By LEN BOSE
Summer and the sun is out – we really have it made! This last Tuesday evening racing started to feel like summer with warmth in the air. I have been busy at work, which is a good thing, yet I have been slow to get a story out that I have been conceptually developing that involves interviews with four people.
Matt, I have not forgotten about you, next column I promise. This means I have to dig deep and find a story in my bilge for this week.
I only report the good news in my column, so let’s start with the really good news, junior sailing starts this Monday, June 20, and runs through the first week of August. This means that the harbor will be full of sabots Monday through Thursday.
I instruct my new boat owners to keep their heads out of their boats, which means looking well ahead of yourself. If you notice a large swarm of sailboats grouped together, don’t power through them, select an alternative route and try to stay out of the middle of the swarm.
If you do have to work your way through the swarm of sabots, look for the red marks in the water around them. Odds are very good these sabot sailors have been instructed to sail around these red marks.
When you approach any crossing vessels, it is always best to aim for a couple of boat lengths behind them or their stern. This will keep you out of trouble most of the time.
There are rules of the road that most small boat operators have no clue about. The key is to let your intentions be known well ahead of time. Now, the Harbor 20 fleet will be much more difficult to navigate through, because we are all grumpy old sailors whose lives revolve around our race results.
My point being, if you find yourself surrounded by a sailboat fleet with no way out, just come to a full stop and surrender by holding both your hands in the air. This will indicate to the sailors that you give up and they will soon be out of your way. The key is to notice the swarm well ahead of time and deviate your course. Yes, that means placing your phone back in your pocket, smile, rather than asking the mouthy Harbor 20 sailor why they are in the back of the fleet?
After all that excitement, you probably have to go to the bathroom, so I am going to assume you all know where the next restroom is located? Let’s say you are running out of time and your guest is asking if you have a bucket or empty Coors Light can? Worse yet, your guest just figures to go off the side of the boat.
Here are a couple of alternatives. Download the MyNB app, then hit the Newport Harbor links, this will show you where you are located in the harbor and the closest facility.
More good news – the city has purchased floating heads. No, that is not the name of a rock group, they are restrooms that the public can use while on the water. These restrooms should arrive before the end of summer and their location will be posted on the app.
The Fourth of July will be upon us soon, so if you can recall these “Len Bose-isms” I mentioned above while on the harbor you might just have a better day.
Another thing to keep in mind: If you decided to head to the upper bay (I still call it the Back Bay) for the fireworks show, you should recognize how low the tide will be during the show. If you don’t recognize the red and green channel markers’ locations at night (don’t ask me why these markers are not lit up at night), I recommend you take a look at them during the daylight hours. The key is to stay between these markers, this way you won’t go aground in the shallows located in the upper harbor.
High tide will not occur until 1 a.m. on the 5th and you might have not brought enough provisions or have a big enough bucket if you go aground.
I recommend anchoring in the anchorage just off the east end of Lido, where I’m sure you will find me the night of the 4th in the Duffy. This will allow you to watch all the fireworks displays while staying out of the way of all the traffic coming in and out of the upper bay.
Sea ya.
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Len Bose is a yachting enthusiast, yacht broker and harbor columnist for Stu News Newport.
