Fuel up before heading south of the border

Ahoy.

I wonder how the sunrise will look this morning when I will near

Mission Bay to stop for refueling. While you sip your coffee reading

my column, I am on a delivery to Ensenada aboard a gas-powered boat,

and I find it best to top off gas boats before crossing the border. I

am often asked why, and why Mission Bay.

I find that with new boats, no one knows the actual fuel usage,

and the stop allows me to calculate our fuel burn. Many smaller gas

boats do not hold much fuel, and it is always better to be safe than

sorry. Keep in mind that there are no other stops between San Diego

and Ensenada.

I stop at Mission Bay simply because it is faster to fuel here

than travel all the extra distance around Point Loma into one of San

Diego’s fuel docks.

There is a new harbor and marina under construction at Puerto

Salinas about halfway between San Diego and Ensenada, but do not hold

your breath for completion anytime soon. I saw the master plan that

includes a marina with hundreds of boat slips, custom homes, a hotel

with restaurant and a fuel dock. When I travel by on the road, I

notice that a small dock section has been completed for trailer-able

boats.

IN OTHER BOATING NEWS

Last Wednesday, I dropped off a boat on Catalina. I am picking her

up this Sunday and returning to Newport.

If you are planning to use the passenger ferry services, as I do

often, be sure to make reservations, as the Catalina Flyer is not

operating. The Flyer operates from Balboa to Avalon, and the

catamaran has transmission problems. This means the other vessels are

serving Dana Point, Long Beach and San Pedro are filling up the

passengers who normally would ride the Flyer.

Capt. John Hammond found out after delivering a boat to Avalon

that he had to go unexpectedly to Long Beach, which left him

searching for a ride back to Newport.

Good news up in Sacramento: Ray Tsuneyoshi, the director of

California’s Department of Boating and Waterways, had his $89,217,000

budget finally approved. Boating and Waterways receive most of its

funding from the Wallop-Breaux Trust Fund which I have mentioned in

many of my columns.

This fund is derived primarily from the boating gasoline tax that

boaters pay at the fuel docks. This year’s budget is up from last

year’s $85,642,000. The increase shows that boaters are using their

boats more, plus there’s an increase in new boaters on the water.

Since, the Wallop-Breaux funds are generated directly by the

boaters, one can deduce the increase in the budget allocations are a

direct correlation to an increase in boating across the nation.

TIP OF THE WEEK

Capt. Chandler Bell, an active captain with Bongos Sportfishing in

Newport Beach and the advertising director for my “Mike Whitehead’s

Boathouse Radio Show,” sent me this tip.

“I know, I know. The Albacore aren’t within one-day range for the

Orange County landings. So, what to do?” Chandler said. “Do you know

where they are?”

“I can tell you that right now is a great time to go fishing,”

Chandler continued. “It has been an outstanding year for bass

fishing, both calico and sand bass. It’s not just the quantity, but

the quality of fish being caught. Along with the occasional

yellowtail and white sea bass showing [up] at the islands, it makes

for a great day of fishing. But, I know the albacore aren’t within a

one-day range, but the marlin are finally here. They showed up over

the last weekend in a big way, and I saw a lot of boats fishing the

different banks with talk of hookups and catch and releases. It

sounded like some awesome marlin fishing was taking place. What to

do? Go fishing and quit complaining [about the albacore]; it’s been a

great year of fishing for a lot of different kinds of fish. The kids

will love it -- I know because mine always asked what I caught that

day and wants to go next time.

I know, I know. The albacore aren’t within one-day range yet?”

Safe voyages.

* MIKE WHITEHEAD is the Pilot’s boating and harbor columnist. Send

him your harbor and marine-related thoughts and story suggestions by

e-mail to [email protected] or visit boathousetv.com.