8 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY MARCH 12-18, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com NEWS Downtown Carmel was hopping with activity on the Thursday of Car Week, Aug. 14, last summer. Hundreds of people crowded the streets to get a look at uber-expensive exotic and classic cars either parked or rumbling loudly as the autos cruised through the village. Chief Todd Trayer crafted a plan to keep pedestrians and drivers safe, and although it helped, he knew there was still more to be done. Recently, Trayer conducted town halls and reached out to business owners to gather input about how to handle the crowds that grow in size yearly. On Tuesday, March 3, he presented on a proposed pilot program for this year’s Car Week to the Carmel City Council that he believes would improve safety over 2025. The proposal includes managing traffic flow in the core of downtown and charging for parking—$200 to park on Ocean Avenue between Lincoln Street and Junipero Avenue, $100 on side streets between 6th and 7th avenues. An event company, Good Roots, would manage the program, bringing in 40 employees from 6-10pm on the Thursday, Friday and Saturday of Car Week. They would also bring in flood lights to illuminate intersections for pedestrians. Visitors would be encouraged to use a free shuttle from Larson Field on Rio Road. Mayor Dale Byrne and councilmembers Jeff Baron and Bob Delves said they were in favor of the plan, but councilmembers Hans Buder and Alissandra Dramov had concerns. “I think most residents just want their town back,” Buder said. “Let’s come up with a plan that leans in that direction.” The pilot program will come back to Council in May for a vote. Costs are to be determined. Park and Pay Carmel considers how to corral the Car Week chaos with a paid parking plan. By Pam Marino About a month after the Monterey dive shop Bamboo Reef closed in November, Monterey Bay Tritons, a local freediving group, has found a new home as part of a growing group of marine businesses. Moss Landing Boatworks is a shipyard and boat-building facility in Moss Landing owned by John Gregg, who also acquired the storied vessel The Western Flyer and led the creation of a nonprofit to refurbish the boat for research and educational purposes. The boatyard was no longer operational when husband-wife team Wendy Kitchell and Brad Wurstle leased it starting in July 2025. Tritons President Brandon Burke was introduced to Kitchell by one of his students, who used to sell steel to Moss Landing Boatworks until the defunct business closed in January 2025. The team also met with Captain Marina Maze Henry of Monterey Bay Ecotours, and the group saw an opportunity: to join forces as a new hub for freediving, education and ocean conservation. Burke’s business, Odyssey Free Diving, will open in a new storefront managed by Kitchell and Wurstle at the former Moss Landing Boatworks, now called The Ship’s Store. “We want to support not only our own boatyard,” Kitchell says. “We want to support the entire boating community as well as the local and diving community.” The Ship’s Store is more than just a marine chandlery, though it still sells fishing equipment and tackle along with art, equipment and bait from Monterey County-based artisans. It is also a manufacturing facility for boat parts. A vacuum table, used for the infusion of carbon fiber into boat paneling, hulls and now—to Burke’s delight—spearfishing equipment is in a room next door to the retail space. Kitchell says it’s one of the most efficient ways to build materials suitable for marine expeditions. Monterey Bay Ecotours’ fully electric catamaran, El Cat, remains docked just outside in the harbor and takes clients on tours of Elkhorn Slough. As an upgrade from a former outdoor ticketing kiosk, guests on the eco-tours will now be able to check in inside The Ship’s Store. One collaborative initiative includes recycling lead materials lost and found in the ocean into dive weights. “We’re currently building out our OSHA standards and safe practices to ensure we’re doing that correctly,” Burke says, noting lead is a hazardous material. In addition, Monterey Bay Ecotours serves as a contractor for a $2.6 million grant from the California Air Resources District to build a firstever-for-the-West Coast hybrid-electric whale-watching vessel for Monterey Bay Air Resources District. Joseph Kitchell, Wendy’s brother, is building that vessel in the boatyard, with an anticipated completion date in March 2027. “It’s like an octopus,” Maze Henry says. “Everyone has an arm.” Following a tumultuous year in the diving community in 2025, Burke sees what is happening at the boatyard as a coming-together of communities with raw potential. “It reminds me a lot of an ecosystem,” Burke says. The Ship’s Store holds a grand opening noon-4pm on Saturday, March 14 at 7501 Sandholdt Road in Moss Landing. From left, Brandon Burke, Marina Maze Henry and Wendy Kitchell in front of the hybrid-electric whale watching vessel being built in Moss Landing. All Ashore Freediving group finds a home in Moss Landing, where shipbuilders and conservationists work together. By Sloan Campi As seen during Car Week 2025 in Carmel, novelty vehicles can draw big crowds, especially in the era of social media. The police chief proposes hiring a contractor to manage streets. “It’s like an octopus. Everyone has an arm.” DANIEL DREIFUSS PAM MARINO
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