Fish and Game Q&A: Can I use an air cannon to launch my bait into the sea when surf-fishing?

In support of the California Department of Fish and Game and its effort to keep hunters and anglers informed, Outposts, on Thursday afternoon or Friday, posts marine biologist Carrie Wilson's weekly Q&A column:

Question: I was just watching a commercial about a guy who invented a “fish bait launcher” that launches your fishing line, tackle and bait out 200-plus yards past the surf. It was invented by a dedicated surf-fisher who became handicapped but refused to give up his favorite sport. It looks a lot like the popular old air cannons that could launch large veggies. This one is just large enough to put some small bait in, and is powered by a 12-volt battery, charger and air compressor. I thought air cannons were made illegal in California, no matter what you use them for. Am I right? (Chris D., ab diver/fisherman/hunter)

Answer: If the invention meets certain conditions, it may be legal. According to Lt. John Laughlin, if the launcher does not use any rocket-propelled projectiles or projectiles containing any explosive, incendiary material or chemical substances, it is legal. If the propulsion includes an ignition or combustion, it will be in violation of the law. (California Penal Code 12301 [a][6]).

Q: I am a sport fisherman with a boat and will be taking people on a camping trip to Catalina soon. Some of the people want to go lobster hoop netting. I know everyone who’s fishing for lobsters regardless of age needs a lobster card. What is the rule though for people who are just watching and not fishing or assisting in any way? If someone is determined to be in violation of fishing or assisting while without a lobster card, who is fined, the boat owner or the individual without a card? Thank you for your time and efforts to keep marine life safe. (Jeff)

Children's life jacket safety calendar now on sale

The BoatU.S. Foundation free life jacket loaner program is popular, lending flotation devices for children more than 90,000 times annually.

To bring attention to the importance of right-sized life jackets for kids, the nonprofit organization held a contest looking for images for their 2010 calendar of children wearing the loaners.

The winners have been chosen and now grace the calendar, available for sale on the foundation website. A portion of each sale will be used to help support the loaner program.

"Everyone needs a calendar and boaters will love the photos of these cute kids being safe on the water," said Life Jacket Loaner Program manager Alanna Keating. "It will also help show children and parents that wearing a life jacket is cool."

BoatU.S. Foundation is a national nonprofit organization that focuses on boating safety, education and environmental programs. They offer the only accredited, free online general boating safety course.

-- Kelly Burgess

Photo: 2010 calendar cover. Photo credit: BoatU.S. Foundation

Fish and Game Q&A: Is it legal to recreationally catch shrimp?

In support of the California Department of Fish and Game and its effort to keep hunters and anglers informed, Outposts, on Thursday afternoon or Friday, posts marine biologist Carrie Wilson's weekly Q&A column:

Question: I am a resident of Northern California and have been an avid “crabber” for quite a while. For a new adventure I’d like to take up “shrimping” but need some information on where to go, when to go and how to catch shrimp. Is it legal to recreationally catch shrimp? If so, what are the seasons and bag limits? Is there still a viable population of shrimp in California? Thanks for any information to point me in the right direction. (Tony M.)

Answer: You may take any type of ocean shrimp in California waters, but spot prawns are the most desirable and sought-after for eating purposes; others are often used for bait. According to senior invertebrate specialist Kristine Barsky, because California’s spot prawns are found so deep – usually 100 fathoms (600 feet) or more – and the bag limit is only 35, most people are not interested in trapping these shrimp recreationally. Check out the crustaceans section of the current Ocean Sport Fishing regulations (beginning on page 55) for the regulations, legal gear, limits and other information you will need to know (CCR Title 14, Sections 29.80 through 29.88).

Global sailor Jessica Watson becomes frustrated angler

Many are following Jessica Watson's journey around the world in a 34-foot pink sailboat. The 16-year-old Australian adventurer has maintained high spirits and a sense of humor since departing Sydney on Oct. 18, and is currently in the South Pacific inching closer to the equator.

Following her trip is fun and easy because Jessica has been good at providing updates and photos via her blog, which is well-maintained by her shore-based support team.

In her latest entry she talks about her frustrating efforts to catch fish, which would provide her with something fresh and healthy for dinner.

"Exciting news to report today," she writes. "I pulled the fishing line in to discover that I finally caught a fish! I'd love to tell you what it was, how big it was and how yummy it tasted, only someone (with rather big teeth!) got to it before me. Apart from a few bits of flesh left hanging on the lure, my beautiful fish had been gobbled up by something bigger. I can only keep trying!"

Her situation won't always be so pleasant, as she knows. Once she dips back down and enters the Southern Ocean the sea will become violent at times, and her sailing skills will be challenged. But for the time being, she seems to be enjoying herself aboard Ella's Pink Lady.

Outposts will provide periodic updates throughout her eight-month saga, so please check back soon.

--Pete Thomas

Photo: Jessica Watson shows fishing lure and bits of flesh left after a bigger fish stole the smaller fish from her hooks. Credit: Jessica Watson

Zac Sunderland lends hand as sister Abby prepares for solo global sailing voyage

Where in the world is Zac Sunderland?

Outposts posed that question often while the Thousand Oaks teenager was circumnavigating the planet by himself aboard a 36-foot sailboat appropriately named Intrepid.

Zac has been back on the high seas, off the East Coast, helping younger sister Abby, who recently turned 16, deliver her 40-foot sailboat to Florida, where it will be shipped to the West Coast so she can take her turn at solo global sailing.

Abby's voyage, unlike Zac's is planned to be a nonstop, unassisted journey across the Southern Ocean.

Clearly, though, her adventure has already begun. She writes on her blog:

"Sailing with Zac has been an experience... and I'm still trying to decide whether or not it's a good one! He's taken advantage of there being no mirrors on the boat and I very rarely wake up without some drawing on my my face. He also has taken great joy in little things, like my mortification at watching him wash a cup with salt water and a dirty sock. But despite how annoying he is, its really good to have him with us out here."

To be sure, Abby's around-the-world odyssey will be a lonely endeavor without big brother aboard.

-- Pete Thomas

Photo: Zac Sunderland at the helm of the 40-foot sailboat Abby Sunderland will try to sail around the world. Courtesy of Abby Sunderland

Note: To follow this blog on Twitter please visit @latimesoutposts

Jessica Watson reaches 2,000-mile mark of solo global sailing voyage

Australian teen sailor Jessica Watson, 19 days into her planned voyage around the world, has reached the 2,000-mile mark as she sails to the north toward the equator.

She's currently passing the Tonga islands, heading toward American Samoa. After a brief sail north of the equator -- which she'll reach in about two weeks -- she'll pilot her 34-foot boat due south and then east toward South America and the treacherous Cape Horn, which she must negotiate before entering the Atlantic. Her eight-month journey will span 23,000 miles.

But that's getting ahead of the situation. Watson, 16, is enjoying remarkably smooth sailing and is ahead of her planned schedule of logging 100 miles a day.

Her only complaint is all the salt getting into her cabin. She wrote on her blog: "Every time I come in from being on deck, I seem to bring a lot of water with me. Also, despite all the effort we put into tracking them down before leaving, a few small leaks have made themselves known.... So I've been playing around with a tube of sealer and (fingers crossed), looks like I might have put a stop to some of them!"

Jessica celebrated reaching the 2,000-mile mark by baking chocolate cupcakes. 

-- Pete Thomas

Photo:  Jessica Watson leaving Sydney Harbor aboard Ella's Pink Lady on Oct. 18. She's trying to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world nonstop and unassisted. Credit: Brendon Thorne / Getty Images

Global sailor Jessica Watson tries hand at fishing, enjoys calm night under moon

Outtakes from a progress report posted Tuesday by Australia's Jessica Watson, 16, who is attempting to sail alone around the world, on her blog:

-- "It's been a quieter day today, a bit too quiet actually. For most of the day the wind has been a bit non-existent."

-- "I kept busy doing some schoolwork and I finally put the fishing line out. No luck catching anything but there's always tomorrow. I also didn't have much luck with school work. After completing the first English assignment I sent it off to discover that I'd opened the wrong bag and have been working on next year's assignments, oops!"

-- "To cheer myself up I had scrambled eggs for lunch, made with powdered eggs and cream, really yummy!"

-- "Last night I brought my sleeping bag out in the cockpit and managed to get a bit of sleep under the full moon. It was a pretty cool sight with the moonlight making the waves sparkle and lighting up the sails. I have to keep reminding myself to make the most of nights like this as things are certainly going to change when we head back south and into the Southern Ocean."

Watson, who is attempting her voyage alone and unassisted aboard a 34-foot sailboat, left Sydney on Oct. 18 and plans to be at sea for about eight months. Outposts will keep tabs on her odyssey and provide periodic updates.

-- Pete Thomas

Photo: Teenage adventurer Jessica Watson heads off on her solo global circumnavigation on her boat Ella's Pink Lady from Sydney's Middle Harbor on Oct. 18. Credit: EPA/Dean Lewins

Note: To follow this blog on Twitter please visit @latimesoutposts

Abby Sunderland, 16, obtains boat for her around-the-world solo journey

*Corrected to reflect that Abby Sunderland, when this post went live, had not yet embarked from Rhode Island to Florida.

Abby Sunderland has obtained a 40-foot boat named Wild Eyes, which she hopes will carry her around the world swiftly and safely.

The 16-year-old from Thousand Oaks is on the East Coast with her brother Zac, who recently completed a solo-circumnavigation at the age of 17, and her father Laurence. They will sail Wild Eyes from Rhode Island to Florida -- about a weeklong trip -- and will have the vessel shipped to the West Coast.

Abby, who will attempt a nonstop, unassisted journey, much of it across the Southern Hemisphere, is hoping for an early December departure.

Meanwhile, Australia's Jessica Watson, also 16, is approaching the equator and the 1,500-mile mark aboard her 34-foot sailboat, Ella's Pink Lady, which is the color of a flamingo. She and Abby share the same goal: to become the youngest person to sail alone and unassisted around the world.

The journeys are expected to last up to eight months. Abby, who turned 16 two weeks ago, is younger than Watson so would become the record-holder if she's successful.

Jessica has enjoyed smooth and quick sailing these last few days, averaging 135 miles a day, and is  ahead of schedule. She wrote Thursday on her blog: "There's still a good-sized swell today but it's much longer and more gentle and the sun's even out at the moment, so I've been standing outside enjoying it.

"When we're in trough between two waves Ella's Pink Lady feels small and a little lost then up we go again to the top of the next swell, and with a good view out to the horizon. It's as if we're on top of the world. Then off rolls another wave giving us a little push along as it goes."

What both girls are attempting is amazing, considering the unpredictable whims of a rollicking ocean, and the length of time the sailors will spend alone, with only satellite phones and computers connecting them to civilization. They're 16, but they have big dreams. Hopefully, both will be able to fulfill them without too much trouble.

-- Pete Thomas

Photo: Abby Sunderland has recently acquired a sailboat--not the vessel shown in the photo--that she will attempt to pilot around the world. Credit: ©GizaraArts.Com

Jessica Watson, a few days into global sailing odyssey, settling into a routine

Reading Jessica Watson's blog makes me long for the type of freedom she's enjoying, only a few days out from Sydney, Australia, and with an entire planet yet to circle as she aspires to become the youngest person to sail alone, nonstop and unassisted, around the world.

On Monday the 16-year-old adventurer wrote: "It's been so long since I've had anytime just to take it easy for a while and the freedom was amazing. No deadlines, nothing to rush off to, I can eat whatever I like whenever I like, no one to send me off to bed!

"It was pretty special this afternoon when the sea glassed right out, it was as if you could see right to the distant blue bottom apart from huge schools of jellyfish floating past. We even had a couple of dolphins drop in to say hi. The other unexpected visitor was a small plane who circled around overhead, just when I thought I was finally by myself!"

This will change. There will be issues, perhaps very serious problems. Watson is aboard a 34-foot pink sailboat and might have to negotiate swells taller than her boat is long. She has eight months of sailing ahead of her, and safety is not guaranteed.

But for now it's smooth going. On Tuesday she wrote: "It already feels like I'm settling right into a routine, grabbing a bit of sleep through the night and into the morning when I can, logging and plotting my position, digging through the food bags for meals and calling in for phone skeds twice a day. There's always something to do or check.

"I've been hard at work eating my way through all the last-minute presents and sweets that were shoved aboard just before we left. Every time I think I've eaten them all I seem to discover another packet stashed away somewhere!"

Watson has critics who believe she should not be allowed to attempt this voyage, but many supporters -- Monday's blog post generated more than 700 comments -- are behind her all the way.

-- Pete Thomas

Photo: Teenage sailor Jessica Watson. Credit: Greg Wood / AFP/Getty Images

Search-and-rescue operations in national parks numerous and costly, but effective

A new report that appears in the online journal "Wilderness & Environmental Medicine" includes some interesting statistics involving search-and-rescue operations in national parks.

Notably, they're costly and numerous, but effective. "Without the presence of NPS personnel responding to SAR incidents, one in five of those requesting SAR assistance would be a fatality," the report concludes. "Future research and the development of any prevention efforts should focus on the five NPS units where 50% of all SAR incidents are occurring."

The report, published by the Wilderness Medical Society, has a catchy title: "Dead Men Walking: Search and Rescue in U.S. National Parks." Its authors looked at the NPS' annual search-and-rescue reports from 1992 to 2007 and SAR statistics from all NPS units in 2005. Some key findings:

--From 1992 to 2007 there were 78,488 people involved in 65,439 SAR incidents. These included 2,659 fatalities, 24,288 injured or sick people, and 13,212 "saves," or saved lives.

--On average there were 11.2 SAR incidents per day at an average cost of $895 per operation. Total cost from 1992 to 2007: $58,572,164.

--In 2005, 50% of the 2,430 SAR operations occurred in five NPS units. Grand Canyon National Park (307) and Gateway National Recreation Area (293) reported the most. Yosemite National Park (231) was third.

--In 2005, Yosemite accounted for 25% of the total NPS SAR costs ($1.2 million); Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve ($29,310) and Denali National Park and Preserve ($18,345) had the highest average SAR costs.

--Hiking (48%) and boating (21%) were the most common activities that required search-and-rescue assistance. Hiking (22.8%) was the most common activity resulting in fatalities. Suicides (12.1%) were second. They were followed by swimming and boating (10.1% apiece).

Perhaps all of this will serve as a reminder to be extra careful while exploring our great national parks and to be thankful that there are emergency teams close by if we need them.

-- Pete Thomas

Photo: View of the Grand Canyon at sunrise. Credit: Mark Boster/Los Angeles Times

Jessica Watson begins global sailing journey; Abby Sunderland hopes to leave soon

One girl has already departed on her solo-sailing journey around the world while another girl waits, hoping she, too, is able to go.

Australia's Jessica Watson, 16, left Sydney on Sunday aboard a 34-foot pink sailboat named Ella's Pink Lady. She hopes to complete her nonstop, unassisted odyssey in about eight months.

Watson's trip has been highly criticized. She is, after all, only 16 and must now deal with the wild, unpredictable ocean and long bouts of loneliness.

On the day of her departure a quote from Mark Twain was posted on Watson's website: “Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you did not do than by the things you did do. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

How appropriate. Abby Sunderland, whose older brother, Zac, recently completed a solo circumnavigation when he was 17, must be envious of Jessica. Abby is definitely supportive.

The Thousand Oaks adventurer, who turned 16 today, is planning a late-November departure but has yet to secure an Open 40 sailboat designed for Southern Ocean travel.

However, Abby and her father, Laurence, are in Rhode Island awaiting a surveyor's report on a vessel they might purchase later today.

So it's likely that soon there will be two 16-year-old girls trying to sail by themselves around the world. Both are seeking to fulfill a dream and become the youngest to accomplish such a feat, and it's remarkable that they're even trying and that their parents are letting them try.

Even critics must admire the courageous spirit these girls possess. Here's hoping that 20 years from now both will recall fond memories of their explorations, their dreams and their discoveries. You only live once.

-- Pete Thomas

Photo: Teenage adventurer Jessica Watson departs Sydney on her solo global circumnavigation attempt aboard Ella's Pink Lady. Credit: Dean Lewins / EPA

Jessica Watson, 16, plans to leave next week on sailing voyage around the world

Jessica Watson's sojourn around the world, in a 34-foot pink sailboat, will begin as early as next week from Sydney, Australia. 

"She’s a really cute little boat and I’m so proud of her, but she’s really tough as well,” the adventurer said this week during a news conference regarding her controversial odyssey.

Jessica, 16, intends to become the youngest person to solo-circumnavigate the world in a sailboat. She will sail above New Zealand and into the Pacific and up toward the equator, then back down toward Cape Horn, which she calls "the big Everest of sailing."

If she successfully rounds the treacherous Cape passage she'll continue a southerly course back to Sydney.

But it won't be as easy as that; she will will get blasted by gargantuan waves and fierce winds and will, on many occasions, look out of place aboard her soft-hued vessel.

“I’ve got an amazing amount of equipment – we’ve got all sorts of satellite communication equipment and navigation gear and Panasonic Toughbook computers, so I’m in good company," she said.

But Jessica, although she's a skilled and experienced sailor, also suffers from seasickness. On Tuesday, after a five-day sea trial, she posted this statement on her blog: "Since I stepped off Ella’s Pink Lady yesterday afternoon my head has been spinning and I’ve been doing a bit of stumbling into things! Getting my land legs again has taken a while. I can’t image what I’m going to be like after eight months at sea, rather than five days!"

It does not require much of an imagination to conclude it'll be an adventure she'll never forget.

-- Pete Thomas

Photo: Jessica Watson sails her yacht Ella's Pink Lady past the Sydney Opera House during a media event earlier this week. Watson is attempting to become the youngest person to sail around the world alone and without stopping or receiving assistance. Photo by Sergio Dionisio/Getty Images

Australia's Jessica Watson passes sea trial, will soon set sail around the world

Should Jessica Watson be allowed to go? Does the 16-year-old Australian possess the sailing skills to negotiate her 34-foot boat around the world on a nonstop journey -- by herself?

Is the girl strong enough, mentally and physically, to deal with considerable hazards at sea, or the long, lonely calm stretches she's sure to face?

These are among questions being asked of the intrepid sailor who has just completed a five-day sea trial from Queensland to Sydney and will announce her departure date next week.

Watson probably will depart this month. Abby Sunderland, who turns 16 this month, hopes to begin a similar journey in November.

Abby's brother, Zac, and Britain's Mike Perham recently completed multi-stop around-the-world sailing adventures at the age of 17.

The girls -- Abby is from Thousand Oaks -- will be attempting to become the youngest ever to have sailed nonstop around the planet.

The Queensland government has suggested that Watson abandon her plans, but she'll proceed aboard Ella's Pink Lady, just as Sunderland will go if her family can raise money to buy her a boat.

Watson said she and her family "made the decision a long time ago that I was going, and the only thing left to do was prepare properly and make it safe."

I'm not sure sailing on a pink vessel is a safe choice for the Watson team, as it will announce to other mariners the presence of the fairer sex. But beyond that, she seems determined and capable, and she has the support of those who matter in her life, so who else is qualified to pass judgment?

The voyage is expected to last about 240 days. Here's hoping she makes it.

-- Pete Thomas

Photo: Jessica Watson arrives in Sydney aboard Ella's Pink Lady after a five-day sea trial in advance of her impending around-the-world sailing adventure. Credit: Dean Lewins / EPA

Abby Sunderland, 15, is seeking sponsors to help fund global sailing voyage

Zac Sunderland, 17, sailed around the world alone on a voyage that was not grandly sponsored and ended up burying his parents in debt.

Now it's Abby Sunderland's turn to test her mettle against the world's oceans, but a different tack is required: Her parents need more sponsors to help fund the 15-year-old's attempt to become the youngest person to sail around the world alone, nonstop and unassisted.

Notably, funding is needed for the purchase of a used Class 40 sailboat that Laurence Sunderland, the shipwright father, has tabbed as an ideal vessel for the daunting task of negotiating the Southern Ocean and especially the treacherous Cape Horn.

With good fortune the funding will be obtained and the Thousand Oaks teen can embark as planned in November, four months after her brother's 13-month odyssey ended. Otherwise Australia's Jessica Watson, 16, could end up in the record book as she, too, is planning a nonstop, unassisted journey, and hopes to depart this month aboard the 34-foot Ella's Pink Lady.

It was simply Pink Lady before Watson landed Ella Bache as a major sponsor.

Abby Sunderland, 15, moving full speed ahead with plans to sail around the world

Abby Sunderland, who will turn 16 in October, has landed Shoe City as a major sponsor and is on course for a mid- to late-November departure for her solo voyage around the world.

She has the full support of her parents and, of course, older brother Zac, who in mid-July, at 17, completed his global odyssey, which lasted 13 months aboard a 36-foot Islander sailboat.

Abby, who has planned a nonstop excursion she hopes to complete in about six months, will travel more luxuriously, aboard a 40-foot Open-class boat outfitted for circumnavigations. She's traveling this week to the Caribbean to conduct sea trials in a boat currently named Ocean Warrior.

That seems an appropriate name for what she has planned: an adventure full of excitement but also possible trouble -- her journey will require negotiating the notorious Cape Horn, among other treacherous passages.

Shoe City seems to be thrilled. "We are proud to be a sponsor of this exciting adventure and look forward to the business benefits we are sure to receive through wide media coverage and great public following that youth sailing has garnered," Leedy Young, Shoe City owner and president, said in a news release.

The Sunderlands are confident other sponsors will come aboard because of the worldwide publicity Zac's campaign generated.

Meanwhile, across the globe, Jessica Watson, 16, of Australia, is proceeding with plans to sail around the world despite a recent collision with a 700-foot cargo freighter during sea trials. Watson expects to leave later this month aboard a 34-foot boat named Ella's Pink Lady.

Yes, her boat is shiny and pink. You've got to admire both girls' spirit.

-- Pete Thomas

Photo of Abby Sunderland by Al Seib/Los Angeles Times

England's Mike Perham, global sailor, to follow in wake of Capt. Bligh

England's Mike Perham, 17, who in late August became the youngest person to sail around the world alone, did not wait long before announcing his next seaborne adventure.

He reportedly will join an expedition that will attempt to follow the course of Capt. William Bligh after he was cast adrift from the Bounty following the famous mutiny of April 28, 1798.

The journey, with Australian adventurer Don McIntyre and two others, will be aboard a 25-foot open boat with few provisions and no charts in order to create a situation similar to what Bligh endured. The voyage, which will raise funds to battle a neurological disorder known as motor neuron disease, will begin April 28 to commemorate the 221st anniversary of the mutiny on the Bounty.

After Fletcher Christian cast Bligh and 18 of his men adrift in a 23-foot open boat, there began one of the most remarkable open-boat voyages in maritime history. Bligh and his men traveled for seven weeks and covered nearly 4,000 miles with little food or water and no charts.

The 2010 expedition will sail to Tonga to hopefully find extra food and water, then head to the west and travel north of Fiji and the Vanuatu Islands and ultimately toward the Queensland Coast, Australia, where they will land on Restoration Island. The journey then will take them north, inside the Great Barrier Reef, to Thursday Island, and then through the notorious Torres Strait to Kupang and Timor, Indonesia.

The crew -- the search is still on for two additional members -- will attempt to live off the sea. It will carry a GPS device, charts and other safety equipment, but they will be sealed and not used except during an emergency, McIntyre said on the expedition website. It will not carry toilet paper.

Comparatively speaking, Perham lived in spacious luxury aboard the 50-foot racing yacht he guided around the world. This next trip might cause him to ponder mutiny.  

-- Pete Thomas

Photo: Mike Perham celebrates aboard his yacht, Totallymoney.com, after arriving at Gunwharf Quay in Portsmouth, England, on Aug. 29. Credit: Adrian Dennis / AFP/Getty Images

Increase in boating-related carnage underscores need for education

News item: The boating fatality rate, a measure of the number of deaths versus the number of registered recreational boats, increased modestly to 5.6 deaths per 100,000 boats in 2008, the U.S. Coast  Guard announced. Overall numbers: 709 deaths, 3,331 injuries and about $54 million in property damage incurred during 4,789 boating accidents.

Reaction: It's a good thing summer's almost over because that's a lot of carnage. And it's sad to think that a lot of it could have been avoided had more people taken a boating education course, worn life jackets, utilized a designated driver and exercised common sense.

Two-thirds of the victims drowned and 90% were not wearing life jackets. The Coast Guard also cites as factors operator inattention, careless driving, inexperience and reckless skier or wakeboarder behavior.

Alcohol consumption was the leading contributor in 17% of the fatalities.

In California, for local boaters keeping score, there were 520 accidents and 45 fatalities last year.

Coast Guard Rear Adm. Kevin Cook points out that only 10% of deaths occurred on boats where the operator had participated in a boating safety course.

That ought to be a requirement, just as it is for operators of automobiles. Sure, they give a driver's license to just about anyone and busy streets and freeways are a fright, but it pays to receive some kind of basic instruction. 

-- Pete Thomas

Photo: Boaters enjoy a calm day at the popular hangout called the Sandbar on Lake Havasu. Credit: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times

Children's life jacket calendar contest announced

The BoatU.S. Foundation free life jacket loaner program is popular, lending flotation devices for children more than 90,000 times this year already.

To bring attention to the importance of right-sized life jackets for kids, the group is holding a contest looking for images for their 2010 calendar of children wearing the loaners.

The contest is simple to enter. Pick up a free loaner life jacket from one of the BoatU.S. Foundation's Kids' Life Jacket loaner sites, take a picture of your child wearing it and send it in.

The deadline for submission is Sept. 30. Complete rules are available on the website.

In early November, judges will select winning images to be included on next year's BoatU.S. Foundation calendar, sold on their website.

The BoatU.S. Foundation is a national nonprofit organization which focuses on boating safety, education and environmental programs. They offer the only accredited, free online general boating safety course.

-- Kelly Burgess

Photo: A little girl wearing her BoatU.S. Foundation loaner life jacket. Credit: Eric Amato

Colorado River boaters (who drink) beware Operation Dry Water

Summer is at hand and the Colorado River, long a favored party spot for boaters, is becoming increasingly crowded.

But the era in which boaters could freely drink and operate their vessels without worrying about police has vanished. Law enforcement now treats operating under the influence on the water as seriously as it treats driving under the influence on land.

Why? Because most deadly boating accidents involve consumption of alcohol.

And if there's one weekend that a  crackdown will be evident,  it's June 26-28, when Operation Dry Water will launch nationwide and will include a tri-state campaign on the most popular boating party spot west of the Mississippi.

That's the Colorado River, whose shores are in California, Arizona and Nevada. Though the campaign is designed to promote awareness and responsibility, boaters along the 233-mile system can expect to encounter checkpoints and will land in deep trouble if they've had too much to drink.

Said Raynor Tsuneyoshi, California's boating law administrator: "The reality is, for their safety and the safety of others, if you choose to drink and then operate a boat at or above the legal .08 limit, you will go to jail."

Consider yourselves warned.

-- Pete Thomas

Photo: Party barges, boats and revelers crowd a sandbar on the Colorado River in Lake Havasu. Credit: Robert Caplin / For the Times

Boating safety fair this weekend at Lake Havasu

Boaters at Lake Havasu this weekend might want to check out the Tri-State Boating Safety Fair, taking place 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at London Bridge Beach in Lake Havasu City.

The free annual event, organized by the California Boating and Waterways, Arizona Game and Fish and Nevada Wildlife departments, is held to help educate boaters and families about general boating safety and marks the beginning of National Safe Boating Week, which runs May 16-22.

The Colorado river offers many locales for boating enthusiasts, including Lake Havasu, a popular destination.

"The river has several massive lakes and runs through three states, so we will be there to clarify both the fun boating opportunities and safety challenges we see with a waterway this large and complex," California Boating Law administrator Raynor T. Tsuneyoshi said.

Activities on tap include free vessel safety checks conducted by the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary as well as a life jacket trade-in, where attendees will have the opportunity to swap an unsafe or outgrown jacket for a new one (one per family, while supplies last).

"This year, the lakes are full to the brim and we want people to go out on the water and enjoy the experience, but we also want them to be safe and make good decisions," said Kevin Bergersen, Arizona Boating Law administrator.

"Expecting the unexpected and using good judgment are key factors in returning home safely," Bergersen added. "We want this event to provoke that kind of awareness and thinking."

--Kelly Burgess

Photo: Boaters cruise through the London Bridge channel. Credit: Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times

Trout opener could be marred by snow and wind

Pete Thomas just checked in from Crowley Lake. He is up there to cover Saturday's Eastern Sierra trout-fishing opening day and says it could be an old-fashioned opener: cold, snowy and blustery.

A few observations made at 10 a.m. Friday:

-- Crowley Lake: strong winds out of the southwest. Winds expected to die down overnight but build again Saturday afternoon. Could be nasty for boaters.

-- Convict Lake: Same strong winds and some horizontal snow.

-- Mammoth Lakes: Snowing hard and breezy

-- June Lake Loop: Snowing hard and windy

-- Bridgeport area: no report

As anyone who has been in the region during the spring can attest, the weather can be very unpredictable. So be prepared for anything.

(To view Pete's story on Manzanar internees who sneaked out of the camp to fish during the World War II-era, click here. The story appeared in today's Los Angeles Times).

-- Kelly Burgess

Photo: The moon sets behind the Sierra Nevada range as anglers prepare their boats at Crowley Lake marina for the trout season opener last year. Credit: Brian VanderBrug/Los Angeles Times

San Diego's Day at the Docks Festival is Sunday

With gorgeous weather on tap, and with prime saltwater fishing season just around the corner, folks may want to attend the Day at the Docks Festival on Sunday at the waterfront landings in the Port of San Diego at Point Loma. 

Myriad activities are planned, including seminars and contests, boat rides around the bay, cooking demos, live entertainment, children's fishing and tours of boats at participating landings.

The festival will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free and parking is available on nearby Shelter Island with complimentary shuttle service running until 5:30 p.m. For more information and directions, click here.

—Kelly Burgess

NFL players may have shed life vests in struggle against elements

A sad story gets sadder ...

Nick Schuyler, the lone survivor of an ordeal involving a capsized fishing boat off Florida's Gulf Coast, told investigators that he and three others -- including NFL players Marquis Cooper and Corey Smith, who remain missing and presumed drowned -- had donned life vests after their boat was flipped by a large wave.

But the St. Petersburg Times, quoting family members who were briefed by the U.S. Coast Guard, reports that the two NFL players eventually slipped free of their life vests and drifted off, with no more fight. The third missing fisherman, Will Bleakley, claimed to have seen a light and reportedly tried swimming to safety.

Whatever the details, three men are probably dead and what they went through underscores how quickly things can go wrong at sea, especially for those not thoroughly prepared.

With this in mind, the BoatU.S. Foundation offers these tips for anyone pondering an offshore fishing trip aboard a private vessel:

-- File a float plan and make sure you adhere to it. By filing a float plan with a reliable family member or friend, they will be your first life-line to safety by letting the authorities know when you are overdue, where you had planned to go, and what time you were supposed to return.

Search for missing NFL players narrows after discovery of capsized boat

A Coast Guard search has narrowed off Florida's Gulf Coast for three fishermen, including NFL players Corey Smith and Marquis Cooper, after the Monday morning discovery of their 21-foot capsized boat and a fourth man who survived the ordeal.

Nick Schuyler, a former University of South Florida football player, was clinging to the vessel and wearing a life jacket when it was discovered Monday about 38 miles west of Tampa Bay.

Petty officer Robert Simpson said Schuyler, who was suffering from hypothermia, was airlifted to Tampa General Hospital. Schuyler told authorities the boat was anchored when it overturned Saturday evening in rough seas, spilling all four fishermen into the gulf.

Simpson said during an interview at 6:15 p.m. Monday, local time, that "multiple units" were still searching for the missing men.

What remains unclear is whether the four were aware of an oncoming cold front and forecasted high winds. It's remarkable that Schuyler was able to hold on.

Frank Strait, an AccuWeather meteorologist, said powerful winds followed the cold front and by late Sunday morning swells had grown to 12 to 14 feet and winds were gusting to 30-plus knots.

A small-craft advisory for the area was issued early Saturday evening.

Water temperatures in the area are in the low 60s, so there's a chance one or more of the missing men are still alive, if they're wearing a flotation device. Simpson did not know whether the three were wearing life jackets.

Here's hoping for another miraculous discovery--and soon!

--Pete Thomas

Photo: A Coast Guard boat approaches Nick Schuyler, a former University of South Florida football player, as he sits on a capsized boat Monday off Florida. Credit: U.S. Coast Guard

Coast Guard locates boat that carried missing NFL players; one survivor found

***UPDATE: The U.S. Coast Guard has confirmed that the boat carrying NFL players Corey Smith and Marquis Cooper, and two others, has been found, along with one survivor. The St. Petersburg Times is reporting that former University of South Florida football player Nick Schuyler was found alive and clinging to the boat 38 miles west of Tampa Bay. The other three men remain missing.

The U.S. Coast Guard has found  an overturned boat with one survivor off Florida's Gulf Coast, but it remains unclear whether it was the boat carrying two NFL players and two other men who had embarked on a fishing trip Saturday from Clearwater, Fla.

Petty Officer Sondra-Kay Kneen said only that searchers located an overturned boat today.

Searchers, hampered by rough weather, have been looking  for a 21-foot vessel carrying Corey Smith, a Detroit Lions free-agent defensive end; Marquis Cooper, an Oakland Raiders linebacker; and Will Bleakley and Nick Schuyler, both former University of South Florida players.

The vessel could easily have been swamped and capsized. A severe cold front was passing through Florida at the time. Seas and winds grew increasingly unfriendly and a small-craft advisory had been issued.

A distress signal, if one had been issued, was not received.

(It should be noted that four very large men is a lot of weight for a 21-foot boat to accommodate.)

I know a little about this kind of thing as I've owned two 21-foot fishing boats over the years and have been at sea numerous times during small-craft advisories.

One experience stands out above others: I left Marina del Rey with my brother and two friends one morning, and when it began to get rough we ducked into King Harbor in Redondo Beach and fished there for two hours before noticing 10-foot waves cascading over the breakwater.

Zac Sunderland and Mike Perham, global sailors, Yank versus Brit

Zac Sunderland is on one side of Africa, Mike Perham is on the other. The Yank and Brit, 17 and 16, respectively, are both trying to  become the youngest person to sail alone around the world.

Sunderland, who has been on his adventure since June 14, is currently attempting a tricky sail into Durban, South Africa, and is past the halfway point. But he still must round the treacherous Cape of Good Hope. The Thousand Oaks adventurer is on a grass-roots-type excursion aboard a 36-foot Islander named Intrepid.

He has been doing his own provisioning and is down to canned mac-n-cheese and canned curry.

Perham is aboard a sleek, fully provisioned 50-foot racing yacht. He left Nov. 15 and had planned on sailing nonstop and completing his journey in four months, beating Sunderland into the record book.

Many Sunderland fans perceive this to be a deliberate attempt to steal Zac's thunder. Truth is, Perham had been working toward this project for years.

But no one knows how things will turn out. Perham has been sidelined for more than a week in the Canary Islands because of problems with his autopilot, so his "nonstop" effort is over.

They are two different adventures. Sunderland (pictured above with girls he met in Mauritius) is stopping in ports and seeing the world. Perham just wants to get around it as quickly as he can.

But it has become a race of sorts and both will be winners merely by surviving the length of their odysseys. Sailing around the world alone -- with its storminess and piracy -- is a very serious, man-sized undertaking.

-- Pete Thomas

Photo: Zac Sunderland with new acquaintances Ashley and Kate, whom he met while in Mauritius. Credit: Richard Munisamy

Zac Sunderland mired in doldrums

Zac Sunderland, the Thousand Oaks teenager hoping to become the youngest sailor to solo-circumnavigate the globe, is begging the heavens for wind to fill his sails.

You may recall the high school sophomore departed Marina del Rey on June 14. He dropped to the southwest, expecting to find hearty gusts, but is presently only 1,500 miles from Los Angeles and 800 miles from the big island of Hawaii.

At this pace the 16-year-old, who plans on returning within a year, will be an old man by the time he completes his voyage (complete itinerary below).

Well, perhaps not. But the slow pace has caused him to alter his itinerary in order to take advantage of favorable weather patterns along his route. After reaching Majuro in the Marshall Islands, instead of island hopping and hanging out, as he'd hoped to do, he'll enjoy a 10-day rest and set sail directly for Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, a 2,400-mile passage.

In his blogs, Zac has complained about fish biting his lures but not becoming hooked. Blame that on the wind, too. Eight knots is insufficient both to power his 36-foot sailboat and properly set the hook on a fast-swimming tuna or mahi-mahi. And oh, how Zac is looking forward to eating some real food, rather than the freeze-dried packaged fare in his store.

But the kid remains in fair spirits, promises his mother. "He's doing amazingly well," Marianne Sunderland reports. "He gets some comments on how he sounds bored or really tired but he isn't either. He is tired but he has quickly learned to sleep when he can and to nap throughout the day and night. He's working hard to keep the boat shipshape -- a huge change from the hellaciously messy room he had not so long ago!"

Marianne adds: "We are so impressed with how he is rising to the challenges of running his own boat. He's up at night dealing with urgent matters. There are critics who say he is miserable but he isn't. He's meeting the challenges associated with doing something great, a challenge he made for himself. We couldn't get him to take the trash out without grumbling before!"

And so the saga continues. Zac knows he must be careful what he wishes for. He desires wind but not storms. He craves fresh fish but not the attendant sharks. He can get the latter, plus a hot shower and real bed, in Hilo, so he might stop there for a night, Marianne says. After all, she adds, "he might need to freshen up because he has such a long way to go."

He surely does. The Marshall Islands are still nearly 3,000 miles away, so Hawaii, when it looms into view, will resemble nothing short of Paradise. The hard part, if he goes ashore, will be stepping back aboard his little boat.

Decisions, decisions...
--Pete Thomas

Illustration by Lorena Iniguez / Los Angeles Times

Bumped by a shark

Recently, commercial fishermen witnessed a medium-sized great white shark attack on a harbor seal, on the remote windward side of Santa Catalina Island. On Sunday a woman kayaking off West Cove near the island's isthmus claimed to have been bumped off her kayak by a large shark.

"My first thought was, `Wow, was that a whale?"' Bettina Pereira told KCAL news. "I couldn't believe it and all of a sudden when I seen the fin I realized this is not a whale -- this is a shark. By the time I thought that ... the shark was already cruising under me and lifting the kayak up with its body, and I landed out of the kayak right onto the shark's body."

Nearby boaters drove to the rescue, pulled Pereira aboard and helped her to shore. Her son told her husband she'd been attacked by a shark.

Thoughts:

1) Avalon needs news such as this like it needs another helicopter crash or wildfire.

2) This was no shark attack and it cannot be confirmed whether whatever it was that capsized Pereira's boat was in fact a shark, though witnesses watching from afar claimed on various websites that its swirling tail looked like that of a shark. If it were an attack by a large great white, there'd be a damaged kayak and perhaps a severely damaged or dead body. This appears to have been a simple bump, perhaps by a curious predator, which proceeded to move on.

3) There are sharks around Catalina, just as there are sharks along the mainland coast. Thankfully, they are not after human blood and very rarely spill it. More people are entering island waters as the busy season kicks in, so encounters with ocean critters can be expected.

4) Unfortunately, news accounts can generate hysteria, especially when they're false and sensational. KNX, for example, ran a blurb on its website stating, "There have been reports of several Great White attacks up and down the coast, from Mexico to San Diego, in the past couple of months. In the San Diego attack, a swimmer was killed."

There have been four attacks--three off Mexico, two of them fatal; all presumed to have involved bull sharks--and one confirmed fatal attack on a swimmer, by a white shark, off Solana Beach in San Diego County. To implicate great whites in all of the attacks is not only irresponsible, but it falsely represents the species as a savage killer.

Finally, Catalina remains reasonably safe; as safe as mainland coastal waters. And swimming, diving or kayaking there is probably safer than a helicopter ride, and definitely safer than driving on mainland streets and freeways.

But please exercise caution if you go--and don't play with matches.

--Pete Thomas

Archive photo of great white shark by Tyson Rininger / AP

Scuba show Saturday and Sunday in Long Beach

Scuba diving enthusiasts looking for some new gear should definitely get down to the Long Beach Convention Center over the weekend.

With 200 exhibitors scheduled to display their wares and more than 76,000 square feet in which to do so, the Scuba Show promises to be the largest consumer dive expo in the U.S. Even if you're not interested in purchasing any equipment, there are good reasons to check it out, including a variety of dive-related programs and seminars with top diving experts, a film festival and a casino party.

Tickets start at $12. The schedule of events is as follows:

Saturday
10 a.m. - 6 p.m.  Exhibits open
11a.m. - 5 p.m.  Seminars
11a.m. - 5 p.m.  Film festival
6 p.m. - 10 p.m.  Casino party

Sunday
10 a.m. - 5 p.m.  Exhibits open
11 a.m. - 4 p.m.  Seminars
11 a.m. - 4 p.m.  Film festival

—Liam Gowing

Photo of model in wetsuit by Eric Boyd / Los Angeles Times

Kayaking... from the Arctic to the tropics

Two great articles in the Travel section of the Times spotlight vastly different approaches to kayaking.

In the more recent of the two, Madeline Drexler writes about visiting "Iceberg Alley" along the Canadian coast. Here's an excerpt:

Iceberg allure also stems from illusion. From land, it's nearly impossible to gauge the size and location of a berg without a reference point, such as a bird, boat or trees on an adjacent shoreline. And although the massive proportions make icebergs appear solid, they are in constant flux.

Most of their bulk is below water (seven-eighths, to be exact), and close approach by boat is dangerous. But kayakers can't seem to resist paddling in close to touch their surface. For them, the risk is not so much that the berg will roll -- a kayak would float on the sudden swell -- but that sheets of ice may vertically sheer off.

In the earlier one, Claudia Capos writes about paddling through the bioluminescence of Puerto Rico's Las Croabas Lagoon:

It wasn't until that moment that the whole wacky night seemed worthwhile. My fiancé, Doug, and I had just spent two frantic, wet and cold hours on a kayaking tour on a bioluminescent bay off the eastern side of this Caribbean island. At the time, we thought they should have paid us to go. In retrospect, the experience was unique and we'd probably never duplicate it.

On an earlier trip to Puerto Rico, we had heard about the island's "bio-bays" and the water's eerie glow, created by single-celled microorganisms called bioluminescent dinoflagellates, which emit a flash of bluish light when agitated at night. Some guidebooks claim -- I don't believe it, though -- a high concentration of the plankton can produce enough light to read a book by.

It's time for me to pack my bags. Both of these trips sound amazing.

—Liam Gowing

Photo of kayakers near Quirpon Island, Canada by Richard T. Nowitz / Corbis
Photo of kayakers in Las Croabas Lagoon, Puerto Rico courtesy of Puerto Rico Tourism

Boats for sale (though few for sail)

Not sure what to get dear old Dad for Father's Day?

Well, if you can pony up the dough, the Southern California Marine Assn. has a few suggestions for you and they're about to go on display at the Fairplex in Pomona. Of course, I'm referring to the Spring Boat Show, which begins Thursday and continues through Sunday.

All of you aspiring Thurston Howells beware, this is no highfalutin yacht extravaganza — that's coming up next week — just a down-to-earth motorboat-oriented show. It's a big one though. Boat Show folks have promised  more than 250,000 square feet full of merchandise, including "family runabouts, ski boats, fishing boats, cruisers, pontoons, performance "sportboats" and "personal watercraft," i.e. Jet Skis.

In addition to the exhibits and demonstrations, KLOS-FM (95.5) and other radio stations plan to broadcast from the show, the L.A. County Fairgrounds will be slinging barbecue and there will be a variety of child-friendly entertainers providing live music, face-painting, balloon sculptures and other novelties.

Tickets are $10, with a dollar discount for AAA members.

—Liam Gowing

Photo of last year's show courtesy of the Southern California Marine Assn.

Zac Sunderland's solo-sail postponed

Those planning to visit Marina del Rey on Saturday to watch 16-year-old Zac Sunderland begin his solo-sail around the world will have to wait until June 14. The crew preparing his 36-foot sailboat discovered a broken gear-box seal on an old Palmer engine, for which parts are not readily available, so the engine will be replaced.

“This is a huge disappointment in some ways but practically speaking it is for the best,” Sunderland blogged on his website: zacsunderland.com.

Sunderland is hoping to become the youngest sailor to circumnavigate the globe alone. The new departure date coincides with the Marina del Rey Boat Show June 12-15 at Burton Chace Park. Sunderland’s afternoon departure, thus, will become a show spectacle.

—Pete Thomas

Photo of Zac Sunderland by Al Seib / Los Angeles Times

Off Malibu, great white shark on the move

Boaters may have noticed the large pen recently placed off Malibu's Paradise Cove. It soon will house a young great white shark, which will reside there until it's fit for travel, via customized water truck, to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It will be the aquarium's fourth captive white shark since 2004. More interesting is the whereabouts of the most recent parolee (pictured above in its former home), which swam to the Cabo San Lucas and Mazatlan areas of Mexico — does this predator know how to party or what? — before settling in the latter region for several weeks.

More recently, he traveled swiftly to the north and crossed the gulf. His high-tech tag shows him hugging a remote stretch of Baja California coastline more than halfway up the peninsula. The sudden and vast movement has caused what an aquarium spokesman described as “some low-level anxiety” among scientists that he may have been caught by fishermen and was under transport to a fish camp. But unless the tagging track starts moving overland or quits transmitting signals, they will assume he’s merely wandering and searching for fish, as young white sharks do. Stay tuned…

—Pete Thomas, Los Angeles Times staff writer

Photo by Randy Wilder / Monterey Bay Aquarium