Boat

Ahoy. On the last Sunday in July, Newport Harbor was alive with Laser- and Byte-class boats racing in the 70th Annual Flight of the Lasers. This event, which started in 1936, is held annually by the Commodore's Club of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce. Seymour Beek has been at the helm as chairman for years, and he uses his motor yacht as one end of the starting line. I have had a few requests to provide some of the results. Seymour sent the following report: "Many familiar names were among the top ten. The winner, Jon Pinckney, has won three times before, in the early '90s.

Authorities detained a few more people who are believed to have been passengers on a boat that landed the morning of Feb. 2 in Huntington Beach near Seapoint Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway. Huntington Beach police responded for the second time at noon after a resident reported seeing more people around the same area where the boat landed last week, said Lt. Brian Seitz. An unspecified number of people were found on foot and detained. The Border Patrol was en route to take custody of the detainees, Seitz said.

Ahoy! Well the new year is here. I know all good boaters have made their new year resolutions, which will be broken before the spring thaw. Oh wait, Orange County harbors do not have a spring thaw, so how many resolutions will be broken before the yacht clubs' opening days? Just what kind of resolutions do boaters make anyway? Well, I thought I would list those I think boaters have made this year. Let's start with one that should always be on the forefront: Be courteous to everyone while on the water, whether a sail or power boater.

Roughly two months remain before the 97th Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade lights up Newport Harbor, but space to watch the tradition is already getting tight. The annual parade is organized by the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce Commodores Club. Chamber officials expect almost 1 million spectators to watch the parade in one way or another. Restaurants offering harbor views have already sold out space for groups seeking a place to dine and watch the event, said Nancy Shugg of the Newport Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau.

A second family has filed a claim against the city, citing negligence by officials after two Huntington Beach men died in a boating crash over the summer. Caleb A. Steele, 30, and Shawn Wilson, 35, died June 27 after crashing into the Gilbert Drive Bridge over Shelter Channel in Huntington Harbor. The two and James Geekie were riding on Wilson’s 12-foot, inflatable Zodiac boat during high tide at 1 a.m. Steele’s parents filed a claim against the city Friday alleging officials failed to properly illuminate a navigational hazard on the bridge or warn of the effect high tide would have on navigation, according to city documents.

Ahoy! Next week is Thanksgiving, which seems to come faster and faster every year. A lot of people are excited to go shopping the day after the feast, and some will bring out the holiday decorations for their homes. But let's not forget the decorations for your boat. If the weather is nice then venture on and go boating. I regularly see families out cruising the harbor with their families, friends and relatives. This is the perfect opportunity to practice for the Christmas and Holiday Boat Parades happening in all three of Orange County's harbors.

He chuckles as he cuts the fresh steaks perfectly. Calvin Free, proud proprietor of the Beef Palace, arguably one of the best old-fashioned butcher shops on this coast (or any other, if you ask me), is in a good mood. Though he always seems to be in a good mood, whether he's talking to customers or employees, today is different. There's an extra, festive "oomph" in his cutting motion, and with good reason – he was recently named the grand marshal of the 48th Huntington Harbour Boat Parade.

New rules could be on the way for local boaters. Environmental regulators are in the early stages of a process that could restrict paints used by most mariners. Regulators with the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board are looking for a contractor to study how much metal has found its way into the waters of Newport Harbor, water board spokesman Kurt Berchtold said. If the board finds a need to reduce copper levels in the harbor, mariners may need to find a new way to paint their boats.

A Huntington Beach man accused of stealing one boat in San Diego and nabbing another in Oceanside was arrested by Orange County Sheriff’s Harbor Patrol last week after his 34-foot powerboat had some trouble in Newport Harbor. Jeffrey C. Edens, 37, was arrested Oct. 28 on suspicion of possession of stolen property and taken to Orange County Jail, authorities said. Harbor Patrol deputies were initially just trying to help out with a disabled boat, Sgt. Bill Snaith said.

The family of an 11-year-old Junior Lifeguard killed during a training exercise over the summer has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city. Rick and Pam Squirrell are suing the city for negligence in the death of their daughter Allyssa Squirrell, according to the lawsuit filed Friday. Allyssa was struck and killed by a rescue boat during a routine training exercise July 14. She was dropped from the boat into the water as part of the training exercise spiral speed drop when the boat turned around and ran over her, according to the lawsuit.