Click Here to view this newsletter in a browser
Whale Watching in Southern California
Boater Guidelines
| |||||||||||
If powerboating, it will be more
comfortable and easier to locate whales in the calm morning
hours. However, afternoon sailing is ideal because the lack of
propeller noise is less disturbing to the whales. (Whales
travel around 4 knots, so you may need to furl in the jib when
following alongside.) The whales will be traveling
parallel to the coastline, heading south/southeast. You may
spot them as close as a mile offshore, up to 5 miles offshore.
Look for the characteristic
“spout”, which is a misty spray, lasting only a few
seconds before it disappears. Keep everyone involved in the
search. Watch for other boats that may be following a whale.
If there are only a couple vessels, you might join them,
but don’t overwhelm a whale with a large group of boats.
Better to find your “own” whales if you can.
Whales will usually spout three or four
times, about a minute apart, before diving or
“sounding” for 7-10 minutes. This is usually when
you see the tail raised…have that camera ready! While
waiting, hold your course and speed, but be looking 360 degrees
for the whales when they surface. They often come up somewhere
else.
Due to the increased popularity of whale
watching, it is important that boaters use care and restraint,
to avoid stressing or harming these magnificent creatures. To
see the complete guidelines for whale watching online, click here.
In particular, look for printable brochure entitled: “Be
Whale Wise, Marine Wildlife Guidelines for Boaters, Paddlers
and Viewers.”
A summary of these guidelines follows:
1. Be cautious and courteous in your
approach, to the whales and other boaters.
2. Slow down, to 7 knots within 400
yards, and slower as you get within viewing distance.
3. Keep clear of the whale’s path.
If whales are approaching you directly, cautiously move out of
the way. Avoid abrupt changes in course or speed.
4. DO NOT APPROACH whales from the front
or behind. Come carefully in from the side, gradually turning
to parallel their course. Remember, the whales are trying
to avoid being hit by boats…they don’t know what
you are going to do. As the ocean water visibility is
usually around 50 feet, they cannot see you…they only
hear you.
5. Try not to approach closer than 100
yards to any whale.
6. If you find yourself closer than 100
yards, put engines in neutral or turn and sail clear.
7. Limit your viewing time to 30 minutes
for a particular whale or pod of whales…in consideration
of the animals, and other boaters. When departing, do so at
moderate speed until well clear.
Good luck, and enjoy!
Bob Sherman | |||||||||||
Ballast Point - More Than Meets The Eye
Next time you cruise out to the open
ocean past Ballast Point, pause to imagine yourself a time
traveller and savor some of the incredible history that
happened there.
If it were the 1800s, you may have seen
Yankee skippers gathering stones to serve as ballast in their
vessels during their returns around the Horn to their home
town, Boston. Chances are you would also have seen large
numbers of whole beached California grey whales being rendered
into large vats of whale oil. Your pleasure cruise likely would
be interrupted by the nasty smelly mess of whale carcasses set
adrift in the bay after the whalers had finished extracting
their oil.
Ballast Point Lighthouse | |||||||||||
This is just a fraction of the history
that lives in the place called Ballast Point. For a fascinating
read, visit this San Diego Historical Society link for first hand account of what life was
like at Ballast Point, written by Norma Engel, the daughter of
the late Herman Engel, veteran of the Navy and of the old
Lighthouse Service, who was keeper at Ballast Point from 1914
to 1931.
Do You Know The Real Story Behind Spanish
Landing?
| |||||||||||
Although Cabrillo claimed the area as the
property of Spain under the right of discovery in the
1500’s, nothing much happened in this area of California
for a long time, and up until the late 1760s, Spain didn't seem
to have much interest in aggressively colonizing California.
But then came the Russians. King Carlos
III caught wind of the fact that Russian fur traders had been
expanding their hunting grounds and had gotten as far south as
the area we now call San Francisco. This just would not do, so
His Majesty sent word to his representatives in New Spain
(Mexico) to pack their bags and head north. Five expeditions,
three by sea and two by land, set out from La Paz for Monterey
by way of San Diego. In charge of the military side of things
was Gaspar de Portola, the first Governor of California. The
religious leader of the expedition was Father Junipero Sierra.
The expedition was a disaster. One ship
got lost at sea and most of the crew of the other two ships
were decimated by scurvy. The ground expeditions ran out of
supplies and had to live off the land, and almost half of their
original members died or deserted before reaching San Diego.
Spanish Landing is dedicated to the
memory of these explorers who made the first serious attempt of
Spain to colonize California.
Clif Oliver | |||||||||||
From The Dockmaster
| |||||||||||
The Joys of Computing
We are installing our new marina computer
system, so if you see me pulling my hair out in the next few
weeks, you’ll know why! You should hopefully see the
results in your March statements.
Slips Available For 30’ And Under
For the first time since I can remember,
we have a few slip openings for boats 30 feet and under. If you
know somebody who would like to move to the marina, please have
them give me a call.
Coast Guard Getting Serious
A few days ago, we had an incident in the
marina in which one of our tenants was fined for an oil leak
from a bilge. Please be aware that the number of reported
incidents of boat owners being fined by the Coast Guard for oil
and fuel spills is on the rapid rise. In one recent case
we heard of, the boat and the captain were put on probation for
a year, and if another violation occurs within that period,
they have to pay the fine for the earlier incident as well as
the new one.
Also, remember, if you insist on having
any items that could contaminate the bay, you must have them on
your boat. You can’t have these items in your dock box or
in your steps, even if they are locked. The Coast Guard is
increasingly starting surprise inspections.
We have a great article on managing oil
and fuel spills in this issue for your review. Please take some
time to see if you’re doing what it takes to not become a
statistic. Remember, if a marina operator detects a spill, we
are required to notify the Coast Guard so they can find the
source of the contamination.
Thanks Everybody
Hope you enjoy the newsletter. Please
give me a call if you have any questions about the marina or
the newsletter.
Carol Pagliuso – Marina Manager
Tel: 619-291-5985
Reducing the Risk of and Managing Oil and
Fuel Spills
Oil spills are the most common mistake a
boater makes and perhaps the easiest to avoid. Be mindful of
fueling practices and keep an eye on your bilge pump. You
should know that many marine fueling stations are not equipped
with nozzles that automatically shut off with backpressure
which means that gas can spurt out of the overflow vent or
worse. It’s always best to let fuel dock personnel fill
your boat for you to avoid spills. Know your tank’s
capacity and have absorbent pads handy just in case. Consider
installing an in-line fuel/air separator to prevent fuel from
escaping out the vent hole, while letting the air through
(devices are Inexpensive – about $75).
If oil leaks from lubricated parts of an
engine it mixes with water entering the bilge. While it is
important to know proper disposal of this mixture, it’s
more important to know how to prevent it. Routinely check and
fix those small leaks that allow oil to drip into the bilge.
Before you change the oil, take a few minutes to ensure the
proper capture and clean up of all the fluids. Keep an aluminum
or plastic tray in the bilge as a containment device. If a
bilge is contaminated, use absorbent pads to capture the
surface oil. Do not add liquid detergents to the bilge water as
it will only disperse the oil and foul bilge pumps and
absorbent pads. Further, the US Coast Guard can fine you for up
to $32,500 for those few squirts of soap pumped overboard.
If a spill occurs, immediately stop the
source. Contain the spill with absorbent pads or a boom.
Call the marina office for assistance. Wrap soiled pads
in newspaper and tie inside a plastic bag for disposal.
From The Poop Deck
Madeline
Editor, Poop Deck
| |||||||||||
I suppose next you’ll tell me the
fish aren’t biting either! I guess I’ll go eat
worms! Hey! Wait a minute! I’m a dog and I don’t
fish - Why don’t the Bruins and the Patriots go eat
worms!
Editor’s Note: If you have a
pet question or photo to send to her, please e-mail it to Madeline@BlueSkyNews.com.
Some Notes About Your Marine VHF Radio
If you are a new recreational boater,
here are a few tips about the channels
on your VHF marine radio that
you will find useful. First and foremost, when you’re
cruising, you should always have your radio turned on and set
to monitor channel 16.
Channel 16 is the boater’s
“window to the world”. It’s priority use is
for calling in emergencies and distress safety communications
to the Coast Guard, but when it’s quiet, Channel 16 is
also the channel you can use to get the attention of another
vessel or station (such as a specific marina).
There are some strict regulations here as
to how often you can continue to hail another station on
Channel 16, but if you use common sense, a time or two will let
you know whether your party is on-line and likely to respond.
If you do get a response from the party you are hailing on
Channel 16, the object of the game is to agree on another
channel that you can both immediately switch to to continue
your communication.
As time goes by, you’ll get the
hang of which channels the local fishermen, commercial traffic,
and casual boaters use to communicate, and which are most
comfortable and appropriate for you to use. In the meantime,
here is a link to a terrific FCC chart that
we recommend you print out to keep handy by your marine radio.
It’s interesting information, and it demystifies the
marine radio channel protocol in a simplified manner.
Desktop Photo of the Month -
Our Fine-Feathered Friend
| |||||||||||
Dear Flo-Tilla - What’s That Noise?
Flo-Tillatm | |||||||||||
Last night on our boat I kept hearing a
slow “gurgle-gurgle-gurgle” which was driving me
crazy. We’re hooked up to city water, so I turned that
off and waited, but that wasn’t the problem. I got up and
looked in the bilges, but they were dry. I even turned off the
fresh water pump but the noise continued. What do you think
could be going on?
Sincerely,
Sleepless in San
Diego
Dear Sleepless,
Maybe it’s that “drip”
of a husband of yours who is sleeping though the noise while
you roust out of bed to search it out! The most likely
explanation is that it was a very dewy or foggy night, and the
condensation was dripping off the boat into the water. On the
other hand, I have known people who have owned a boat for years
and not discovered that underneath the carpeting, there lurks
another bilge compartment hatch or two, particularly back by
the packing glands on the prop shafts. Your sloshing sound
could be coming from a whole bunch of gallons of water there.
Regards
Have a question you’d like Flo-Tilla
to answer?
| ||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
