On the Harbor: fall events on the horizon

                                                                         By LEN BOSE

Before we all concede that fall has arrived, and we are headed towards winter, let’s slip a few more events under the door.

This weekend is the 24th Harbor 20 Fleet 1 Championships. That’s right, this is when all the chips get pushed into the middle of the table while saying, “I’m all in.” Most of the fleet has broken out the “freshies” which are our newest sails. We have requested our bottom cleaner to do an extra special job cleaning the bottom of our boats. All the empty beverage containers, jackets, tool kits and spare parts have been taken off the boats, while crew members are kindly asked to leave their bags on the docks. I am sure everyone will be leaving their red protest flags aboard just in case they have a rules question for the protest committee.

The weather forecast is 75 degrees with 6-11 knots of breeze out of the west. Racing will take place in the Five Points area of the harbor between 1 and 4 p.m. At the time of this writing, we have seven boats signed up for B Fleet which is always extremely competitive. In last weekend’s two warm-up regattas, Teams Haynes, Kimball, Noring and Cheadle/Schupak were all playing slot cars going down the last straight away. As always, whoever makes the fewest mistakes and stays in the top four in all the races will win. Duh! With the light wind forecast, I would have to place my money on Cheadle/Schupak assuming they will sign up for the regatta. Jennifer and I will be cheering for our good friends Debra & Peter Haynes. Let’s just hope that didn’t throw bad juju on them.

Even with 11 teams signed up for A fleet this year, it’s easier to pick the favorites in this division. Last year’s champs, Team Wiese has to be the favorite, although it will come down to the last race with Team Thompson/Conzelman. The Thompson/Conzelman team has been the most consistent this year and has the edge to be crowned 2021 Fleet Champions. Yet, Team Campbell has been the bridesmaid, three out of the four previous years. I am sure this team will be showing up with their game faces on. Campbell has been sniffing out left-hand shifts all summer, and is due to take home the big pickle dish. The two teams looking to pull out the upset will be Team Macdonald along with Team Deermount/Menninger. Jennifer and I will not be out there just to get more sun this year, as our goal is always finishing in the top half of the fleet. Hopefully, we will not hear Team Allen/Helias telling me that I am working my way back into the fleet with me informing them they have seaweed on their rudder. Always good times while becoming more cherished with each passing year.

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Everyone should mark their calendars for the upcoming Pacific Airshow in Huntington Beach on October 1-3. If you have never gone out to the show by boat you have to give it a try – at least once in your life. The awestruck moments when you feel an overwhelming pride for your country is truly memorable. Hanging out with your friends while enjoying the warm weather and sparkling blue Pacific waters is a perfect end to summer. As a skipper of a boat, you must stay in game day-mode all day and be fully aware. Santa Ana winds or fog can make your day more challenging than anticipated – noting boaters who have never anchored before, or have a difficult time maneuvering while intoxicated. I have to assume this season will bring in more novice boats than ever before. Which is a good thing, but just bring two patience pills and plenty of water. On Friday, Oct. 1, the “World Speed Record Ocean Cup Race” around Catalina will be starting at 7 a.m. and should be done by 8:30 before you push off the dock. I would assume these world-renowned teams will be using the boat launch ramps in Long Beach, Huntington Harbour and Newport Beach, where you might get the best look at these beasts while they are being placed back on their trailers.

• • •

One last note: The yacht Horizon has been selected to receive the U.S. Sailing Hanson Rescue Medal. The full story of the rescue can be viewed at http://lenboseyachts.blogspot.com/2021/06/l-r-back-row-kenneth-sherb-chris.html. The Hanson Rescue Medal is an award given to skippers of pleasure boats or race support vessels who effect rescues of victims from the water. The award is made for rescues in U.S. waters, or those which occur in races originating or terminating in a U.S. port. The Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club has graciously agreed to have the award presented during their annual awards presentation on November 13. This is very good news, and I must give a big thank you to all the board members and Commodore Ronda Tolar of BCYC. Also, the Yachtsman Luncheon group has asked me to speak about the rescue on October 20, and then on November 3 to talk about all the hoops and hurdles you need to make to participate in a Transpac race.

Sea ya.

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Len Bose is a yachting enthusiast, yacht broker and harbor columnist for Stu News Newport.

On the Harbor: Labor Day weekend “raft-up,” dredging and slips

 

This photo best express the news I have this month,  Photo courtesy of The Balboa Angling Club

By LEN BOSE

I am a little behind this week realizing that I can’t wear white any longer this year. Of course, they’re a lot more reasons a man of my age should not wear white at any time.

Another thing you should not do is show up in the East Anchorage on Labor Day and exceed the permitted size of your raft-up party. I’ve only been able to pick up bits and pieces of all the excitement that erupted during a permitted raft-up party this last Sunday over Labor Day weekend. My understanding is that an individual applied and received a Marine Activities Permit to have a raft-up in the East Anchorage. Anytime two or more boats side-tie to each other in our anchorages it’s considered a “raft-up.” The raft-up substantially exceeded the permitted amount of vessels and was quickly spiraling out of control. “There was no doubt the situation was coming to a breaking point, with one of the vessels having a DJ aboard with the music cranked to 10. There was a lot of jiggling going on which was rather entertaining,” said one of my sources. Other people told me the event was being called “Boat Coachella.”

Enter City Harbormaster Paul Blank who had to defuse the situation before the eruption. Because this was a city code violation, this task fell upon Blank who made numerous attempts, while showing tremendous patience, with the organizers of the raft-up. With the water in the anchorages coming to a boiling point, Blank had to call in the reserves. Two uniformed police officers were picked up by boat and taken to the raft-up to simmer down the waters. I’m not able to quote Blank from this month’s Harbor Commission meeting, but I do recall he was not pleased with how the situation was resolved while mentioning this was a first for our harbor. He learned a lot and I got the sense Blank has plans on never allowing the waters to reach those temperatures again. Two of the harbor commissioners, that were within the anchorage, gave Blank a “well done” on handling the situation.

Earlier at this month’s meeting, Public Works Manager Chris Miller updated the commission regarding the dredging of the harbor entrance and the upper bay. Although delayed because of the number of southerly swells this summer, the harbor entrance dredging is coming to an end this Saturday while staying on schedule for the remainder of the lower bay. The algae Caulerpa, which makes me think of a baby burping something up onto their bib, has been contained and removed from the China Beach area. This is still a huge concern, as it can become a potentially invasive species if released into an environment it is not native to. You can learn more about Caulerpa at www.newportbeachca.gov/home/showdocument?id=1218. I still have a hard time understanding how this could happen, as this algae is used in saltwater aquariums. Someone must have taken their aquarium down to China Beach and freed Nemo. Doing this is very, very bad, so should you notice anyone taking Nemo and his friends down to the water’s edge, please ask them to STOP!

Nemo is not the only gorilla in the room; another issue around the harbor is capacity. I’m not sure if you have noticed this year that there are “No Rooms for Rent” or I should say “slips” under 35 feet for rent. In an effort to release the pressure on the demand for this size range of storage, the term flexibility must be introduced. Specifically in the use of our harbor’s moorings, the need for a Multiple Vessel Mooring System (MVMS) will be brought to the top of the yellow pad. What is MVMS? The simple answer is what you might have noticed in front of the Newport Harbor Yacht Club and the Balboa Yacht Club when you see a 20’ x 8’ dock attached to a one-point mooring ball. On either side of the dock, you have a 20-foot boat. This is an extremely important topic for someone who has a 20-foot boat and their slip rent has gone from $600 a month to $1,100. Some of you might say, “Ahh poor little ‘Only Child’ can’t go play with all his friends.” As many of you might have noticed, the harbor is my life with plenty of boaters in the same predicament as I am. We either have no place to moor or slips are way beyond our means. Therefore, I will need to take my time and explain the proposed solutions clearly. In other words, I’ll need to go talk to the smart people in town before opening my big mouth.

Sea ya.

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Len Bose is a yachting enthusiast, yacht broker and harbor columnist for Stu News Newport.