Time for changing of Narwhal’s guard

Ahoy.

This morning, our local U.S. Coast Guard cutter Narwhal, stationed

in Newport Harbor, will have a new commanding officer. Lt. John

Kidwell’s two-year tour of duty is up, and he will ship off to San

Diego to attend graduate school.

Kidwell is the first commanding officer of the Narwhal, which was

built to replace the aging cutter Point Stuart. Basically, his maiden

voyage was from the shipyard in Louisiana through the Panama Canal

and up to Newport Harbor. He arrived only days before the attacks on

Sept. 11.

Kidwell will hand over his ship to Lt. James O’Mara in this

morning’s change of command ceremony. We wish John well in his

studies.

JUNE GLOOM

We are approaching the summer season, and along the coast, we are

having the usual June gloom. The hot daily inland temperatures pull

in the cooler marine air, creating the low lying clouds along the

coast typically called the marine layer. It usually burns off by

afternoon, but another byproduct of this weather condition is fog.

Fog is a boater’s nightmare, especially when you are trying to

enter an unfamiliar harbor while you are glued to the radar and the

Global Positioning System. I regularly encounter fog on the Pacific

while delivery yachts up and down the coast.

The fog is so thick in San Francisco that on many voyages, I never

see the Golden Gate Bridge when cruising underneath and looking up.

San Francisco is more difficult to enter than Newport because of the

ship traffic and the rougher waters.

Boaters in the fog must be very careful trying to enter Newport or

any other harbor and consider the options. I frequently make a

pre-sunrise stop in Morro Bay for fuel on my voyages, and many times,

I have opted to wait outside the harbor entrance due to the thick

fog. I would wait to enter when the sunrise gave us enough light to

see the channel markers, or I would follow a commercial fisherman who

has the local knowledge.

When you encounter fog, what should you do? Just for fun, ask this

question at one of the yacht clubs and count the wide array of

answers. First and foremost, slow down the boat’s speed. There is not

a set speed limit on the ocean, but the rules state that you must

have your vessel under control. That means you must be able to

identify, change course or stop to avoid a collision, so set your

speed accordingly.

The newer boats travel much faster these days, and a few neophytes

will run at full throttle with limited visibility. I remember a

couple of years ago, a powerboat club off Dana Point was holding a

poker run in the fog with go-fast boats going full throttle. I

constantly remind those on my vessels that not everything on the

water will show up on the radar screen, so post a bow watch.

There are whistle signals for boaters. Proper maritime

nomenclature calls the vessel’s horn a whistle and a honk a blast.

You may signal either a one-second “short” blast or a four- to

six-second “prolonged” blast as the only two types of whistle blasts.

I will touch on four restricted visibility whistle signals, but

boaters should review all the signals. I always carry a cheat sheet.

In the fog, a vessel under power of an engine or motor may signal

at least every two minutes one prolonged blast and listen for a

response from a nearby vessel. Two prolonged blasts may be given by

any vessel underway but not making way, hence engines not engaged are

drifting.

Vessels with limited or restricted maneuverability such as

sailboats or towboats should signal one prolonged blast and two short

blasts. If you are cruising near a commercial port, such as Long

Beach or San Diego, you may hear four short blasts given by a pilot

vessel waiting for a ship. That means there is a ship in the area, so

maybe you won’t hear the ship giving you the danger signal of five

short blasts later.

Again, there are many signals, so please review the International

versus Inland Waters regulations.

Safe voyages.

* MIKE WHITEHEAD is the Pilot’s boating and harbor columnist. Send

him your harbor and marine-related thoughts and story suggestions by

e-mail to [email protected] or visit BoathouseTV.com.