The Harbor Column:

The weather is looking favorable to get out on the water and go boating this weekend. The air temperature should be in the low 70s with a nice afternoon breeze of about 10 knots shifting from the south to almost a westerly.

Those of you who will be venturing outside the harbor will have a mixed set with the south swell dominating the west swell, and southerly swells will build to a maximum of four feet. We are entering into our boating season, and safe boating week is only a week away. I will write about it in my column next week.

Did you know that the city of Newport Beach’s abandoned vessel auction will take place today at the Orange County Sheriff’s Harbor Department? Viewing opens at 8 a.m. and the auction begins at 9 a.m., so change out of your bunny slippers and head down to 1901 Bayside Drive, Corona Del Mar. Keep in mind that vessels are sold “as is” and only cash will be accepted, but you can probably get a steal.

Tip of week is for me to share a common e-mail question from readers who ask about the yacht deliveries that I skipper up and down the Pacific coast.

One of the most common questions is from people who ask if I stop nightly on a multiday voyage. Well, it would be nice to stop nightly, but if I did, then I would lose hours of travel time that would increase the days of the delivery and therefore be a significant increase of crew cost to the vessel’s owner.

We actually try to operate the vessel 24 hours a day, stopping only for fuel. So, we plan our cruising distances to reach a harbor for refueling when the fuel docks are open and yes, there is a 24-hour fuel dock, or some docks you can call for after-hour fueling. However, one of the nicest reasons for traveling at night and in the early morning hours is that the seas are the calmest with the wind usually shuts down after sunset.

The challenges are keeping alert during watch in the wee hours of the morning, making sure that the crew on watch can read the radar, dodging the fishing boats working the coast, and possibly entering an unfamiliar harbor in the dark.

If the skies are clear, then the stars in the heavens will surround your boat from above and from the reflection off the seas below.

Safe voyages.

MIKE WHITEHEAD is the Pilot’s boating columnist. Send marine-related thoughts and story suggestions to [email protected] or go to www.boathousetv.com .