SHORT TACKS: Help NOAA Help You

The other night I received one of those late night phone calls. You know the one – you can just feel the problems coming through the line. This call was from the L.A. Coast Guard looking for the vessel and owner of the boat I had sold a couple of weeks back.

“Mr. Bose, this is Lt. Jones from the Coast Guard Station in Marina del Rey. The EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) for the yacht TOMTOM has been activated and we have been informed by the previous owner that you might know the location of the vessel.” Lucky for me the boat was on a mooring in front of the Newport Beach Coast Guard Station. “Yes sir,” I replied. “If you call your Newport Beach office and have them look through their window they can see the boat.”

Len Lesson #15. It’s easy to complete the transfer of registration of one's EPIRB. All you need to do is call (301) 817-4515 and have the serial number of the EPIRB, previous owner's name, and the previous name of the vessel. The helpful person on the phone will instruct you to register the EPIRB in your name at the Beacon Registration Database System at http://beaconregistration.noaa.gov/rgdb/. It's free and it's very simple.

I had never realized that you could go into this system and update your account at any time, including new phone numbers (cell and satellite), an email address, the color of your boat and how many people you have onboard, along with a short float plan. Just make sure you update your information regularly.

Speaking of updating, unless you are a speed reader with good comprehension in panic situations, take the time to read the manual a number of times and check your EPIRB monthly. You should follow your manual step by step. Check the battery, run a self-test and make sure you note that you have properly installed your EPRIB onto your vessel. It's so simple to complete a self-test; even I completed the task without error. Now don’t take me wrong, I also had the manual in my lap and had read it five times. I called the manufacturer on my cell phone instructing me step-by-step, and after about my fifth time and knowing the manufacturer's rep. on a first name basis I felt confident to complete this task on my own.

There are a couple of other things you should look at while inspecting your EPIRB. Check the housing of your device so that it's not obstructed or damaged and look at the expiration date on your EPIRB. There are a couple of features that need to be updated every two years, and make sure your lanyard is secured. The true yachtsmen will log all this maintenance. I'd also suggest that during your yacht club's opening day inspection ask members if they have inspected their EPIRB and have logged their work.

Should you ever be in the very unfortunate position of “stepping up” to get out of your yacht, remember this one piece of information: “Once the EPIRB is turned on, leave it on … the satellites will hear you! There have been cases where people have kept turning the EPRIB off in an attempt to prolong the life of the battery.

Sea ya',

Len Bose

Len Bose is the owner of Len Bose Yacht Sales.

SHORT TACKS: Come Sail Away With Me!

By Len Bose

I want to take some time each month and report on one of the local racing fleets. We will start by introducing the fleets and provide contacts for you.

While racing on the bay, I have noticed the following fleets are still active. Lehmans 12, The Lido 14’s, Harbor 20’s, Fins, Sabots, FJ’s and our local Performance Handicap Racing Fleet or PHRF for the keel boats.

The Lido 14 fleet (which I own) started from the design board of Barney Lehman and was produced by the W.D. Schock Corp. starting as far back as 1958. This fleet has provided an introduction to sailing for more than 50 years, and has produced some of the harbor’s top sailors such as Mark Gaudio, Nick Scandone, John Papadopoulos, Dave Ullman and Jack Franco.

I bought a Lido 14 when I was a student at OCC taking beginning sailing on Lido 14’s. I was on the school’s sailing team and we used the Lido 14 for our practices. I thought it ironic that Nick Scandone was introduced to the fleet the same way.

Flash ahead 25 years. The Lido 14 has rejuvenated my interest in sailing by allowing me to return to my collage days and at the same time letting me sail with my 10-year-old son Andrew. I can race in a class championship with more than 50 boats attending or I can sail from the club over to the Pavilion for ice cream with Andrew. I’m as lucky as Roy Woolsey who sailed in his last class championship with his son at the age of 90 in 2007.

For more information about the Lido 14 class, visit here.

For more details about the local fleet, go to my blog and catch up on the activity of Fleet 1 over the last two years.

Our next race is Dec. 5 at Balboa Yacht Club in the Sunkist Series which starts at 1 p.m. You’ll be able to watch most of the race from the main dock. If you’re interested in buying a boat, contact my good friend John Papadopoulos who owns Double Wave Marine Sales at http://www.doublewave.com/

The fleet even has a boat we will let you try a few times to make sure it suits you.

Here are some race results:

Last weekend’s American Legion Lido Classic. There were a number of us out there last weekend. Parents drove the start and to the first mark, then passed the helm over to our kids. This led to some exciting moments!

Lido 14

1^st place: The Bose Family

2^nd place: The Foster Family

Newport Harbor Winter Series, with two races then back to the club for some lunch followed by two more races. Very competitive racing with some of the best sailors. Visithttp://www.nhyc.org/files/Winter%20Series%201.htm

Fin Class

1^st place: Henry Sprague, 9 Points

2^nd place: Bill Bissell, 12 Points

3^rd place: Erik Bissell, 13 Points

Harbor 20 A Fleet

1^st place: Bill Menninger, 10 Points

2^nd place: Terry Gloege, 12 Points

3^rd place: Bob Yates, 16 Points

4^th place: Chris Allen, 17 Points

Harbor 20 B Fleet

1^st place: Peter Haynes, 14 Points

2^nd place: Andy Binkerd, 17 Points

3^rd place: Rolly Pulaski, 19 Points

Lehman 12

1^st place: Nick Madigan, 15 Points

2^nd place: Garth Reynolds, 16 Points

3^rd place: Brian Bissell, 16 Points

Len’s Lesson #5: “You’re never as good a sailor as the day you graduate from college.”

On the horizon, the yacht clubs’ annual award winners and this year’s Daily Voice Yachtsmen of The Year Award.

Sea ya’ next week.

Len Bose is the owner of Len Bose Yacht Sales

SHORT TACKS: Harbor Busy With Sailboat Races And Sea Lions

If you did not notice how active the harbor was this last weekend you have to come on down and join in on the fun. Everyone was out yachting from Bahia Corinthian Yacht Clubs (BCYC) Double Handed sailboat race series to Balboa Yacht Clubs (BYC) weekend Sunkist/Choc Regatta.

BCYC Double Handed Series is a three-race keelboat event starting in September and ending in November. This event is always on the top of my list because one really breaks a sweat while trying to get your boat around the course. You can’t help but laugh at your self as you stumble around the boat to get the genoa down and the spinnaker up. Then quickly looking over and see how your competition is doing and asking yourself if you are too old for this? This years winner was Chuck Brewers Beneteau 44 “Heartbeat II” with the Sea Scots base Dave O’Hara onboard throughout the series. By the way Dave I will be back next year! Results can be found at http://bcyc.org/

One would think that the racing season is slowing down as the holidays fast approach? Not in Newport Beach, BYC Sunkist/CHOC regatta is Balboa Yacht Clubs largest attended series of the year. The CHOC event, which earned a reported $ 15,000 this year, is only run the first month of this four-month series. On Saturday the dingy fleet which includes Harbor 20’s (18 boats entered), Sabots (9 boats entered), Lazers (7 boats), Lido 14 (15 Boats) and the Thistle (3Boats). I would like to call out the Fin fleet, where were you guys? On Sunday it’s the Keel boats turn with forty-seven boats making it out on this warm fall day. Now you have to give it up to the yacht “Scavenger” and Bill Taylor’s crew. The aft part of this boat has been winning races dating back before there was water in the bay. I just hope I can bring home at least half as many pickle dishes Bill has over the years. He makes it easy for me to return each year because if he is out there having fun with family and friends so am I. Results can be found at http://www.balboayachtclub.com/

While taking my cruise around the bay this week I noticed that the big male sea lions have left the bay in search of food after a busy summer. With less sharks being reported the Sea Lion population is raising and these big fellows have leaned that man means a meal. NOW this is kind of a “no brainier” DON’T feed the seagulls and DON”T feed the SEA LIONS! Because the same thing ends up happening although it’s just not on your head it’s on your boat. By feeding these guys it just adds to their aggressive behavior. I stopped by Island Marine Fuel (http://www.islandmarinefuel.com/) to talk to owner Dave Beck and asked him what he has been seeing? “Most of the sea lion population have taken over the two derelict boats the county put on the mooring across the bay.” Dave told me “This is probably a good thing because the Sea Lions do not really care what type of boat they own and it keeps them off my boat” Unfortunately the County removed the boats and towed them in for auction and the Sea Lions are now back on the search for a new crib.

Lens Lesson: # 3 DO NOT FEED THE SEA LIONS.

Lesson # 27. The best way to keep the sea lions off your dock or the back of your boat look s to be a wooden 2” by 2” peg board.

Lesson # 17 Allways go to http://joysailing.com/ for your yacht photos. I don’t know where I would be without Bronny help.

On the Horizon, I will be doing a story, the first part of next month, reviewing the Yacht Clubs annual award winners.

Sea ya

Len Bose