Regatta season is beginning; slip space gets scarce

MIKE WHITEHEAD

Ahoy.

April is a busy month with boat shows and sailing regattas,

leading us into the summer season. Right now, sailors are competing

in the Governor’s Cup Regatta in Long Beach, before the focus shifts

to Newport Harbor next week. It is that time again for the Newport to

Ensenada Race, with the starting gun firing at noon on April 22.

The Newport to Ensenada Race is notably known as the largest

international yacht race in the world, and organizers are expecting

more than 500 boats in 23 racing classes.

This year, you will be able to hear a live update from Ensenada

when Mary Longpre from the Newport Ocean Sailing Assn.’s press office

will call in to my radio show on Saturday. Mary will let us know who

has finished and how the racers are progressing in the Pacific as

they head south.

The racers will return home in time for the next weekend, when we

have two boat shows in Newport Beach. Duncan McIntosh Company will be

hosting the Newport Boat Show at Lido Marina Village. At the same

time, Southern California Marine Association has the Boat Show at the

Dunes.

I hope you are not confused as to which show to attend, but my

recommendation is to visit both shows for a fun-filled weekend. I

will be doing a live broadcast at Lido Village on April 30, doing my

radio show and filming a TV episode where you might have the chance

to get on the air. Additionally, entertainment will be provided by

Newport resident Doug Prichard and his band the Mojitos.

No matter which show you attend, boat sales are on still on the

rise, especially with more people moving into the larger yachts.

However, the brokers are scrambling to find slip space, as buyers are

demanding somewhere to dock their vessels prior to purchasing the

boat. Slip space is at a premium in Southern California, and Newport

Harbor is dedicating the highest slip rent that I have seen along the

coast.

We are not alone with the demand for slips, as Florida is starting

to recognize the loss of boat slips to developers, and as such, the

loss of water access. Cities and counties in Florida are very

concerned, as they have discovered the huge economic value that

boating brings to an area. The loss of boating is reflected in the

lowered revenue streams from direct and indirect sources.

Newport is facing the same challenges as more of our harbor’s

shoreline is transformed by development. The need for water access

and the need for boat slips are issues that must be realized before

our harbor’s waterfront is lined with condos.

I would hate to look back in a couple of decades and wonder where

the shipyards have gone or why there are no fuel docks in Newport.

You can be part of the planning by attending this month’s Newport

Beach Chamber of Commerce’s Marine Committee meeting Wednesday at

7:30 a.m. in the Newport Beach City Council Chambers. You can find

out more information by calling (949) 729-4400, or by visiting

https://www.newportbeach.com.

TIP OF WEEK

Spring is here and it’s time to use BoatUS’s commissioning

checklist for a trouble-free summer. BoatUS has created a checklist

that is suitable for powerboats and sailboats. It’s available at

https://www.BoatUS.com/freebies.

The list is too long for my column, but its categories include:

before you launch; outdrives and outboard engines; engines and fuel

systems; sailboat rigging; trailers; and more. Each section has a

detailed list of what to inspect and maintenance you should do prior

to getting underway for the season.

For instance, do you remember to install the drain plug before you

launch your boat off the trailer? Just take a seat next to a boat

launch ramp and see how many skippers scramble to insert the drain

plug as they are leaving the dock.

I recommend downloading the checklist into a word processor and

modifying the list to fit your exact boat by adding and subtracting

specific items.

Tune in to the No. 1 boating talk radio show in the nation, “Capt.

Mike Whitehead’s Boathouse Radio Show.” It airs every Saturday from

noon to 1 p.m. on KCBQ-AM (1170). You can join me, Chandler Bell and

Eric Hovland by calling the listener line at (888) 344-1170.

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.boathousetv.com.