THE HARBOR COLUMN:

Ahoy,

Be careful if you will be walking around the Fun Zone area tonight, as I have reports that pirates will be descending upon the Newport Harbor Nautical Museum. The scuttlebutt is that the museum is preparing to be plundered by the Sea Rats or Gentlemen of Fortune (other names for pirates) at its pirate-themed fundraiser titled “Buccaneers on the Bay” at 6:30 p.m.

The fundraiser introduces the North Carolina Maritime Museum’s traveling exhibit titled “The Search for Queen Anne’s Revenge,” which opens tonight and continues through Aug. 1. You will be able to see actual artifacts that were recovered from the famed pirate Blackbeard’s flagship, including blunderbuss barrels, cannonballs, platters and sounding weights.

The museum continues to display terrific nautical-themed exhibits, and to have Blackbeard’s ill-gotten booty displayed in Newport is no exception. Call the museum or go to www.nhnm.org to get your last-minute tickets for a night of jolly feastin’, grog drinkin’ and rowdy gamblin’.

The fun does not end tonight, as Saturday, I will be broadcasting with Capt. Chandler Bell from the museum at 11 a.m., and this show will be leading into the Angels baseball pregame show. The museum’s executive director, David Muller, has promised me a guest who is an authority on the opening exhibit. You are welcome to join us during the broadcast, and after, you can tour the museum.

Tip of the week is that May 23, the city of Newport Beach will host an abandoned vessel auction open to the public. You can start viewing the vessels at 8 a.m., and then bid on any of the vessels beginning at 9 a.m. There is a selection of about 16 watercraft consisting of a raft, peddle boat, inflatables, kayaks and sailboats ranging from an 8-foot Sabot to a 30-foot trimaran. I do need a double-person kayak, so I might be stopping by the auction at the Orange County Sheriff’s Harbor Department at 1901 Bayside Drive in Corona del Mar. Remember, you will need to pay in cash by 5 p.m. that day.

Also remember to tune in at 11 a.m. every Saturday to “Capt. Mike Whitehead’s Boathouse Radio Show,” broadcasting from our studios inside Angel Stadium on KLAA-AM (830), blasting with 50,000 watts to Southern California.

Safe Voyages.

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.