Boat Shows to Make a Splash at Two Harbors

Have the desire to peek inside a million-dollar yacht? There is no better place to fulfill it than a boat show, which is part carnival, part sales pitch and part seduction.

Orange County will have three back-to-back, in-the-water boat shows in March and April that are expected to draw thousands of starry-eyed dreamers.

Dana Point Harbor will hold its first show March 21 to 25 at the Dana Point Harbor Youth and Group Facility, 34451 Ensenada Place.

You will barely have time to catch your breath before the next show begins March 29 at Lido Marina Village in Newport Beach. That show runs through April 1 and is followed a few days later by the third and final show April 4 to 8, also in Lido Marina Village.

All three shows will feature exhibits of marine accessories and nautical gear. The Dana Point show will also offer food, entertainment and a seafaring fashion show.

The Dana Point show is the first in the harbor’s 18-year history. It will feature about 65 boats in the water and another 70 on land, which will be overshadowed by the 300-boat fleet on view during the twin shows in Newport Beach.

“Ours is a fairly small show,” says Dee Bower of the Dana Point Harbor Assn., sponsor of the event. “This is not as large as most of the boat shows and is not as commercial. This is more family fun.”

Included in the fun will be a 10:30 a.m. program March 24 that includes a Sabot race, fashion show, windsurfing exhibitions and a performance of sea chanteys.

The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, along with the harbor’s three yacht clubs, will show videos about water safety and yacht club activities. The Nautical Heritage Society will conduct tours of its 77-year-old classic sailboat, the Virginia, which will be on display at the Youth and Group Facility.

Admission to land exhibits and entertainment is free, but a $3 ticket is needed to go aboard the boats. Show hours are noon to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Free shuttle service will be available at most area shops and restaurants on Saturday and Sunday.

The Newport Beach shows, now entering their 17th year, have become a spring tradition that draws about 10,000 visitors each.

About 300 motor yachts, sport fishers, weekend cruisers and motor sailors will be on exhibit in the joint shows which open with a display of used boats. The following show on April 4 will feature new boats from top manufacturers around the world, according to Duncan McIntosh, show producer.

Chief attraction, McIntosh admits, is the scenic harbor setting. “It’s outdoors and it’s a nice outing,” he says. “And it presents a chance to look at big boats. Otherwise you would have to go from harbor to harbor to see this many boats.”

Show-goers can step aboard a variety of luxury yachts.

“This year we have the opportunity to show an especially large selection of the kind of boats geared for Western boating,” says McIntosh, who also serves as editor and publisher of Sea magazine.

There’s free parking and a free shuttle that runs every 20 minutes from a central parking lot off Tustin and Avon avenues in Newport Beach to and from Lido Village.

Show hours are 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays. Admission is $5 for adults and $2 for children ages 6 to 12. Children under 6 are admitted free.

St. Paddy’s parade: Boats will depart at 11:30 a.m. today in front of the Harbor Club, 3333 W. Coast Highway in Newport Beach, and return to the private club at 2 p.m.

Bird walk: Join a bird-watching session today held by the Dana Point Harbor Youth and Group Facility, 34451 Ensenada Place. The walk begins at 8:30 a.m. Participants are asked to meet behind Building B. Cost is $3.

Boat repairs: The Orange County Sea Scouts are looking for volunteer boat workers to help repair the Argus, a 68-foot topsail ketch owned by the Scouts. For information call (714) 642-5031. The Sea Scout Base is located at 1931 W. Coast Highway in Newport Beach.