ON THE WATER:Officials offer wind safety tips

With high winds along the Newport Beach coastline recently leading to a sailboat crashing and with two anglers drowning in heavy surf, Harbor Patrol officials offered a number of safety tips for mariners.

Small craft advisories are issued when winds are about 25 to 34 knots. The advisories are for any boat up to 100-feet long, Sgt. Fritz von Rettberg said. Gale winds can blow up to 59 knots and affect ships larger than 100 feet.

“It depends on the skill level of the mariner, but we can’t order people not to go out,” von Rettberg said. But sailors should know their limitations. It’s important this time of the year, when the wind is so strong, that mariners stay aware of conditions, he added.

For boats entering Newport Harbor at the inlet, which measures less than 1,000 feet across, authorities recommend using the onboard motor rather than relying on sails, von Rettberg said.

“If possible I would say go in under power, not under sail,” Rettberg said. “If you need help getting to safe anchorage [then] notify the Harbor Patrol and we will assist you” in getting safely moored.

During these conditions, make sure both ends of any water craft are secured to the docks, von Rettberg said.

“In our anchorage area the thing is to be cognizant of space between other boats,” von Rettberg said. “The wind will blow a boat, even with the sail down,” into another. Stay far enough away so that lines do not cross. Harbor Patrol recommends keeping at least a two-boat distance between vessels while in the harbor, he added.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Harbor Patrol on Sunday assisted in four rescues amid 10-foot swells. Three boats — two sailboats and one motorboat — needed help because of high winds. The fourth had an engine fire, von Rettberg said.

A vessel traveling up the coast came within 50 yards of the rocks, so rescue operators towed them. “Under those conditions, it’s critical that we get out there and save them.”

Even the most seasoned navigator should check the weather conditions before untethering from the dock, von Rettberg said. It is critical that every craft have at “the very least a working radio, also a cellphone” he added.

Accurate weather can be found at www.nws.noaa.gov. Also, the Harbor Patrol is available to take calls on sea conditions at (949) 723-1002. To ensure that all vessels are following all nautical safety requirements, free copies of the “ABCs of California Boating Law” are available at the Harbor Patrol’s Corona del Mar headquarters, 1901 Bayside Drive.

If you’re interested in learning more about ocean sailing, Orange Coast College offers a number of nautical courses throughout the year, including from introductory sailing and ocean sailing classes. For more information, go to www.occsailing.com or call (949) 645-9412.