On Tuesday, Sept. 15, Wind & Sea Restaurant will close its doors to the public after 54 years in Dana Point Harbor. With just a few days remaining, I wanted to take a moment on behalf of the Dana Point Chamber of Commerce to recognize a remarkable local business — and, more importantly, the people behind it.

Long before Dana Point became the destination we know today — and nearly two decades before Dana Point even became a city — a very young Bob Mardian took a chance on a dirt lot in a brand-new Dana Point Harbor. He was just 24 years old when he signed the lease in 1971— one of the first leases signed in the Harbor — with no way of knowing what the Harbor, or the community surrounding it, would eventually become.

There’s something remarkable about imagining that today: a 24-year-old entrepreneur with the opportunity, courage and probably a healthy dose of optimism to look at an empty piece of dirt on the water and envision what could be there.It was an enormous gamble. More than five decades later, we know how that bet turned out.

Wind & Sea opened the following year, and what grew from Bob’s leap of faith became far more than a waterfront restaurant. It became a part of Dana Point’s identity. Wind & Sea didn’t move into the Dana Point Harbor we know today. In many ways, Wind & Sea and the Harbor grew up together.

For generations, the restaurant has been the backdrop for birthdays, anniversaries, business lunches, family dinners and countless sunsets over the water. It’s where we’ve taken out-of-town guests to show them a little piece of Dana Point, where locals have gathered for decades, and where more than a few of those famous Mai-Tais have undoubtedly helped make some very good memories — and perhaps inspired a business idea or two along the way.

But what makes a business a true pillar of its community isn’t simply how long its doors have been open. It’s the people behind those doors and the ways they choose to give back.

Over the years, Wind & Sea has quietly and consistently shown up for this community.They’ve hosted countless nonprofit fundraisers, donated gift cards and meals to local causes, and opened their banquet facilities to community organizations — often at no charge. Like so many truly generous businesses, much of that support happened without fanfare. They simply said yes when their community needed them.

And when our community needed them in an entirely different way during COVID, Wind & Sea answered that call, too — arguably revolutionizing the to-go cocktail and sending thousands of Mai- Tais out into Dana Point when we may have needed them most. We’ll call that community service of a different kind.

That spirit of service extended to the Chamber of Commerce as well. Longtime General Jay Styles has generously given his time and leadership to our organization over the years, serving on the Dana Point Chamber Board of Directors and as our Board Chair. In 2021, we were proud to name Wind & Sea our 2020 Business of the Year, honoring Bob Mardian, Jay Styles and longtime partner Bob Conrad for the decades they’ve poured into the restaurant and our community.

As Dana Point Harbor continues to evolve, there will be plenty of conversations about what’s ahead. For now, though, I think it’s important to simply appreciate what has been.

Fifty-four years.

Generations of employees who became part of the Wind & Sea family. Generations of customers who came back again and again. Countless celebrations, sunsets and memories.

With only a few days remaining, I hope you’ll find time to visit Wind & Sea before Sept. 15. Order a favorite meal, raise a Mai- Tai, take in that incredible Harbor view — and, if you see the Bobs, Jay or one of their longtime team members, take a moment to say thank you.

To Bob M, Jay, Bob C and the entire Wind & Sea family: thank you for 54 incredible years, for your friendship and partnership, and for helping shape the Dana Point Harbor we know and love. What a legacy!

Vickie McMurchie is President of the Dana Point Chamber of Commerce. DP