From the Boathouse: Another boat show heading to the area

Ahoy!

Local boat show producer Duncan McIntosh has added yet another boat show to his yearly lineup of West Coast shows.

You may recognize his name as the originator of the internationally acclaimed Newport Boat Show, and who recently acquired the Los Angeles, Fred Hall and the San Diego International boat shows.

Boaters may also recognize his company’s name, Duncan McIntosh Co., as the publishers of Sea Magazine, Boating World, Editor & Publisher, OC Weekly and The Log. The Log is the oldest and largest boating newspaper in California, and now includes the popular FishRap News in each issue.

McIntosh is producing a new in-the-water boat show in San Pedro, so pack up the family and drive a short distance north to the Cabrillo Way Marina in Los Angeles Harbor. I cannot recall a previous in-water boat show of this magnitude to anchor in San Pedro, especially for four days of activities.

This new boat show is family friendly with restaurants nearby, a food and craft beer garden, and numerous demonstrations. Not to mention three informative seminars staring on at 2 p.m. Sept. 22 with Cary Weiner, president of Pantaenius Yacht Insurance, who will present “Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Your Yacht Insurance But Didn’t Know Who to Ask.”

Then, at noon Sept. 23, you can hear Mike Gunning of Electric Yachts of Southern California, sharing his experiences of converting boats to electric power with his talk “It 2016 — Diesel or Electric AKA What I have learned after converting 400 boats to electric.” Gunning returns the following day at noon to look at new green technologies for the sailor.

The inaugural Southern California In-Water Boat Show is expected to display a couple of hundred of new and used boats that you can board to inspect the amenities. At least 80 booths will be hosting vendors with the cutting-edge electronics and boating related accessories.

The boat show will open the gangways Sept. 22-25 at Cabrillo Way Marina, 2500 Miner St., San Pedro or input 33.72340N and 118.27704W into your GPS. The cost is only $15 for adults, free for minnows 12 and under, and a $5 discount with a military ID. You can find out the hours and parking information at socalboatshow.com.

Weekend Weather

Looking over the horizon to the weekend, the weather and sea conditions will continue be excellent as we start to transition into fall. The air temperature will be warm with patchy fog in the mornings. You will experience a mixed set if your venture into the ocean with a 2-foot west and a 2- to 3-foot south, and rag-boaters will have light winds blowing 10 knots in the afternoons.

However, we are keeping a watch on Hurricane Orlene in the Pacific, which should be downgraded to a tropical storm by the weekend. Orlene’s anticipated track is due west and no public advisories, especially for the Hawaiian Islands, as of the first of the week.

Tip of the week

Is your boat’s VHF marine radio activated with a MMSI number?

Most if not all marine radios have many features, one of which is that they can broadcast Maydays automatically. An MMSI number is the maritime mobile service identity number that you can receive easily from BoatU.S. at boatus.com/mmsi.

Marine radios installed in vessels can interface with the boat’s global-positioning system, so at the push of a button, the radio will transmit an electronic distress signal along with your latitude and longitude and your unique nine-digit number over channel 70. The Coast Guard uses this information to know the position of your vessel and access its database for details about your boat, which removes the “search” from search and rescue.

Boat safe, boat smart and wear your lifejacket. Lastly, please boat responsibly, and I cannot emphasize enough to look behind you before you turn your vessel.

The original boating program, “Boathouse TV & Radio Shows,” has stretched from coast to coast for more than two decades. See the details at boathousetv.com, facebook.com/boathouseradioand twitter.com/boathouseradio.

Safe Voyages!

MIKE WHITEHEAD is a boating columnist for the Daily Pilot. Send marine-related thoughts and story suggestions to mike@boathousetv.com or go to boathousetv.com.