TERRANCE PHILLIPS -- The harbor column

It made me wonder what the people in New York were doing as I cruised

down Newport Harbor aboard a Duffy 21. After all, it was Thanksgiving

morning and I was wearing shorts and a polo shirt. It’s not likely the

folks watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade were wearing shorts.

Our climate -- absent snow, sleet and rain -- is pretty nice if you’re

a beach person. But snow skiing can be nice too. For me, I’ll take boats

over toboggans and sun over snow any day.

So there I was, cruising Newport Harbor, happier than a Democrat with

a handful of dimpled chads, and there it was: I did my best to identify

it but couldn’t quite make out whether it was a Pampers or a generic

brand. We did the right thing and went where no man dares to go; we

scooped the diaper up and put it in a plastic trash bag.

As we continued down the harbor discussing how the behavior of some

people is thoughtless, we observed cups, bags, cans, a dead fish and

other nondescript items doing the same thing we were doing -- floating in

our beautiful harbor. On this day of Thanksgiving, it appeared some

people were not very thankful that such a natural waterway even exists.

At one point, we viewed greenish foam that actually appeared to be

bubbling. What was that? No one feared that they would drown if they fell

overboard, but they were worried they might dissolve.

As much as I’d like to think all this stuff floats down the

tributaries because of inland communities’ indiscretions, I began to

realize that boaters cause a large percentage of this unsanitary

navigation. Some unsuspecting perhaps, but responsible just the same.

I moved to Newport Beach 20 years ago and remember swimming in the

water off the bayshore’s beach. The water was clean and you could even

see the bottom while standing on the guest dock. Now you can almost stand

on the water, and visibility beyond six to eight inches is virtually

impossible. What has happened in those 20 years? Is this a byproduct of

progress?

If we want change, we have to change. We must protect our treasured

asset -- the waterways around the world. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m no

tofu-totting environmentalist wacko. I’m just a person who would like to

swim in clear and safe water.

So I call upon all boaters to unite and get involved with such things

as reporting problems and identifying people who abuse our water. Make

sure your vessel cannot cause damage to the marine environment.

Use pumping stations, flush your bilge, check your pumps and

activation switches and be aware that your “shipboard sanitation device”

is in good working order. In other words, use your head.

Many people believe that just because this chainsaw-sounding device

macerates its victim into microscopic pieces, it’s OK to pump it out.

It’s still contaminated sewage.

As good citizens, we are charged with the duty of protecting our

harbor and establishing a code of social and environmentally ethical

behavior.

I thank you, our community thanks you and certainly the fish thank

you.

* TERRANCE PHILLIPS is the Daily Pilot’s boating writer. He may be

reached by e-mail at o7 [email protected] .f7