Por Nada to Serve as Classroom on the Water

Source: The Log

By: Ambrosia Sarabia

NEWPORT BEACH — Students at Orange Coast College of Sailing and Seamanship will be learning on the water on a luxurious 68-foot motoryacht, thanks to the recent donation of the yacht Por Nada, which will serve as a “classroom on the water.”

Valued at more than $8 milliion, the 68-footer will be used for a number of maritime training courses, including the new Professional Mariner Program. The program will begin on Aug. 25.

Donors of the yacht, Gared and Francis Smith of Corona del Mar, said they that the OCC sailing program would make good use of the vessel, just as they had.

“My higher education started at a community college, and I am a great believer in helping young people find their way in life,” said Gared Smith.

The retired architect and his wife spent the last 10 years cruising to local harbors and not-so-local ones in Mexico and Canada.

Equipped with a stand-up engine room, the latest in electronic gear and a large salon, Por Nada will be moored at the OCC Sailing Center at 1801 W. Coast Highway, Newport Beach.