THE HARBOR COLUMN:

Ahoy from eastside Manhattan where I am attending the national gathering of talk show professionals.

Luckily, Chandler Bell is also here to keep me out of trouble, and the boating theme follows us as the event is at the appropriately nautically named Lighthouse Conference Center.

Also, Saturday, we will be broadcasting the radio show from the Big Apple, and I want to thank Statue Cruises to the Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island Immigration Museum for sponsoring the broadcast.

While on the topic of speaking, I am invited to be luncheon speaker for the Recreational Boaters of California’s board of directors meeting next Thursday. The RBOC is the recreational boaters’ friend and advocate protecting boaters’ rights, the environment and helping to maintain water access. Additionally, the board is very active reviewing all legislation that would affect boaters. Every boater should regularly visit www.rboc.org to see the latest issues.

Tip of the week is to start thinking about the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade, organized by the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce. Why am I talking about Christmas in June? Well as a national top-10 holiday event, the committee, of which I am a member, works year-round, and we are constantly making needed adjustments to produce a well-organized, enjoyable and safe parade.

The big news for this year is that the start of the parade will be moved from off Collins Island to across the channel on Bay Island. The parade will start at the usual time, 6:30 p.m., but the route will start at Bay Island.

Boaters, spectators and homeowners should be aware of the new start location that will change the times the parade will pass your location. It’s especially important for those vessels traveling from the Back Bay so as to not be blocked passing under the Pacific Coast Highway Bridge.

The goal is for the relocation to help alleviate the various conflicts and safety concerns due to the parade’s popularity.

Additionally, there will be only one route. You can see the parade map with the adjusted times at www.ChristmasBoatParade .com.

Remember to tune in every Saturday at 11 a.m. 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.