NEWPORT BEACH -- Newport Beach Harbor Commissioner Vince Valdes announced he will be leaving his commission seat due to “business and family obligations.

“I don’t want to occupy a seat on the commission when I know that there are several other people with great experience that have the time to volunteer,” Valdes wrote in a letter to the city.

The announcement of the now-vacant position was made at the harbor commission’s Jan. 11 meeting, and the Newport Beach City Council announced it will be receiving applications for a new harbor commissioner to join the six commissioners currently serving four-year terms.

Valdes, president of Santa Ana-based Columbia Yachts, was scheduled to serve out his term through June 2013. Valdes is the son of Richard Valdes, the original founder of Columbia Yachts, which started in 1958.