Thanks to Susan and Paul Herer for this reading info:

A must read this winter for every sailor is Suddenly Overboard, True Stories of Sailors in Fatal Trouble by Tom Lochhaas. It is a serious and riveting paperback, and difficult to put down until it is finished! But on a lighter breeze, the small paperback sail.ing by Henry Beard & Roy McKie has humorous definitions for nautical terms.  Here are some of my favorites:

ahoy:   The first in a series of four-letter words commonly exchanged by skippers as their boats approach one another.

allowance:   Measurement formula that provides two sailboats of different capabilities entered in the same race an equal chance to cheat.

bail out:   1- To remove water from a boat. 2- To remove oneself from a boat when it appears the water is coming in faster than it is going out.

bill:  1- Sharp point at the end of an anchor. 2- Sore point at the end of a stay in a pricey marina.

calm:  Sea condition characterized by the simultaneous disappearance of the wind and the last cold beverage.

current:  Tidal flow that carries the boat away from its desired destination or towards a hazard.

fluke:  The portion of an anchor that digs securely into the bottom, holding a boat in place; also any occasion when this occurs on the first try.

lifeboat:  The only known class of vessel which, upon going aboard, an individual thereby increases rather than decreases his chances of survival.

piloting:   The art of getting lost in sight of land, as opposed to the distinct and far more complex science of navigation used to get lost in offshore waters.

racing:  Popular nautical contact sport.

regatta:  Organized sailing competition that pits your skills against your opponents’ luck. 

Members:  Do you have an interesting article or adventure to publish on our website?  Let us know and we'll publish it!  Here is an article courtesy of members Susan and Paul Herer.  A perfect getaway!!

For the sailor looking for a three to four day perfect weather getaway to an absolute sailing mecca with “stuff” to do for the non-sailing partner, consider Newport Beach, California.  If you have airline points which can translate into free tickets, this getaway can be less expensive than a weekend in Chicago.  Fly direct from Chicago O’Hare Airport to John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California for a two to three hour flight and Newport Beach is about fifteen minutes from the airport.  You can use your reciprocal yacht club privileges at The Newport Harbor Yacht Club, where you can enjoy wonderful lunches and dinners right on the water at very good prices, while watching the youngest sailors in Sabot and Laser-radials depart and dock under sail in this bustling major harbor.

Captain a “ Duffy”, a canopied electric motorized runabout which is a cult in this harbor of ten thousand vessels ( two thousand are Duffy’s).  It is easily a two or three hour absolute blast to pilot one of these about Newport Harbor.  Have your lunch or dinner catered, or take a picnic basket, or just stop along the way at one of the waterfront restaurants.  Most Duffys have an electric term in their name and naming these is fierce competition! 

Rent a Harbor 20, the popular small keelboat in Newport Harbor, which is a Schock design (He was a member of Newport Harbor Yacht Club), and sail up and down the five miles in length of the harbor.

Sail into the Pacific Ocean on a beautiful chartered sailboat for half or a full day.  We sailed a 33’ Gemini Catamaran with David Carlson, an ex J/24 sailor from the east coast thru Newport Beach Sailing Charters.  We deployed the screacher chute and learned how to work daggerboards.  There  are also well maintained and beautiful new Hunters in the 36’ range, if you prefer gaping at the views instead of working at sailing. Sea lions swim around the harbor and a gang of them hang out at the harbor entrance buoy. One should sail upwind when passing them!  We sailed with hundreds of Common Pacific Dolphins playing all around our boat, and spotted four Blue Whales (the largest animal on earth).  The tourist spotter boat began following us! By the way, our cat boat was named “Seas the Day”.

The beaches are incredible here; they are a quarter of a mile in width of white sand with the blue Pacific Ocean in front of you and majestic mountains behind you.

Don’t forget to take the ferry ($1.00 per person each way if you don’t take the car) for a short ride across Newport Harbor to Balboa Island for shopping and eateries that even the locals frequent.

Rent a car for easy driving and visit the other small and beautiful villages along the Coast Highway with a view of the Pacific.

Here are some websites and phone numbers:

www.visitnewportbeach.com

www.balboa-island.net

Newport Harbor Yacht Club   949-673-7730    www.nhyc.org

Duffy Boat Rentals   949-645-6812   www.duffyofnewportbeach.com

Newport Beach Sailing Charters  800-609-3203   www.sailnewportbeach.com

Island Hotel Newport Beach   949-759-0808   www.IslandHotel.com


Article by Susan Ann Herer    Photos by Paul Herer