THE HARBOR COLUMN:

The winter cruising seasons is one of my favorite times of the year to go sailing because there are little or no crowds and there’s crisp, clear weather between any storm systems.

This weekend looks like one of those times between storms with northeast winds and a westerly two-foot swell. The air temperatures should be in the upper 60s to lower 70s, which you can’t complain about in the middle of winter.

On Sunday the swells might start to build a little as I can see a swell line coming our way for next week. However, keep an eye on the north winds.

The whales are migrating off our coast, and I received an e-mail concerned about them. Considering the recently proposed speed limits for boaters on the East Coast to protect whales there, the e-mailer asks, what should be done if a boater is spotted breaking the whale-watching rules in the Pacific?

If you see a boater deliberately harassing a whale, report the incident to the National Marine Fisheries Service 24-hour hotline at (800) 853-1964 or your local Coast Guard office. If you are close to the harbor entrance then you can radio the Harbor Patrol to see if a vessel is nearby.

The Marine Mammal Protection Act cites two levels of harassment and prohibits hunting, capturing or killing any marine mammal. Level A harassment is to injure a marine mammal or marine mammal stock in the wild, and level B harassment is to disturb a marine mammal or marine mammal stock in the wild by disrupting behavioral patterns. Let’s be kind.

Lastly, tonight is the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce’s Christmas Boat Parade Awards Dinner and Auction at the Balboa Bay Club. This is a grand annual event to raise funds for next year’s parade, and it is in the must-attend category annually for my wife and me. The upcoming boat parade in December 2008 is the 100th year, and if only those a century ago could see how the parade has evolved to one of the top-10 holiday events in the nation.

Remember to tune in every at 11 a.m. Saturdays to “Capt. Mike Whitehead’s Boathouse Radio Show” on KLAA-AM (830).

MIKE WHITEHEAD is the Pilot’s boating columnist. Send marine-related thoughts and story suggestions to mike@boathousetv.com or go to www.boathousetv.com.