New hub plans bring a flurry of excitement

Ahoy.

What a busy first part of June in the boating world with the approach of the summer solstice ? which is also my birthday, so keep those presents coming.

First major news is the anticipated sale of Lido Marina Village, which is a boating hub for yacht brokers, charter boats, and two major boat shows. Lido Marina Village is in need of a face lift, and it will be interesting to see what will be proposed for the existing boat marina.

Another announcement is from the city of Newport Beach regarding the Marinapark’s proposal. The plan includes a scaled-back boat marina; however, what is very exciting is the proposed 200-foot-long guest dock. We desperately need public guest docks in Newport Harbor that can accommodate visiting boaters, especially any mega yachts. Currently, there are not any public boater’s guest facilities.

I also have some sad news to report about a boat that has served Southern California for decades. Phoenix, which is Balboa’s recently sold glass-bottom boat, became the latest victim of Davey Jones’ Locker. The vessel sank Sunday morning off Point Dume on a voyage to a new home port in Martinez near Benicia between San Pablo Bay and Suisun Bay. This most likely was its final voyage anyway, as Phoenix was destined to become a floating restaurant.

Phoenix, which was showing its age, was an actual side-wheeler that is propelled by two paddlewheels, one on each side of the vessel amidships. This is quite different than a stern paddle wheeler, such as the Mark Twain Riverboat at Disneyland.

A side-wheeler is much more maneuverable, operating in concept like a tank with its two tracks. You are able to operate each side independent of the other, and this allows for spinning the boat by having one wheel in reverse and the other in forward for example. A stern-wheeler can only propel forward or reverse and these boats are often at the mercy of the wind and currents.

However, I see this fateful voyage of Phoenix as a huge challenge for any skipper, as this boat would have had to round Point Conception and pound up the coast to enter San Francisco Bay. Newport Harbor’s entrance to San Francisco’s entrance is just fewer than 400 nautical miles, and I have made this route more times than I can remember ? in good and bad conditions. As a matter of fact, I am noted as the most experienced yacht delivery captain for rounding Point Conception on a regular basis and surviving so far.

Now, I do not know the maritime experience level of those aboard nor if any of them have ever made this passage before, but this is one vessel delivery that I would have been very apprehensive about skippering. However, their timing was good as they rounded Point Conception with the seas less than 4 feet, but I questioned if the aging vessel’s hull could handle longitudinal twisting and flexing caused by those swells.

My first main concern is that it was a glass-bottom boat, and glass does not flex like wood or fiberglass. I don’t know if the glass was a contributing factor to the sinking, but hours and hours of flexing the aging vessel’s hull while underway could cause a breach in the seal between the glass bottom and the wood hull causing uncontrollable flooding.

At least the vessel’s new owner had brought along an emergency life raft for him and his crew to climb aboard. Maybe Phoenix did not want to be transformed into a restaurant and committed suicide.

The tip of the week is that I will be on TV tonight at 6:30 p.m. on KCET’s “Life and Times.” Renowned TV personality Roger Cooper will rebroadcast his feature where he interviewed me about this year’s Newport to Ensenada Race. The segment was produced well and gives an insight why this race is very popular in sailing circles.

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.