North Set to Navigate Newport Harbor’s Eagle

The Skipper Says: The late R. D. “Pete” Culler was a great believer in old-fashioned tallow as an all-purpose lubricant around boat and shop. Use it for oar leathers, gaff jaws, hoops lace lines, grease for serving marline, nut and bolts, sticky hinges. Most boat gear screams for lubrication; tallow does it.

Make your own tallow by slowly heating mutton, beef or pork fat trimmings in a frying pan. Pour off grease and simmer it in a pot with plenty of water for an hour or more. Then let it get cold and the solid tallow can be lifted out. I give tallow in a plastic jar plenty of use aboard the Herald Bird. It’s also great for chapped hands. The mystery is how tallow keeps for years without becoming rancid.

America’s Cup West Coast Update: Lowell North has become navigator with Rod Davis, skipper, of the 12-Meter Eagle, the challenger of the syndicate out of the Newport Harbor Yacht Club. North, 54, has won four Star Worlds sailing titles, as well as a gold medal in Stars in the 1968 Olympics and a bronze in Dragons in the 1964 Olympics.

Eagle Syndicate is using Long Beach’s Alamitos Bay as home port. Chicago plans to move two 12-Meters to Long Beach. The Canadians say they’ll move three 12s to Long Beach soon to begin training in local waters. It seems the San Pedro Channel off Long Beach closely approximates conditions that are found off Perth, Australia. Meanwhile, Dennis Conner of San Diego continues to train four 12s off Diamond Head, Hawaii.

Two Canadian yacht clubs have merged to strengthen their challenge. They are the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron, Halifax, with its 12, True North, and Secret Cove Yacht Club, Vancouver, with Canada II. The syndicate of the St. Francis Yacht Club, San Francisco, plans to christen its new 12-Meter, USA, on June 10. The vessel will be completed with fitting of hardware at Stephens Marine, Stockton, after being constructed in Mamaroneck, N.Y.

Sailing Notes

- A sophisticated, high-frequency, worldwide, private, marine radio communications center has been established by some members of the California Yacht Club at Marina del Rey. The CYC Radio Amateur Group has its center of operation at the former dockmaster’s office at the rear of the CYC parking lot. The center is equipped with a two-meter antenna and a 40-foot tower antenna, capable of communicating with any spot on the earth. The center will work with the Coast Guard and other government agencies in the event of emergencies. The center has become a part of a marine network for two-meter amateur radio users. This network, linking CYC, Long Beach YC, Seal Beach YC and Shoreline YC, goes on Monday through Thursday at 7 p.m. Its frequency is 146.805 MHz for listening. Set radios down 600 for speaking.

- Carl Wilcox, state Fish and Game biologist for Upper Newport Bay Ecological Reserve, is gearing up for the annual volunteer trash cleanup of the bay Saturday. Volunteers will assemble at 9 a.m. at the Newport Beach YMCA, 2300 University Drive. Advance notice is not necessary. Whittier Elementary School students, Newport Beach YMCA members, Sea Scout Troop 226 crew members, members of the Assn. for Environmental and Outdoor Education and DFG employees have signed up for the cleanup. El Ranchito Restaurant has pledged $10 to the Whittier Elementary School’s environmental education program for every volunteer participating in the cleanup.

- Six $500 scholarships for the sons and daughters of employees of member firms of the Southern California Marine Assn. will be funded by the SCMA for an 11-day cruise aboard the the tallship Californian beginning Oct. 6. The cruise will start at Dana Point and end in Oxnard. It will be a training cruise, where cadets will learn basic seamanship, coastal navigation, meteorology and oceanography.

- David A. Grant, dean of students and crew coach at Orange Coast College, will spend the summer in Shanghai, China. He is a special guest of the Chinese government, whose officials have given Grant the responsibility of teaching their rowing team the practice techniques required to train for the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.

- The three yacht clubs of Dana Point Harbor have joined flotillas this year to hold their first Tri-Club Boat Parade as a part of opening-day ceremonies Sunday. The brig Pilgrim will serve as review vessel. The Keltic Society Bagpipers of Fullerton will entertain aboard the Pilgrim. The parade starts at 1 p.m.