The Harbor Column:

As you read this, I should be relaxing aboard a Virgin America flight to New York City, where I will be celebrating my wife’s birthday.

What a great trip we have planned. We won the bid in January at the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade Dinner and Auction.

We have planned a fun-filled itinerary that has a lot of open time for spur-of-the-moment adventures, and, of course, boating is included.

We are very excited that Statue Cruises ( www.statuecruises.com), which is operated by Hornblower, has invited us aboard for a tour to the Statue of Liberty.

I always love to cruise different harbors when I travel, and it has been a long time since I have cruised New York Harbor, especially the Upper Bay.

As most of you have heard by now, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger released Ray Tsuneyoshi last week from his position as director of the California Department of Boating & Waterways.

The director’s position is appointed by the governor, which in the past usually meant a political figurehead in office.

Tsuneyoshi is one of the only directors who actually is a boater and fisherman, and one who is active in numerous boating organizations.

He is serving as treasurer at the National Assn. of State Boating Law Administrators, a post from which he most likely he will have to resign when he vacates his job as state Boating & Waterways director.

This is distressing news, as Tsuneyoshi is an advocate of protecting the dedicated funding source coming into Boating & Waterways, and returning the money back into boating. Because he has been removed from office, the door opens for the state to grab the department’s revenue to help close the state’s General Fund deficit.

Boating & Waterways receives more than $100 million annually of dedicated funds that are paid by boaters only, and the restricted funds are meant to go to back into boating.

MIKE WHITEHEAD is the Pilot’s boating columnist. Send marine-related thoughts and story suggestions to [email protected] or go to www.boathousetv.com .