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Whale Watching in Southern California
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Thar she blows! ‘Tis the season for
whale watching in Southern California. January, February and
March are the peak months for the migration of the California
Grey Whales, as they make their annual migration, into Mexican
Waters. However, it is important to take great care when
witnessing this amazing spectacle. In fact, all skippers need
to be especially vigilant this time of year, even if you are
not “whale watching”, especially when three miles
or less offshore. I know one boater who inadvertently struck a
whale off Catalina.
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 | |||||||||||
In the late 1800s, you would have seen
the Ballast Point lighthouse which consisted of two dwellings
and a light tower that was part of the keeper’s quarters.
(The old Ballast Point Lighthouse was torn down in 1960 to make
room for more modern changes.) A far cry from the Ballast Point
of today which is the site of the submarine base.
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?
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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 | |||||||||||
Greetings From Your Marina Manager
Welcome to Shelter Cove Marina’s
February newsletter. Happy Valentine’s Day and I hope you
all kept warm during the chilly weather this Winter. Before we
know it though, it will be Spring.
Seen At Shelter Cove’s Christmas Pot
Luck Party
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Winter Weather Calls For Extra Caution
With Winter comes the possibility of high
winds and wet weather. A few simple precautions can help avoid
costly incidents. Set your dock lines as though high winds are
around the corner so you don’t have a possibility to bump
into your neighbor’s boat. If your lines are frayed;
please replace them. Please be aware that extension cords with
GFCI protected pig tails are now required by OSHA.
Also, inspect your heating systems for
corrosion and dust buildup before the first Winter use. If your
power cords have cracks, it’s imperative you replace them
so that moisture doesn’t seep in and cause a short.
Sailboats should make sure sails are
furled and securely covered.
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.
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.
We Would Enjoy Hearing From You
That’s it for now - we hope you all
had a great holiday season, and I look forward to seeing you at
the marina. In the meantime, if you have any questions or items
you would like to discuss, please
stop in the office or send me an e-mail.
Shaun McMahon -
Marina Manager
From The Poop Deck
Oh Man! First the humiliation of UCLA
cheating USC
out of the championship, and then the New
England “Brady Bunch” whipping the San Diego
Chargers out of the Super Bowl!
Madeline
Editor,Poop Deck
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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@BigBayNews.com.
Desktop Photo of the Month -
Our Fine-Feathered Friend
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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?
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