simulator and educational videos playing on five screens throughout the gallery.
Visitors interested in history can stroll across the way to the museum's other pavilion and see how vessels have developed through the years, gaze at model ships and view an authentic Snowbird boat.
"I think it's just amazing how far we have been able to come in the last 10 years. At the time we never thought we were going to get off the boat," said Marshall Steele, former facilities manager for the museum. "I am very pleased with what has happened and I think the museum's future will be bright."
One of the main factors for the increase in space was the expansion of educational services, which have increased at the new site.
Starting in July, the NHNM will launch a Nautical Adven-tures Camp for kids ages 6
to 12.
"It is definitely meant to be fun and show that museums can be fun," Muller said.
Exhibits from the Smithson-ian and the Plein Air Painters will also be featured at the museum in coming months.
Along with new exhibits will come a new look, as the museum's complete revamp will be in progress until 2010.
"The museum has certainly grown, but it's not the goal of the trustees to just grow for growth's sake," Muller said. "They want it to be a destination for the residents."
As for Pride of Newport, the Board of Trustees is currently seeking buyers and ideas on how to remove the vessel.
According to Jennifer Hieger, a spokeswoman for the Irvine Co., the museum has until the end of April to determine the boat's destiny.
The quest to find a new home for Pride of Newport was Steele's project for the last six months the museum was housed in the vessel.
Steele stepped down from the board of directors when the ship was first purchased by the NHNM in 1995 to focus on restoring the craft.
"It was built to last only 20 years and it has lasted 40 years, so it was very well designed," he said. "Everyone I have met was very proud to be a part of building that boat."
After 12 years of working at the museum and tending to the vessel, it was no surprise that Steele had difficulty parting with the boat when he retired in February.
"I think I've been so close to it for too long, but I realized it has served its purpose," he said. "The time has come to move on. Whatever happens with the boat will be the next part of the museum's evolution."
The 189-ft.-long, 45-ft.-tall riverboat, which was built to serve as a restaurant and banquet hall, was sold to the museum for $1 in 1995 and now has an asking price of $195,000.
"All someone has to do is make an offer and they'd be surprised at our response," Muller said.
There has been interest from potential buyers but no takers, according to the museum.
"It comes down to the logistics of how to remove [her] by land or sea," said NHNM Board of Trustees member David Lamontagne. "[The] reality is, we're just trying to work out a couple of different angles to come up with a solution."
Determining if it's best to sell, remove or dismantle the vessel has yet to be decided.
"I have mixed feelings about it," Steele said. "But I've realized it's time to retire the boat, I guess you would say."
For more information regarding the museum orPride of Newport, visit www.nhnm.org.