Doubts About Rowing Settled by a Rock-Collecting Kyaker

The Skipper says: By and large was originally a nautical term used by a captain to order a novice helmsman to sail “by and large”--keeping the wind well in the sails, even though the course wouldn’t be the most efficient. By Hillary Houser in Waterfront magazine.

Moored last weekend under the protecting arm of Catalina Island’s Long Point, my Herald Bird was flying, for the time, her owner’s new burgee--my initials, R. B., in white block letters on a blue field.

A lean, lithe man paddling a kyak hailed me to ask if I wrote for The Times as the initials seemed right. Allowing that I did, I asked him about the rocks, fully 50 pounds it looked, balanced behind him on the little kyak.

“Oh, those,” he said. “I collect them and take them back to Avalon for my garden.”

The man, who told me his name was Charles, used to live in Newport Beach and had a small yacht like mine he sailed frequently to Catalina. He liked the island so much, he sold the yacht and bought a home in Avalon, where he now lives the year around.

Charles The Rock Collector, who was well into middle age, said he picks up interesting rocks in the coves as far west as Goat Harbor, which is about 5 1/2 nautical miles from Avalon.

I waved good-bye to Charles and watched him out of sight as he swung his double paddle, with slow and easy strokes, down the coast toward Avalon, his load of rocks perfectly balanced aft. From Long Point to Avalon is a distance of about four nautical miles.

I smiled to myself. I’ve thought about rowing my dory boat down to Avalon for fresh stores someday on a long stay at the island. But I’ve had my doubts about doing it. Charles and his long kyak trips with rocks convinced me I could.

The Eagle challenge, from the Newport Harbor Yacht Club, is one of six America’s Cup 12-Meter challengers from the United States. John Bertrand, the Aussie skipper who put an end to the 132-year winning streak by capturing the Cup in 1983, has called Eagle the No. 1 challenger.

Early this morning, Eagle will be towed to Long Beach from where, on July 15, she will be shipped to Perth, Australia, where she will commence training and preparation for the Challenger Series that starts in October. At the conclusion of more than three months of round-robin competition, the winning challenger will face an Australian defender for the America’s Cup.

Eagle, designed by Johan Valentijn, features an innovative and highly secret winged keel. Eagle is the culmination of more than $1 million in computer technology and about 7,000 man-hours during her three months of construction in Newport, R.I.

Over objections by the National Marine Manufacturers Assn., Congress has approved a $25 user fee for private vessels clearing U.S. Customs. Interim regulations for implementation of the new law will become effective July 7. The June 11 Federal Regulations published the interim regulations in order for the boating public to offer constructive criticism to Customs before the regulations become a final rule at an unspecified date.

Written comments should be sent to the Customs Service by Aug. 11. Write to Regulations Control Branch, Customs Service Headquarters, Rm. 2426, 1301 Constitution Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20229. Copies of the interim regulations also are available. It is particularly pertinent that those planning cruises to Baja California study these five pages of regulations.

Sailing Notes

Bruce Brown, partner in Newcomb & Brown, manufacturers’ representation in Santa Ana, has been elected president of the Southern California Marine Assn., a trade organization for the recreational boating industry.

The first Pacific 1000, a grueling 11-day test of catamaran endurance, begins July 23 in Long Beach. Featuring a field of international racers, American men will go up against the first U.S. women’s team to ever race in a catamaran regatta.

Led by skipper Stephanie Elliott, 41, of Santa Ana, the three-member women cat crew will include triathlete Theresa Funaro, 24, of Cerritos, and former Prindle 18 Class Champion Judy Kolosvary, 29, of Long Beach.

Scheduled to start at noon in Long Beach Harbor, the race course will be around Catalina Island to Seal Beach, then to Dana Point, San Diego, Newport Beach, Redondo Beach, Oxnard, Santa Barbara, Mandalay Beach and end Aug. 3 at Huntington Beach.