From the Boathouse: A little extra care is needed
Ahoy!
There was some excitement as the huge waves pounded the Southern California shoreline this week and generated a challenging environment for experienced surfers and bodysurfers.
To our east, large swells too affected the shoreline from the Carolinas to the north across the international border. The largest swells on both coasts were caused by two hurricanes, and the systems caused the near-end of the recreational boating season to drop anchor.
Hurricane Cristobal moved up the eastern seaboard in the Atlantic Ocean and is now continuing its course north off of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. Cristobal is losing energy, as its path is northeasterly. It should be downgraded to a tropical storm by the end of the weekend.
Closer to home, Hurricane Marie moved northwesterly up the coast from Mexico in the Pacific Ocean. Marie generated the large surf along the coast that the news stations have been reporting non-stop. It is now been downgraded to a tropical depression while still cruising miles offshore following a path up the California coast until, it is predicted, it will dog-leg to the west.
Luckily, hurricanes cannot hit the California coastline, because our water temperature is too cool for them to maintain the high energy and wind speed derived from warmer ocean water.
Hurricanes need water temperatures greater than 80 degrees and our summertime ocean temperatures are usually in the high 60s to low 70s. The strength of a hurricane will quickly weaken in the cooler waters or if it travels over land.
However, as we saw this week, we can still get the high swells from hurricanes to our south off the Pacific side of Mexico. Furthermore, we can be affected by cyclones brewing in the Gulf of Mexico, and these systems can bring clouds, humidity, rain and of course, Zeus throwing bolts of lightning.
I have an important tip for those who keep their vessels in the water at a slip or a mooring. You need to check your mooring or dock lines during and after large southern swells or heavy winds. Your boat may be affected by the swells if you are near a south-facing harbor entrance, like Newport Harbor, and the surge in the harbor will be larger than normal.
For a couple of years, I was the captain of a private 55-foot yacht, and I had to regularly replace the stretched or chafed stern lines due to the constant surge and wind pressure on the boat. I tried chafing gear, rotating the lines, and adding extra dock lines, but a 48,500-pound yacht will wear out dock lines. However, as we all know, dock lines are shock absorbers and meant to be sacrificed to protect the boat, and prevent cleats from being blown out.
The tip of the week is to have fun and boat safely this weekend. Labor Day weekend is one of the busiest boating times, as this holiday signals the end of summer for recreational boating across the nation. Of course, we are fortunate to live in an area where we can go boating year-round, and I find the so-called off-seasons to be the best cruising times.
The No. 1 tip that I can give to boat operators for this congested on-the-water weekend is to be aware of your surroundings. Most accidents occur because of operator inattention. How many times do you see someone sharply turn the boat without first looking around to see if the maneuver is safe? Personal water crafts have a high accident rate that is attributed to inexperienced riders and the operator turning directly in front of another vessel.
As always, just keep an eye to the weather for any changes. Please be boat smart and boat safe. Lastly, please boat responsibly and look behind you before you turn the wheel.
Tune in to the No. 1 boating radio talk show in the nation, “Boathouse Radio Show,” broadcasting live coast-to-coast on syndicated network. See times at https://www.BoathouseTV.com, https://www.facebook.com/boathouseradio and https://www.twitter.com/BoathouseRadio.
Safe Voyages!
MIKE WHITEHEAD is a boating columnist for the Daily Pilot. Send marine-related thoughts and story suggestions to mike@boathousetv.com or go to https://www.boathousetv.com.