The Harbor Column:

Ahoy.

The seasons will officially change to summer Sunday, and also on this day is the summer solstice, which will produce the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere.

But wait, there is more. Sunday is also Father’s Day and my birthday so keep those presents coming. So now you have four reasons to celebrate go boating. Get out on the water with your family and friends with the seas building to approximately 3 feet, but watch for fog in the mornings.

I have noticed many familiar yachts returning to Newport Harbor and throughout Southern California from their southern wintertime ports like Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta. The boats are heading north out of the hurricane zone, because the hurricane season started June 1. Boats are moved out of the potentially affected hurricane areas not just as a smart safety precaution, but because the marine insurance rates will rise in costs if the vessels are in a hurricane zone.

This occurs in the United States, too, with the marine insurance rates increasing in states such as Florida.

Tip of the week stems from many panicked boat owners call me who have been called by their marina manager about an alarm going off inside their boat. Some of these boats are docked as far away as Mexico. The question arises if the alarm is a high water bilge alarm or the carbon monoxide (CO) detector in the locked boat.

One new problem is new vessels are equipped with CO detectors that generate squealing sounds identical to a high water alarm, and the CO detectors falsely activate on closed-up vessels, sounding like a high water alarm.

Two known causes can falsely trigger the alarm, and the first is charging your batteries, which causes the escaping gases to set off the alarm. The second is when the interior of the boat becomes so hot in the direct sunlight that the carpet and furniture’s fabrics or materials will emit chemicals that trigger the alarm’s sensor.

Many people are now disconnecting their CO detectors when they leave their boats, but you have to remember to reconnect the detectors when anyone is aboard.

Remember to tune in at 11 a.m. Saturday to Capt. Mike Whitehead’s “Boathouse Radio Show.” For stations or an Internet feed go to www.BoathouseTV.com.

MIKE WHITEHEAD is the Pilot’s boating columnist. Send marine-related thoughts and story suggestions to [email protected] or go to www.boathousetv.com .