By LEN BOSE
I always start to feel summer starting to slip away with the passing of the summer solstice followed by the Ferris wheel being assembled in the Orange County Fairgrounds and next is the 4th of July. The only thing to do is to party like it’s 1999. Darn that’s already passed me by. How about “Suck um’ up, let it flow” – that is my plan for the 4th.
My wife Jennifer and I start our day at 9 a.m. by riding our holiday-decorated “pedal” bicycles up the beach trail to Beach Boulevard then down the middle of Pacific Coast Highway, which is closed to car traffic to Lake Street in Huntington Beach, where we post up next to the post office to watch the parade down Main Street. This is always fun for me because I break out my enlarged copy of my elementary school T-shirt the Eader Beavers – the school changed the mascot to the Eader Eagles years later. I’ve never understood why they did that. While on our ride and during the parade, locals call out to me, which makes the day that much more fun. I also have an extra interest in this year’s parade by arranging to place a Duffy Electric Boat in the parade with the City of Huntington Beach Harbor Commissioners aboard. I pictured this a couple of years back while attending the parade, and I am looking forward to seeing this come together. The parade starts at 9:30 a.m.
Next, we pedal back home and have some brunch around the pool and change my T-shirt in for a 4th of July Reyn Spooner shirt before peddling down to Newport Beach, where we board our Harbor 20 to take part in our harbor’s Old Glory Boat Parade. The theme of the parade is “Founding Fathers” with the Grand Marshal Newport Beach Police Chief Joe Cartwright aboard the American Legion yacht Valor. The parade will begin at 1 p.m. off the east end of Lido Isle and follow a course throughout the harbor between the hours of 1-3:30 p.m. All yachtsmen are invited to decorate their yachts and boats and join in the parade. Sign-ups are free and available online through the American Legion Yacht Club website at https://alyc.com/event-5037350, where a chart of the parade route, timing and more information is also available.
Jennifer and I normally twist in and out of the parade while looking for other friends enjoying the day on the harbor. In the past, we sail over to the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club for a couple of colorful adult beverages and view the parade as it passes by the club. After the parade passes by, we will start our sail back to our slip in the five-point area of the harbor. This year, our plans are to join our friends on the back of their boat and let the remainder of the day’s sunlight flow by.
Sound relaxing? It becomes more about the allotment of adult beverages and sun, while not draining ourselves in an effort to enjoy the fireworks in the evening. If successful this year, our plan is to Duffy over to the east end of Lido and drop an anchor and watch the surrounding fireworks displays at the Dunes, Big Canyon, Laguna, and often there has been a display off the Balboa Peninsula, with the reflection off the water of the fireworks – always spectacular.
It’s a little too sporty for us to join the herd while stampeding in and out of the Upper Bay to watch the Dunes fireworks display. It’s fun, but it brings back the memories of the ‘80s at a punk rock party and jumping into the middle of the “mosh pit.” The good news for the crowd that wants to jump into the pit is that this year the tide is coming in through the remaining hours of the fireworks show. In years past, the tide was going out so it was not unusual to find boats aground the shallows of the upper harbor as the sun is rising on the morning of the 5th. Our pedal home to Huntington Beach has always been another funny story you will have to ask Jennifer about. Keep in mind this 4th…it’s all about the flow.
Sea ya.
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Len Bose is a yachting enthusiast, yacht broker and harbor columnist for Stu News Newport.
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