Running across critters on both land and sea

MIKE WHITEHEAD

Ahoy.

Earlier this week, I was skippering a new $1 million, 60-foot

yacht up the Mexican coast just off Rosarito Beach, and the seas were

flat. We were cruising at a comfortable 25 knots when directly off

the boat’s bow a whale surfaced. That got my heart beating in the

morning as I reached to deactivate the autopilot for an immediate

evasive maneuver that might make your crew spill their coffee. The

whale actually surfaced twice, and I am not sure if we would have hit

each other if I held my original course.

Standing watch and keeping a lookout is very important for

boaters, so they can avoid hitting other boats, ships, buoys, floats,

seaweed, logs, rocks and in some instances, sea critters. I have

never hit a sea critter while cruising, even when the dolphins are

swimming and jumping all around my vessel. However, I had one

kamikaze seagull fly into my boat for some strange reason. Flying

fish are known for soaring into boats, but not birds.

There have been many interesting encounters with critters in my

years of cruising the Pacific waters. On one voyage to Hawaii, we

were at 800 nautical miles out from Honolulu when a Booby (a bird,

not one of my crew members) took roost on our radar tower. The Booby

stayed with our boat for a few days. I wonder what would entice a

bird to fly 800 miles from land. The bird would spot fish from the

tower, and then swoop down to catch its prey time and time again.

When I travel up the coast to Morro Bay, I often see several

light-brown fur balls floating in the ocean. Upon approaching these

floating balls, they become active and dive underwater, revealing

that they are actually sea otters floating on their backs. These are

cute little critters that you can get close to without fear of being

eaten, unlike when I was anchored behind an island in British

Columbia, Canada.

One overcast morning, I was in the yacht’s rowboat heading for the

island, where the thick green trees come down to the rocky water’s

edge. I was only 50 feet offshore when I heard loud rustling and tree

branches snapping from the woods. The noises got louder and louder,

hence closer. Cool, I thought, once ashore I will get to interact

with the island’s wildlife. As the rustling got closer, a large,

brown bear emerged from the woods, casually looking in my direction.

I was not certain if I could row faster than the bear could swim, so

I retreated back to the boat. I still ponder today what I would have

done if the bear had decided to swim out and board my boat.

Closer to home and critter-less, the U.S. battleship Indiana has

arrived at Lido Village for the boat show. It must have been an

incredible challenge to navigate the battleship up the harbor,

especially without running aground. OK, so it is not the actual

680-foot Indiana but a 21-foot operational replica.

The Lido Expo is saluting the survivors and their families. The

battleship’s replica was constructed by Cecil and Pat Gates. The U.S.

battleship Indiana replica is part of the Friendship Fleet, which

also includes the Titanic, the Arizona and the Alabama. It will be

displayed in the water during the Lido Yacht Expo, which ends Sunday.

TIP OF THE WEEK

Ahoy all vintage boat owners. Did you know that the Bahia

Corinthian Yacht Club is saluting the 100th anniversary of Corona del

Mar with a vintage boat parade in Newport Harbor? Boat owners of

vessels built between 1930 and 1959 are encouraged to participate in

this classic boat parade on Oct. 16. I will be emceeing the event,

and those interested in participating can contact Ken Rozak at the

yacht club at (949) 644-9530.

Recognized as the No. 1 boating talk radio show in the nation,

“Capt. Mike Whitehead’s Boathouse Radio Show” airs every Saturday

from noon to 1 p.m. on KCBQ-AM (1170). You can join me, Chandler Bell

and Eric Hovland on my radio show by calling the listener line at

(888) 344-1170.

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 https://www.boathousetv.com.