Coast Guard is seeking boaters’ input

MIKE WHITEHEAD

Ahoy.

I received an interesting press release from Scott Croft, who is

the media contact for the national boaters organization BoatUS.

BoatUS has been in the news with a new retail store that opened on

Pacific Coast Highway in Newport Beach just months before West Marine

acquired its retail operation. Boat US has also acquired Vessel

Assist.

However, what caught my eye in this press release was a call to

boating community leaders to participate on area maritime security

committees. The U.S. Coast Guard is organizing the committees to help

draft maritime security plans for individual U.S. ports.

“Does this affect harbors in our area?” I thought.

Yes, it can and does, as this is a homeland security issue that

will set maritime security regulations. Each of these harbors not

only has commercial operations such as the charter boat and fishing

industries but possibly thousands of boats that travel to other

ports, such as Los Angeles and Long Beach.

The Coast Guard wants participation from boating organizations,

yacht clubs and active boaters for their input in the plans.

“It’s extremely important that the recreational boating community

have a hand in drafting their homeport’s maritime security plan, and

we applaud the U.S. Coast Guard for reaching out to the boating

community,” said Michael Sciulla, vice president of BoatUS’

government affairs. “However, there is only a small window of time to

apply. We are urging everyone to spread the news that the Coast Guard

wants our input and participation.”

The concern is that in the off-season, with many yacht clubs

closed or scaled back this time of year, the word won’t get out to

the boating community for representation on these important

committees. There is a short time frame to get your written request

into the captains of the port. The deadline is Jan. 30. Boaters

interested in serving on a local area maritime security committee can

find the nearest captain of the port by going to

https://www.BoatUS.com/gov.

By the way, unrelated to the press release above, but if you are a

member of BoatUS, then you can read about my radio show as the lead

story in the article “Talk Radio Goes Boating” on page 36 in your

January issue of the BoatUS magazine.

Chandler Bell, Eric Hovland and I will be staffing the KCBQ

Boathouse Radio Show booth at the San Diego Boat Show. We do have a

limited amount of children’s gift bags that includes a boating

activity book and “Skipper” the boat show dolphin, a little stuffed

toy. Be sure to stop by our booth to say hi.

On Sunday, Hovland will be calling in live to the radio show, and

you’ll have a chance to be on the air.

The San Diego Boat Show, presented by the National Marine

Manufacturers Assn., will be held from Jan. 8 to 11 at the San Diego

Marriott Marina and Convention Center. For more information, visit

https://www.sandiego

boatshow.com or call (858) 274-9924.

Also this month, to the north is the 48th annual Los Angeles Boat

Show at the Los Angeles Convention Center from Jan. 24 to Feb. 1. In

April, Newport Harbor will have two boat shows, beginning with a show

at Lido Village with the 31st annual Newport Boat Show, closely

followed by the Newport Beach Boat Show at the Dunes.

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.boathouse radio.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, reaching up 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 mike@boathousetv.com or visit https://www.boat housetv.com.