Think safety at the start of the season

Ahoy.

This weekend signals the official start of the boating season. Thousands will be on the water in Newport Harbor and off our coast, but please watch the seas if you are venturing beyond the harbor entrance.

The Gulf of Alaska might have better boating conditions than the waters off our coast this long weekend. I am anticipating swells to be 3 to 5 feet, with 2-foot wind waves in the afternoons. Those cruising past Catalina Island, maybe out to San Clemente Island in search of fish, will see seas building to 9 feet and winds gusts up to 40 mph, creating gale warnings.

I want everyone to boat safely, especially since today is the end of Safe Boating Week, which I mentioned in last week’s column. This annual awareness campaign is held with the goal of increasing awareness and decreasing what I call “Goofy goes sailing” syndrome, where you leave your common sense at the docks.

I am pleased to report, however, that the safety record of boaters is excellent. Just stop a moment and think that Newport Harbor has an estimated 9,000 to 12,000 boats, yet very few problems given the number of boating days we enjoy in Southern California.

I’m still wondering why I see that 3,000 difference in the number of boats, depending who is giving the stats. Can someone give me an official number, please?

The national statistics show that the percentage of incidents or injuries have not kept pace with the increasing numbers of boaters.

Drowning while swimming from a moored or docked boat recently was added as a boating accident, and that will raise the stats slightly in a negative direction. Boaters and the boating manufacturers are taking proactive positions to make boating safer. This is especially important since boating is the most popular family activity in the nation.

State and federal boating organizations are looking into boater licensing or mandatory boating education for California and other states. More than 30 states have some form of boating licensing or education requirements for someone to operate a vessel. I think that boater education is a great idea, but I balk at licensing recreational boaters. I hold two commercial licenses from the U.S. Coast Guard and California’s Department of Boating and Waterways.

Boaters need to get involved now to help create a workable program. Be part of the solution and not an after-the-fact whiner.

The tip of the week is for the whole community to rally in support of the Newport Sea Base’s tall ship Argus. As I mentioned in my April 7 column, “the Argus is just not an issue for boaters but the community as a whole.” We are losing a vital program to the community, with the Argus listed for sale on eBay.

I have heard rumors that an animal rights organization might be making a hefty bid on the Argus very soon. Their plan is to put the ship on a mooring can to give the sea lions a permanent home in the harbor. Then the group will operate a sight-seeing boat for tourists to view the animals, with the crew dressed in pirate costumes. The rumor might not be true, but I have seen stranger things happen.

Remember to tune in to the No. 1 boating talk radio show in the nation every Saturday at noon. “Capt. Mike Whitehead’s Boathouse Radio Show” is on KCBQ-AM (1170) and can be heard online at www.boathouseradio.com.

Safe voyages.