THE HARBOR COLUMN:Going international

Ahoy.

Today is the start of the Newport to Ensenada yacht race, which is celebrating 60 years. More than 400 sailboats will be battling for position to the start lines in the waters just seaward of the Newport Harbor west jetty entrance. I cannot believe a year has passed since the last race with the flurry of activity this morning as hundreds of sailors make their final preparations for a finish line that is 125 nautical miles away.

Once again, I invite those on the shore to join in the excitement with me at Lookout Point Park on the bluffs above Corona del Mar State Beach. I will be enlightening the spectators as to what is happening on the water and about the race, and I’ll offer personal ocean experiences and my famous jokes — OK, maybe not famous but at least give me a courtesy chuckle. But I will not be alone. Chandler Bell, my radio show manager, will be joining me in the commentary.

So grab your friends and come on down to the bluffs at noon today to see the incredible sight of the sheer number of sailboats.

This race is deemed the largest international yacht race in the world, with 447 sailboats registered as of last Wednesday, and these skippers are hoping to cross over one of the two start lines. The race is organized by Newport Ocean Sailing Assn. volunteers who give countless hours to provide a safe, enjoyable yacht race.

Keep in mind that this not an ordinary race with racers fighting every inch of the course but an international race consisting of various sailing skill levels and different motivations for entering the race. The different classes provide the opportunity for the more serious racer to challenge the record and provide the cruiser sailors a chance to complete this distance.

Now, I know you are anxiously reading my column for my annual weather and sea predictions for the race, and I am still batting a thousand. What will the racers encounter this year on their sail down the coast?

I have polished my crystal ball, and I polished it again after I was observing up to 6-foot swells in the Pacific this weekend, and I saw light winds from the southwest on Saturday. Point Conception and Point Arguello are over 15 feet and I predict will start dropping.

The start will have light winds and the swells will be mild as Catalina Island will be sheltering our coastline. Sailors who are plotting a course out to sea will find the seas the largest on Friday, and the hugging-the-coast sailors will see some larger sets when the Channel Islands are no longer providing protection off Camp Pendleton and below the Coronado Islands.

But keep an eye to the north for the cruise back home. I am predicting the swells decreasing on Sunday and continuing to drop for the Monday trek north.

The tip of the week is that everyone staying north of the border will be able to listen during my radio show to a live race report by Mary Longpre, who is in Ensenada. Longpre will let us know what is happening at the finish line and race headquarters south of the border. You will know which boats have finished, if any records were broken, what is happening on the race course, and if any interesting or usual happenings have been reported. In the past I have seen and heard of racers colliding at the start line, naked movies shown on the sails at night and boats sailing between the Coronado Islands.

So tune in to the No. 1 boating radio show in the nation, “Capt. Mike Whitehead’s Boathouse Radio Show,” every Saturday from noon to 1 p.m. on KLAA-AM (830). Join me, with my motley crew Chandler Bell and Eric Hovland, as we talk about all things boating.

Safe voyages.