Angry seas require caution

MIKE WHITEHEAD

Ahoy.

Hurry up and get down to the Newport Harbor Department this

morning so you don’t miss Newport Beach’s abandoned vessel auction,

which will offer 16 abandoned vessels that you can view from 8 a.m.

until the auction begins at 9 a.m.

The vessels include aqua scan, paddle board, dinghies, kayaks and

a 28-foot Carver. Vessels are sold as is, and you can only pay with

cash. The Harbor Department will hold the state-registered vessels

for a 10-day redemption period before releasing them to winning

bidders. The Orange County Sheriff’s Harbor Department is at 1901

Bayside Drive in Corona Del Mar. Parking is available on the street.

I’m waiting for a submarine to bid on someday.

Keep an eye on the weather while at the auction, as there is

another weather system destined for the Southland. I have postponed

all my ocean voyages until the swell heights drop, hopefully by the

middle of next week. Looking at the real time ocean buoy reports on

the Internet, the swells range from 6.3 feet at the San Pedro buoy

with a very close together seven-second intervals to 8.5 feet at

Point Loma buoy with only a nine-second interval. Looking up the

coast, we can see that Point Conception is 12.8 feet -- ouch.

These single-digit intervals are usually caused by strong winds

that are predicted to blow 15 to 20 knots. The short intervals mean

that the swell faces will be steep, which will cause your boat to

pound off the peaks into the troughs. Also, let’s not forget that on

top of the swell heights, you have to add in wind waves of 1 to 3

feet that will be spraying over your bow.

Other concerns with the big, steep swells are that you will have

to slow your speed way down, and your overall distance will increase

from going up and down big waves. You may still pound off the tops

even at the slower speed, and now, fuel might become an issue for you

to go the extra distance of up and down, up and down.

There have been many times when I’ve been 1,000 nautical miles off

any coast or between two distant harbors with no choice but to keep

making way. A thought that’s always in the back of my mind is “What

will happen if I lose an engine or both engines in these conditions?”

If I determine that a mechanical failure will cause the yacht to

lie dangerously in the swell’s trough with a high probability of

capsizing or swamping from the conditions, then I head for the

nearest safe harbor. The most fun you will have is doing an engine

room check in seas that make walking almost impossible, and in some

boats, water can enter through the side fuel vents into the tank. In

that case, you sometimes have to bleed the fuel water separator while

underway.

Local boaters still need to use good judgment, even if they’re

just cruising from the mainland to Catalina. I have seen and heard

many times of a boater taking the San Pedro Channel, only to reap the

wrath of Mother Nature. Boat safe and boat smart, and always keep a

watch on the bridge, because that might be me crossing your bow.

On Sunday, Shawn Burke, who is the marine market manager for the

Trojan Battery Company, will be in-studio on my radio show to finally

answer all those battery questions. Plus, if you listen, you’ll have

a chance to win either a three-quarter-day or a half-day fishing trip

from Davey’s Locker, thanks to Norris Tapp.

Tune in to my “Boathouse Radio Show” this and every Sunday from 4

to 5 p.m. on KCBQ-AM (1170), or listen over the Internet at

https://www.boat houseradio.com. You can call in to the toll-free

listener line at (888) 344-1170 and join in on Southern California’s

only boating talk radio show, broadcasting along the coast from San

Diego to Oxnard and out to Santa Catalina Island.

Safe voyages.

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

him your harbor and marine-related thoughts and story suggestions by

e-mail to [email protected].