The Harbor Report: Mariners Mile still nearing finish line

The 216-foot mega-yacht Invictus

By Len Bose

January 30, 2015 | 5:35 p.m.

As I traveled around the harbor this week, the first question that came to mind was, when will the construction along Mariners Mile on Pacific Coast Highway be completed?

I picked up the phone and called Mary Locey, the city of Newport Beach's information specialist. Locey informed me this is a Orange County Sanitation District project and that it is scheduled to be completed by the end of May. I have to assume that most of you will prefer things getting back to normal sooner rather than later.

Speaking of getting things back to normal, did you get a chance to read Hannah Fry's story in the Daily Pilot on Jan. 27 regarding possible lower dock fees and how the Harbor Commission will review the current fees for onshore and offshore moorings? If this topic is of interest to you, make sure you look it up at dailypilot.com.

My first thought regarding reducing tideland permit fees is of a dog chasing its tail. I am in favor of this idea, as I am sure most of the bayfront homeowners are. The devil is always in the details and whether the city, as the state's steward of the tidelands, can decrease dock fees for residential pier owners without reviewing the many other factions of the tidelands permit holders.

Regarding the Harbor Commission reviewing the current fees for mooring permit holders, my concern is from the last time the Harbor Commission and the Newport Mooring Assn. worked together and their recommendations were received and filed. Kind of like a dog getting their nose rubbed in it after doing something bad in the house. I do not see history repeating itself with this City Council, although I feel many of the people who helped last time are still shaking their heads from past lessons learned.

With reference to lessons learned, the 216-foot mega-yacht Invictus will return to the turning basin in front of Lido Village, slated for Feb. 13 to 15 and Feb. 20 to 22. I enjoyed seeing her here last year and have always dreamed about selling a vessel like this someday. I know of a couple of good friends of mine who are not very keen on this news, and I will need to check up with them after the Invictus visits this year. One thing I will keep my eye open for is the Invictus coming down the harbor while I race my Harbor 20 during this year's mid-winter regatta scheduled for Feb. 21 to 22.

I am also keeping my eye on Feb. 28 for the Coastal Safety at Sea Seminar at Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club.

The event will be presented by US Sailing. It is specifically designed for inland and coastal racers and cruisers. The material applies to power- and sail-boaters. Skippers and crew should attend (particularly husband and wife). The topics will include personal safety gear, man overboard, emergency communication, search and rescue, and more. Bruce Brown is the authorized US Sailing moderator and delivers a very informative seminar. I attended his Offshore seminar last weekend and came home with two pages of notes. I strongly recommend you attend this event to start this year's boating season. If you would like to compare notes with me, just send me an email or give me a call.

This week, I also noticed about three of our larger charter boats are not in town. I have to assume they are out for annual maintenance, and this is their slow season. Things look to be busy in our local shipyards this time of year, and for the first time in a long time, I noticed a marina taking down a "slips available" sign.

As we approach the start of spring, I thought I would update you on who is leading the Newport Harbor Yacht Club's Harbor 20 winter sailing series. In the Harbor 20 C fleet, Porter Killian has a good lead over Phil Crosby. In B fleet, Team Whitney has a one-point lead over Team Reed. This one looks like it will come down to the last race. Three points are the difference between first place and third in A fleet. Mark Conzelman is in third with 33 points, followed by Anne and Kurt Wiese with 31 points, and in first place are Karen and Gary Thorne. The last race of the series is scheduled for Feb. 8. Let's hope we have some breeze this month.

Sea ya.

LEN BOSE is an experienced boater, yacht broker and boating columnist.

NOTES:    For Charter @ $ 500,000 per week ++ ( Perfect for Whites Cove in Catalina)

• INVICTUS represents superyacht living at its very finest. With incredible volume over her six spacious decks, she easily gives the impression of a 75m yacht, offering more space, more light, more luxury and more fun!

  Expansive deck spaces host a variety of exotic dining options, from breakfast on the sun deck, to lunch by the dip pool and a five-star gourmet dinner for 22 guests at the impressive owner's deck dining table. Charter guests can make the most of the sun deck with its barbecue, jacuzzi and extensive sun loungers offering pure, uninterrupted relaxation.

  This yacht's outstanding interior volume is enhanced by exotic woods, rare Italian marbles and Art Deco fixtures, while large picture windows throughout afford magnificent views. The owner's full beam master suite, with his and her bathrooms and study, has wrap-around windows looking over a private terrace and out to sea. Six individually designed guest cabins - four doubles and two twins - can be found on the main deck, plus two further double cabins on the lower deck.

  On board INVICTUS entertainment is key, with a bar on every deck, a bespoke Lalique bar on the owner's level and a piano in the high-ceilinged main salon. The movie theatre recreates the full cinema experience with raised stadium seating for 14 people, reclining armchairs and a huge screen. A spacious beach club offers easy access to the yacht's vast inventory of tenders and watertoys and, for those wanting a more conventional workout, there is also a fully equipped gym. INVICTUS is wheelchair accessible and has an elevator linking the main, owner's and bridge decks.

  • GUESTS
    12
  • NO. OF GUEST CABINS
    9 (7 x Double, 2 x Twin, 2 x Additional Berths)
  • CREW
    18
  • WATERSPORTS
    8.5m/28ft Comitti V "luxury cocktail boat" with 2 x 220hp engines, 8.5m/28ft Novurania chase boat with 300hp engine, 2 x 1500cc Sea-Doo GTI SE 155 jet skis, 2 x stand up paddle boards, 1 x ocean kayak (2 man), wakeboards, scurf board, wake skate & tows, 1 x hydrofoil air chair, snorkelling gear, 12.8m/42ft trampoline
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    

The Harbor Report: Rowing into champion status

By Len Bose

January 23, 2015 | 2:52 p.m.

While moving around the harbor the other day, I noticed all the different college alumni flags flying from homes and boats and the different stickers on cars passing by.

I started to wonder: What is our harbor's home team, the team we can all get behind and take pride in?

Later, while driving over Pacific Coast Highway and onto Lido Peninsula, I looked down the harbor and noticed the Orange Coast College rowing team working out on its eight-man rowing shells. Right then I said that's our team.

The first intercollegiate event held in the United States was a rowing race between Yale and Harvard on Lake Winnipesaukee, in New Hampshire. The tradition is still held on the Thames River in New London, Conn.

The OCC men's crew team, founded in 1953, is the only community college crew team in the country. Review the team's history, and two names — Dave Grant and Jim "Jorgo" Jorgensen — jump out. Both have a long history with the school and our harbor.

OCC's crew won its first Freshman National Championships in 1980 and has gone on to win five more. In 1985, the team traveled to China to compete and has produced seven Olympic medal winners along with three world champions. OCC also has an outstanding women's crew team, which will be another story in the future.

Paul Prioleau has been the head coach of the OCC men's program since 2011, and I had a chance to catch up with him for an interview over the phone. The men's team consists of 52 members — 46 oarsman and six coxswain. Eighteen members of the team are second-year rowers, with nine having had experience before starting their first year. Most kids start rowing as freshmen in college.

To try out for the team, you have to be a full-time student at OCC with at least a 2.0 grade point average. The ideal height of an oarsman is 6-foot-4 and weight is 195 pounds. Because the sport is based on physical endurance, triathletes and people who have competed in swimming or water polo are the most sought-after by the coaches.

Of course, there is always room for a "Rudy." That's the person who has harbored dreams of rowing at OCC, and nothing is going to keep him from the dream. In fact, last year's team had two members under 6 feet — 5-foot-8 and 5-foot-9, respectively. This time of year, practice is Mondays through Saturdays from 6 to 8:30 a.m., along with an afternoon workout each day.

"Crew requires a high amount of dedication and commitment," Prioleau said. "It's a lot of hard work, and the satisfaction you get is working hard at teamwork and camaraderie as a team. It teaches kids how to work hard and be persistent."

The local regattas in Newport Harbor start March 14 with a dual match with UC Irvine and continue March 21 with a dual with UCLA. On April 12, Chapman University will host a regatta, and on May 9, the 49th annual Newport Regatta will take place. All regattas start at 7 a.m. and are raced down the North Lido Channel.

I asked Prioleau what's fun about being a crew coach, and this is what he said: "You get a huge amount of satisfaction from watching the students with little direction at the time. You grab them and bring them down to the boat house, and they get hooked on the sport. They really turn to driven, dedicated students, athletes and they suddenly get a new purpose in life."

He explained that parents often tell him, "We have never seen our kid get up voluntarily out of bed before 7 a.m., and now he is getting his homework done and getting to bed by 9:30 p.m. because he has crew in the morning at 5:30 a.m. How did you do that?"

OCC's team name is the Pirates. When reviewing the history of the team, I noticed the term "Pirates System." I asked the coach what that stands for. "Hard work and persistence is rewarded," he said. "We live and die for the team."

You can follow our harbor's team on Facebook under OCC Crew and visit its website, occpirateathletics.com.

The school has been blessed with donors and is always looking for further donations. In fact, there is a rather unique opportunity to supply the school with a new electric coach boat. How cool that would be to see your family name zip up and down the harbor for the next 20 years.

I have attached the team's roster on my blog site at lenboseyachts.blogspot.com along with a couple other donation ideas. I also wanted to give a big shout-out to Jorgensen, my OCC sailing team coach, who gave me my first break on the harbor.

Sea ya.

LEN BOSE is an experienced boater, yacht broker and boating columnist.

Orange Coast College Men's Crew
Jan. 2015
LNAME	FNAME	Year	City	State
Atkeson	Logan	Novice	Huntington Beach	CA
Azadi	Aria	Novice	Newport Beach	CA
Ballard	Robert	Novice	Costa Mesa	CA
Berasaluce	Mikel	Novice	Spain
Borth	Craig	Novice	Costa Mesa	CA
Carrano	Rodrigo	Novice	Brazil
Carter	Logan	Novice	Long Beach	CA
Cocotis	Andrew	Varsity	Huntington Beach	CA
Cole	Weston	Novice	Los Alamitos	CA
Coultrup	Grant	Varsity	Huntington Beach	CA
Cully	Anthony	Varsity	Yorba Linda	CA
Darval-Chang	Jace	Novice	Costa Mesa	CA
Flotron	Makenna	Novice	Newport Beach	CA
Gentry	Sevin	Novice	Newport Beach	CA
Goodman	Dylan	Varsity	Fountain Valley	CA
Guedes	Francesca	Varsity	Irvine	CA
Hadden	Maxwell	Novice	Fountain Valley	CA
Harbutt	Claire	Novice	Venice	CA
Harrigan	Alexandra	Novice	San Clemente	CA
Harris	Michael	Varsity	Gold River	CA
Heieck	Devon	Novice	San Carlos	CA
Hernandez	Ryan	Novice	Costa Mesa	CA
Ianitchii	Andrei	Novice	Irvine	CA
Inserra	Nick	Varsity	Irvine	CA
Jenkins	Alexander	Novice	Laguna Beach	CA
Kent	Sierra	Novice	Palos Verdes Estates	CA
Kessloff	Chad	Novice	Cypress	CA
Kobel	Connor	Varsity	Huntington Beach	CA
Kolling	Ryan	Varsity	Newport Beach	CA
Kouyoumdjian	Matthew	Varsity	Costa Mesa	CA
Kunbargi	Ameen	Novice	Irvine	CA
Mcnamara	Daniel	Varsity	El Dorado Hills	CA
Mendez	Ivan	Novice	Santa Ana	CA
Morton	Garinn	Novice	Costa Mesa	CA
Robello	Jesse	Varsity	Honolulu	HI
Rosenau	Mason	Varsity	Santa Ana	CA
Rubio	Nicholas	Novice	Costa Mesa	CA
Russell	Michael	Varsity	San Diego	CA
Salvio	Lorenzo	Novice	Costa Mesa	CA
San Filippo	Carly	Varsity	Yorba Linda	CA
Schmeding	Elizabeth	Novice	Costa Mesa	CA
Severtsen	Aaron	Novice	Santa Ana	CA
Sowles	Charles	Novice	West Hollywood	CA
Studer	Jacob	Novice	Los Alamitos	CA
Tortes	Dominik	Novice	Newport Beach	CA
Ulicki	David	Novice	Anaheim	CA
Williams	Benjamin	Varsity	Costa Mesa	CA
Wills-King	Joshua	Novice	Newport Beach	CA
Wray	Chase	Novice	Belvedere Tiburon	CA
Wright	Ian	Varsity	San Juan Capistrano	CA
Yanovskiy	Maxim	Novice	Moscow, Russia
Zinovyev	Arnold	Varsity	Huntington Beach	CA

In regards to donations for the Buc's: You can sign up for any type of donation from handing over five dollars to purchasing four man rowing scows, which the team needs.

I left out how you can starting rowing before college. NAC is your best bet, you will find a team in Long Beach and the Sea Scouts Base have a new program running that is said to become very strong.

"If you know in your own heart you are to be something, you will be it... Do not permit your mind to think otherwise.  It is fatal."   Gen. George Patton



CHECK out some of the comments I received:

Hi Len,

I enjoyed reading The Harbor Report  -  Rowing into champion status.
Thank you for the shout out, however you earned your first break on the harbor and have not looked back.
Congratulations on pursuing your life's passion (calling) to the fullest. Newport is a better place from your 
curiosity, persistence and consistent reporting. 
Continue to make your life a masterpiece my friend.

Best,
Jim


HI LEN , Just read your article about the OCC CREW. I was so happy to see crew, any crew, get some press! I used to HOUND Steve Virgin to write about all of the NAC boys winning gold and State and NATIONALS when my son was there. Now my son is on CAL CREW, one of the most competitive along with UW. I have to say, crew teaches these boys
Integrity, manners, great sportsmanship, and above all of that,
Drive and accountability! I watched my little boy go from a bit shy and unsure of himself (as with many teens) to an amazing leader and driven to succeed in every area of his life!! I credit much of this to Nick D'Antoni, a brilliant coach at NAC! He had just the right balance of structure, discipline, and a great motivator. So, here's the 4 rules of crew:
#1: SHOW UP!! Forget the other three! IF YOU HAVEN'T READ "BOYS IN THE BOAT" ITS JUST THE BEST STORY OF THE WASHINGTON-CAL DUELS. STILL ONGOING TO THIS DAY! SO. "GO BEARS"
Sorry this is soooo long, but these boys work so hard every day, sometimes 6 hours a day and deserve recognition. Thanks for your great article!! Row Fast - Row Hard!
Patti Delahanty BCYC.

Flash Back: The Harbor Report: Fifty-four years (almost) on the water

Len Bose  Photo courtesy of Joysailing

By Len Bose

January 17, 2014 | 1:10 p.m.

I had an interview postponed this week and needed to pull something out of my hat to fill my column. So while I took a Duffy cruise of the harbor, looking for that last-minute story, the thought kept coming into my head to interview myself — a type of self-portrait.

I will be 54 this year and was born in Arcadia, California. My parents, Vivian and Len, moved to Huntington Beach in 1968, and, because we had previously lived in Hawaii, I headed straight for the beach. I also had a passion for baseball. I graduated from Edison High School and Orange Coast College and attended Cal State Long Beach for a year.

In 1975, my father built up the courage to purchase a Hobie Cat 16, and we started sailing in Newport Harbor off 16th Street. After spending a couple years running into all the moored boats in front of 16th Street, I started racing with my father. For a number of years, we sailed in the Ancient Mariner Regatta, which was named for the sponsoring restaurant. That race was interesting because we started and finished each day in front of the restaurant.

Coaching at OCC

By 1979, I noticed the OCC sailing team. It was quickly brought to my attention that I was very green and needed to step up my game. I remember coach Jim Jorgensen telling me, "Len, you can really hurt someone if you come barging into the start like that." Jorgensen was very understanding with me and gave me a spot on the team to go to the Naval Academy and race in the Kennedy Cup. During the summer, I practiced sailing Lido 14s, and by the time the next season started, I had made the team and raced for OCC that spring. I kept working hard, and the following year, I was made coach of the OCC sailing team and took it back to the Kennedy Cup.

During this same time, the Richley family built its Choate 48 Amante and I became part of the family. Thanks to Ricky and Mel Richley, I was selected to sail in the 1983 Transpac race to Hawaii. This led to five Cabo San Lucas races with Amante, and because of the break the Richley family gave me, I have taken part in nine races to Hawaii and 29 races down Baja California.

In 1989, I started working as a yacht broker at the Yacht Connection and spent two years at Ardell yachts. In 1993, I started Len Bose Yacht Sales and have kept the door open now for 21 years.

In 1995, I joined the Balboa Yacht Club and became very active within it. In 2001, I was awarded the Sportsman of the Year Award and served as fleet captain in 2003-04. In 2008, with help from Kelly Buchan and Gunnar Torre, we won the Club Championships. About that same time, the Lido 14 fleet became very active again and I served as Fleet 1's captain. This is when I started to write about sailing and encouraged people to participate in our local sailing events.

1983 on AMANTE

One day, Brett Hemphill said I should start writing for the Newport-Mesa Daily Voice and introduced me to Tom Johnson. When 2010 came around, I found myself with the Daily Pilot writing a weekly harbor column.

Recently, I have gotten too big for my Lido 14 and have moved over to the Harbor 20 fleet, where I have been tasked with the class public relations and given a chair on the Harbor 20 class board. In 2012, I moved my flag over to the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club, which awarded me the Elmer Carvey Memorial last year.

BCYC has been very kind and has provided me with the tools for "my silly ideas."

My plan is to stay on course and promote our harbor, boating, our harbor's history and sailboat racing. I feel like I have everything lined up to make a difference, and I have you, my readers, to thank.

It will be an interesting voyage. I just hope you all will stay on board with me.

Sea ya.

LEN BOSE is an experienced boater, yacht broker and boating columnist.

The Harbor Report: Capping off the goals for 2015

Another photo provided by Joysailing.com

By Len Bose

January 16, 2015 | 3:11 p.m.

In continuing to review our Harbor Commission objectives for 2015, let's look at ways to promote Newport Harbor as a preferred and welcoming destination.

Commissioners Brad Avery and Duncan McIntosh are evaluating our public moorage and anchorage alternatives. In other words, can we use the turning basin, in front of Lido Village, as an anchorage for special events? And is my idea of day mooring in front of Big Corona beach doable?

I feel both ideas are good as long as the Harbor Resources Department makes sure to permit the events properly and keep a clear line of communication with the county harbor department. Both areas can handle different uses by permitting the large raft-up parties to Big Corona and allowing the visiting yachtsmen to anchor closer to Lido Village and West Marine. Both anchorages would encourage people to use their boats and our harbor more efficiently.

It's time to update the Complete Cruising Guide to Newport Harbor. Commissioner Doug West is chairing this task, and I hope he recalls the idea of taking a drone over the harbor as an introduction video for harbor users. West did an outstanding job on the last harbor guide, and with help from commissioners Bill Kenney and Joe Stapleton, we should see a new guide by this summer.

The next task is to look into the availability of launch-ramp facilities in the harbor, then make specific recommendations to the City Council. This topic is extremely important to our harbor. McIntosh brought to my attention that we only have one launch ramp, and the people who run it can close it at any time and tell harbor guests to go boating elsewhere.

Not very welcoming, is it? Hello! We need another launch ramp, people. Helping McIntosh is fellow Commissioner David Girling.

Next on the task list is following up on the potential of a harbor water-bus service. My feeling on this is don't waste your time. I could be wrong, but I just don't see the demand needed to sustain this service. West, Girling and Stapleton will be working on this topic.

The last task is to make a recommendation concerning the operation of water-propelled vessels in Newport Harbor. This task is pretty much completed: Jet-pack rides need to be taken out to Big Corona. Kenney has done his due diligence and will make his recommendation to the council this month.

That's plenty of work for our harbor commissioners, and they need more support from the public and the City Council. Council members need to make time and support their delegated commissioners.

I would respectfully suggest to our council members that they look at these objectives and get them done. We have to complete our RPG 54, and we need a launch ramp. Get those tasks completed, and let's keeping moving forward.

I don't recall this much going on in our harbor at one time, most of it for the better. Just remember that the harbor is a lot like a boat: It always comes down to the maintenance schedule.

*

This week, I would like to give a shout-out to my longtime friend Carl Swaisgood at the Sailing Pro Shop, at 885 W. 16th St. in Costa Mesa. Swaisgood set me up with a whole new business suit, or what most boaters refer to as foul-weather gear. I was impressed with the inventory and Swaisgood's personal service.

As I left his shop, I noticed all the other mom-and-pop marine stores still open in Costa Mesa. MMI, a marine hardware store, was across the street. L. Gaylord Sportswear was around the corner along with Pompanette fishing equipment. It felt good shopping locally, where everyone knows your name and cares about your business.

Sea ya.

LEN BOSE is an experienced boater, yacht broker and boating columnist.

The Harbor Report: A moment of calm as new year starts

Fantastic photo by Joysailing.com     "PAMELA ROSE"

By Len Bose

January 9, 2015 | 12:58 p.m.

It's quiet around the harbor this time of year, and with the high-pressure weather system we have had this week, it's almost spooky how still everything appears when looking across the water. But like lighting the fuse on a fireworks display, you know things are going to start popping soon.

While walking the shipyards this week, I felt that things appeared a little slow, although my very good friend Jimmy Warner, the travel lift operator at Newport Harbor Shipyard, looked like he was preparing for things to be busy very soon.

I got the same response over at Basin Shipyard when I talked to owner Derek New. "We are off to a very good start this year," New said.

We both looked over at Benny Rigdone, the travel lift operator at Basin Marine, and he kind of mumbled something, shook his head and stayed on task.

Over at City Hall, the Harbor Commission has outlined its objectives for 2015, and I thought it would be a good time to review them with you. With all our new City Council members, I am not sure which commissioner reports to which council member yet, but I will let you know as soon as I find the answer.

The following objectives have been approved by the council and tasked to the harbor commissioners who chair the different subcommittees.

One of the responsibilities of the Harbor Commission is to ensure the long-term welfare of Newport Harbor. The first and most important objective this year is to approve the Newport Shallow Waters Eelgrass Mitigation Plan and blend this into a new Regional General Permit (RGP 54).

That's a mouthful. What it means is that we can dredge our slips and commercial marinas more effectively and efficiently for a lot less money. Commissioner Doug West has chaired this committee over the last two years and originally hoped to complete the task by last April.

With more than six government agencies that have to sign off on the proposal, it is my understanding that we are down to the last one, the Coastal Commission. Word is that we might just have our new RGP 54 by the end of the first quarter of this year.

Like I wrote last January, "I should also point out again how lucky we are to have Doug West as our Harbor Commission chairman and Chris Miller as our harbor resources manager leading us to the goal line." Commissioners tasked to this are West, Duncan McIntosh and Brad Avery.

Objective No. 2 is the best use of the Lower Castaways, which is the last remaining undeveloped city-owned waterfront property. It's next to the Pacific Coast Highway bridge on the northwest corner. Commissioner David Girling has been given this task and, again, is the perfect person for this job. I still believe that this is where we need a new launch ramp — a huge task and something everyone needs to stay informed about.

Objective No. 3 is to obtain from the state's Department of Parks and Recreation the granting of an exception to our harbor speed limit for sanctioned sailboat racing and human-powered racing events. Why do we need this task completed? Some of you might remember that a certain harbor master did not agree to the status quo and went on to enforce the speed limits. That person was quickly relieved of duty, and the good thing that came of it was a better line of communication with the Harbor Patrol. Commissioners tasked to this are Paul Blank and West.

Objective No. 4 is to create a forum for dialogue with our harbor's Charter Fleet to promote the shared vision of charter boat operation standards. This one will be interesting to watch. Bottom line on this is that one or two council members, or even the public, will need to push for results on this topic for anything to happen. Commissioners tasked to this are Avery, Girling and Bill Kenney.

Objective No. 5 is to collaborate with the marine committee of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce on a list of recommendations to support the marine industry and recreational activities. Tough battle, but there has never been a better council to work with on this one in a long time. Joe Stapleton, Girling and Blank need to jump on this ASAP.

The next big topic is promoting the harbor as a preferred and welcoming destination. I will have to finish this next week. The bottom line is the same as always: The commissioners need your support to complete the tasks and make this harbor a better place.

Sea ya.

LEN BOSE is an experienced boater, yacht broker and boating column

The Harbor Report: Capturing the king tide

By Len Bose

December 26, 2014 | 11:24 a.m.

Over the past year, we have discussed at great lengths the Balboa Islands seawall and global sea level rise. There was talk of raising the level of our harbor seawalls and creating a tidal gate at our harbor entrances.

The overall game plan is to verify predictions of a 3-inch sea level rise, during a king tide, by the year 2020. This would indicate being on track for a 55-inch rise in sea level by 2100.

So, just in case no one from the city remembered that we saw our first king tide of the season Dec. 21, 22 and 23, I thought that a sailor might take photos at high tide on the 22nd

I found a web page, california.kingtides.net/plan/our-coast-our-future, that allows people to display king tide photos collected from specific locations around the San Francisco Bay Area. I decided I could do the same here in Newport Beach.

My first step was to choose a location that might be a good spot for recording this information. I thought I could get near the northeast side of the Pacific Coast Highway bridge at Pearson's Port.

Looking across the channel, I then went over to the Castaways city lot on the west side of the bridge. My last location was on Balboa Island just off of Turquoise Avenue, looking at what I think is the No. 10 range marker.

My next step was to arrive at my locations early — researchers can only use images that are taken within 45 minutes of the high tide peak, so the total window of time is 1 1/2 hours.

I needed to mark down my latitude and longitude and time when I took my photos. Unfortunately for me, my handheld GPS no longer works, and I brought my wide-angle lens for my camera. Something tells me I did not do so well for those smart guys and gals who might use this information, but I kept trying and made sure I noted my orientation and land markers.

The last task was to share my information, which I guess I am doing here.

You will see me out again between 6:30 and 7:30 a.m. on Jan. 20 taking more photos.

You are welcome to join in the fun. Go to a location of interest to you and forward your photos and comments to me. I will post everything on my blog site.

In hindsight, it felt good to be at the harbor that early in the morning — listening to the crew teams work out, hearing the echo of the different birds across the water and watching the fisherman setting their anchors. It will not be that difficult to start my day that early next month.

*

Sailboat Racing

Things are moving rather quickly at the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club.

Make sure to mark your calendars for 6 p.m. Jan. 22 for the introduction to sailboat racing. It's free and given by club fleet Capt. Paul DeCapua. He will cover the basic rules and the "how-to" of starting, racing and finishing a sail boat race.

The club will also be hosting a safety-at-sea seminar from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Feb. 28. It will cover personal safety gear, what to do if someone falls overboard, emergency communications and search and rescue. This is time well spent.

Sea ya.

LEN BOSE is an experienced boater, yacht broker and boating columnist.