Some of Holland’s neighbors, who have dubbed Shawnee “the arc,” want her gone.
“He’s a really nice guy, but I don’t think a neighborhood is the right place for a boat,” said Holland’s neighbor, Emily Richonne, who has lived in the neighborhood for the past 12 years.
The prow of the massive vessel nearly crashed through the Richonnes’ garage when Holland had it hauled to his house from Newport Harbor three years ago, she said.
The city of Newport Beach has been inundated with complaints from Holland’s neighbors about the lead paint and other toxic materials that people in the neighborhood might be exposed to while the boat is being restored, Newport Beach Assistant City Manager Sharon Wood said.
Neighbors also have complained about the massive size of Shawnee, and that the boat has sat next to Holland’s house for three years, Wood said.
“I think people respect his craftsmanship, but it’s in an inappropriate location,” said one of Holland’s neighbors, who did not want to be named. “This is not a dry-dock storage. It’s a complete nuisance.”
Holland checked with Newport Beach city staff before he moved Shawnee, who found nothing in city codes that would keep him from keeping the boat next to his home for up to two years, Wood said.
“City officials are discussing the situation with home owners and looking at what the city’s options are,” she said.
Holland fell in love with Shawnee, a 72-foot wooden ketch, when he was a kid, digging through trash cans in San Francisco.
He found a bunch of old sailing magazines, one had a picture of the old wooden ship. Shawnee sailed more than 3,500 miles of Pacific Ocean in 1925 from California to Tahiti in the first-ever Tahiti Race without any type of modern refrigeration or navigation equipment.
