PORT O’ CALLING: Dana Point Harbor is...

PORT O’ CALLING: Dana Point Harbor is one of those breathtaking places that tourists rave about. But it’s always a bit more majestic when the Californian, the 145-foot sailing ship, is in port. But the Californian, which travels much of the year anyway, is saying goodby to Dana Point as a home port. It’s moving next month to Long Beach’s Shoreline Marina. Its first official sail was there in 1984. . . . Says a spokesman: “She’ll still be sailing into Dana Point, but not with the frequency of the past.”

SANTA’S RAIN CHECK: What do you do when a heavy downpour stops your parade? In Villa Park, you pick up where you left off--a week later. Last Saturday’s rain brought a halt to the city’s annual Christmas Candy Parade, which is actually a fire truck filled with carolers and a Santa Claus, who hands out candy and chats with youngsters. This Saturday, they pick up where they had stopped, at Sterling Avenue and Patrician Drive. Quips City Councilman Bob Bell: “Nothing will stop us. It’s expected of us.”

SMOOTH WHEELS? Don Harvey, 61, of Newport Beach has been an avid bicyclist since he was 47. But much of his time now is spent fighting for riders’ rights as head of the Orange County Bicycle Coalition. Harvey can point to recent successes, such as government cooperation on bike trails in the final Santa Ana River plan. . . . “But there are still many problems,” he says. “They keep eliminating bike lanes on city streets in the name of ‘congestion management.’ We have a lot of work ahead in ’94.”

MORE BIKING: For years, police departments have been auctioning abandoned bicycles brought to them. But in Garden Grove, where close to 100 bicycles are found each year, the police are eliminating such auctions. They’ve decided to ship bikes they find to foster homes and charity groups. Says Chief Stanley L. Knee: “We want to provide kids in need with a bicycle.”