The Harbor Columns -- Mike Whitehead

Ahoy.

In the middle of this week, I will be delivering a new Carver 530

yacht from Ensenada, Mexico to the Loews Resort in San Diego Harbor. The

trip usually takes only one day of travel, however as I am planning the

float plan and estimating the ETA for arriving at the Loews, once again I

am stuck not being able to give a very precise time of arrival due to

U.S. Customs check-in.

Once you leave U.S. waters, you have to go to the nearest U.S. Customs

dock for check-in inspection upon returning. In San Diego, the Customs

check-in for boats under 100 feet is at the Harbor Police dock on Shelter

Island. This is where, in the past, I have had to wait up to three hours

for an inspector, as the inspectors are not stationed there and must

drive to the docks.

I have found the inspectors courteous and the actual inspections are

usually brief, I theorize, because if I was smuggling anything back into

the country, I would not stop in San Diego for Customs. When I skippered

a yacht last summer from Canada to Seattle, I was able to check in to

Customs via cell phone. So I only wish San Diego Customs could be more

accommodating.

***

I get a lot of weather-related questions such as how the sea condition

is today or what do I think the seas will be like next week. I wish I

could predict the weather and seas, but every boater should check the

conditions before venturing out, and everyone should check the tides for

the harbor. To do so, I have found a great interactive Web site by the

National Weather Service at o7 www.nwsla.noaa.gov/java.htmlf7 that

provides predictions and current conditions at your fingertips.

Plus, if you go to the marine links page, you can actually click on

the floating weather buoys located at various positions out in the

Pacific. These buoys transmit back to the Web sites what is actually

occurring with swells, winds, temperature, and directions, complete with

a data history that allows you to have a good educated idea of what the

conditions will be like when you go out.

As wireless Internet services become faster and less expensive, I see

not too far in the future most boats being able to access the Internet to

obtain real time information. Tell me if you have a great marine weather

Web site and I will take a look at the site for possible listing in an

upcoming column.

***

Last week, I was speaking with Doug Stuckey, the public affairs

director for the Newport Harbor Area Chamber of Commerce, about how the

Chamber’s Marine Committee has been incorporating the goals and thoughts

discussed at the chamber’s board of directors planning conference. I was

able to attend one day of the two-day conference in Palm Springs, but it

is always interesting to see how much Newport Harbor affects the

surrounding areas in terms of jobs, property prices, and economics.

The Newport Beach Harbor Committee’s thought of proposing a Harbor

Commission shows that even city officials are starting to realize how

important the harbor is to this area. Did you know that Newport Harbor,

with more than 9,000 boats, is estimated to be the largest small craft or

shallow draft harbor in the World? Don’t get confused with Marina Del Rey

which, with approximately 6,000 boats, is the largest man-made harbor in

California. Tell me what you think about Newport Harbor like adding

another launch ramp to better serve the public.

Safe Voyages.

* MIKE WHITEHEAD is the Pilot’s boating and harbor columnist. Send him

your harbor and marine-related thoughts and story suggestions via e-mail

to o7 [email protected] or o7 www.BoathouseTV.comf7 .