I introduced myself to the Newport Beach Harbor Department, in my continued effort to promote boating safety. Here is a write up:
I met with Deputy James Davis, who has been with the Orange County Sheriff Department for twenty seven years, with the last six years in Operations/Patrol for the Harbor Patrol Division from Dana Point to Newport Beach.
Q. What part of your job interests you the most?
A. . Rescue. That’s why I’m here. We train hard and when everything goes like clock work, there is no better feeling.
Q. What is some of the most difficult and important training you go through?
A. All of our training efforts are important. Fire fighting has to be at the top of the list. All of Southern California understands how fast fire can spread and we plan on being ready to keep that from happening
Q. What are some of the most common mistakes made by Newport Beach boaters?
A. Reading the weather conditions and matching those conditions to their skill levels. These winter and spring months can produce some very challenging conditions that not every boater is prepared for.
Looking forward and proper training for what the day will bring are some of the most common mistakes..
Q, What is your busiest time of year?
A. . There are actually two busy times of the year for the harbor. The first being winter, due to the Christmas Boat Parade and larger weather systems coming through that make for more rescues. The second being our summer season due primarily to the increased boating traffic..
Q. What area of the bay do boaters seem to have trouble navigating through?
A. All in all Newport Bay is a very friendly area to the boater. Skippers will forget to look at the tidal charts and under estimate the distance from the jetty by the height of the rocks. On a high tide the rocks are lower in the water and the jetty distance is closer than it appears. The Back Bay has some shallow areas that the boater must stay focused on while navigating this area. These areas change with the tide flow so what was navigable one trip may be to shallow for a vessels draft the next.
This will be a three part series with the Harbor Department. So come back next week to hear some great launch ramp stories
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