The Harbor Column:

It feels like summertime as I reflect back to last weekend, when I was shoveling snow at our family cabin in Lake Arrowhead.

This weekend should be perfect for boating with sunny skies and a slight breeze less than 15 knots in the afternoons. The ocean seas might become slight bumpy with a mixed set with 3-foot swells from the west and south.

As always with warm air temperatures and cool water temperatures, you can expect morning and late afternoon fog to roll into the Southland. The visibility has been great this week as you could see San Clemente Island from the beach, and I did receive an e-mail as to why during these very clear nights that we cannot see the lights from the city of Avalon on Santa Catalina Island.

I hope that boaters know the answer, but I can give landlubbers a break as most people do not think about the curvature of the Earth. The simple answer is that Avalon is over the horizon. That is why Catalina Island appears higher than San Clemente Island when visibility permits. The curvature of the Earth is also the reason why you cannot pick up boats, for example 36 miles away, on your radar screen even though your radar has long-range settings.

Others e-mails I have been receiving are comments to my tsunami columns and the how the city of Newport Beach and Orange County responded to the official advisory issued by Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. Most responses were positive that an alert was activated by the city, but many would like to see a timeline included next time. The e-mails read, “I would like to know if I have minutes or hours to evacuate to higher ground, but I was glad to receive some type of notification.”

Tip of the week is a sad note for me. Lobster season ended Wednesday in Southern California and won’t resume until October.

I have heard good reports of catching bugs this season from recreational divers and fishermen along our coast.

Next lobster season is from Oct. 3 to March 16, and I will be waiting again for the bug deliveries to my doorstep.

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 .