Who We Are
As partners, Mick and Eric bring an unparalleled wealth of maritime expertise to Gray Dawn Consulting. From harbor to horizon, they have you covered.
Mick Kronman
Mick Kronman, you could say, is made of saltwater. He grew up in Santa Monica, an ideal place to swim, dive, surf, and generally fall in love with the sea. A UC Santa Barbara graduate, he spent 10 years commercial fishing for albacore, swordfish, and rock cod. He followed up with years of maritime journalism and consulting, serving as National Fisherman Magazine’s Pacific Bureau Chief and authoring the book, Hooks to Harpoons, the Story of Santa Barbara Channel Fisheries. Mick has broadly consulted on harbor policies, maritime infrastructure, and ocean-resource issues for public and private-sector clients, including Santa Barbara County, Channel Islands Harbor, Point Conception Groundfishermen’s Association, State of California, Santa Barbara Landing, California Lobster and Trap Fishermen’s Association, and Santa Barbara Trawlers Association.
Mick also served on the National Sanctuary Advisory Council and the City of Santa Barbara’s Harbor Commission until May 2000, when the city hired him as harbormaster, a position he held for nearly twenty years, during which he earned three statewide Harbormaster of the Year awards. As harbormaster, Mick administered the affairs of a 1,200-slip marina, writing and implementing policies for slip permittees, liveaboards, and commercial fishing berths, while also managing an 11-member Harbor Patrol tasked with rescue operations and law enforcement on water and land. During his time as harbormaster, Mick also served as the state-appointed Ports and Harbors representative during the Marine Life Protection Act process, working with wide-ranging interests to help forge consensus on designated Marine Protected Areas in Southern California.
Eric Endersby
Eric Endersby was born in Seattle but moved to Southern California in the 1960s, where he enjoyed the halcyon days of a “So Cal” upbringing—hanging out at the beach, surfing, fishing, diving, and sailing. A burgeoning lifelong waterman, Eric moved to California’s Central Coast in the 1980’s, where, besides working in aviation maintenance, he continued indulging his passion for the sea, taking a part-time position with the Morro Bay Harbor Patrol, a life-altering decision that in 1996 led to his appointment as Morro Bay’s harbormaster.
Eric held that position for 27 years, overseeing maritime public safety, harbor facilities, public access, lease and property management, and relations with the Morro Bay Harbor Advisory Board, an appointed body serving City Council. He also served on boards of the California Association of Harbor Masters and Port Captains, the Morro Bay Community Quota Fund (a non-profit established to develop and enhance financially and sustainable Morro Bay fisheries), and the California Marine Affairs and Navigation Conference, a consortium of port authorities that works primarily with federal legislators to ensure ongoing funding for infrastructure projects, especially harbor dredging.
Beyond these core responsibilities, Eric was a rescue boat operator, often aiding mariners in distress in one of the most dangerous harbor entrances on the West Coast. Off the water, Eric was named statewide Harbormaster of the Year in 2006 for his activities supporting maritime industries. He also worked variously representing the City of Morro Bay, the California Central Coast region, and State of California on myriad issues, including harbor dredging, National Marine Sanctuaries, the Marine Life Protection Act, offshore wind power generation, and commercial fisheries.
CONTACT
Feel free to reach out for unparalleled maritime expertise – whether it's harbor management, policy guidance, or event coordination, we're here to assist you. Get in touch with Mick Kronman and Eric Endersby to navigate your maritime needs.