Her length, including bowsprit, is 145 feet, though when considering just her hull at 130 feet by 24 feet, the Californian, a replica of the mid-nineteenth century Revenue Cutter C.W. Lawrence, weighs in at one …
January 15, 2018
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Stories by Daniel Powell
Let's hope she doesn't run aground
Massive yellowfin tuna caught off Loreto
Dock Totals Jan 7 – Jan 13: 1,168 anglers aboard 66 boats out of San Diego landings this past week caught 127 bluefin tuna, 1,584 yellowtail, 82 calico bass, 303 sand bass, 568 rockfish, 1 …
January 15, 2018
Confusion at Pt. Loma tidepools
Dec 10 13:41 Medical: Lifeguard, emergency and medical units respond to Littlerock Jetty for surfer with shoulder injury. Patient transported to UCSD 13:38 Medical: Lifeguard, emergency and medical units respond to beach under Ocean Beach …
January 9, 2018
Rockfish closed, sculpin open as yellowtail and tuna still on the chew
Dock Totals Dec 31 – Jan 6: 1,554 anglers aboard 66 boats out of San Diego landings this past week caught 160 bluefin tuna, 943 yellowtail, 84 calico bass, 220 sand bass, 1,639 rockfish, 10 …
January 8, 2018
Beat the eagles and osprey
In San Diego County, night-fishing is usually not available until summer catfish season; most lakes close at sunset. But trout, largemouth bass and channel and blue catfish feed at night. The fish can cruise the …
January 8, 2018
Indications for local fishing in 2018
Dock Totals Dec 22 – Dec 28: 2,001 anglers aboard 66 boats out of San Diego landings this past week caught 272 bluefin tuna, 1 skipjack tuna, 1,657 yellowtail, 34 calico bass, 48 sand bass, …
December 30, 2017
Boat slams aground off Gunpowder Point, passengers hurt
Dec 23 - Harbor Patrol responded to the Sheraton Marina for a fuel spill. Harbor Patrol documented the incident, notified all environmental agencies and are still investigating as the suspect vessel is known. - Harbor …
December 29, 2017
Chollas Lake piers and playground make it easy
Most county lakes and reservoirs offer fishing and are stocked with channel catfish, trout, blue catfish, sunfish, bluegill, and bass. For the city-bound, Chollas Lake, located centrally in Oak Park on the north side of …
December 26, 2017
Stocking stuffer for San Diego anglers — all-around good fishing!
Dock Totals Dec 17 – Dec 20: 709 anglers aboard 37 boats out of San Diego landings this past week (4 days) caught 246 bluefin tuna, 398 yellowtail, 54 calico bass, 16 sand bass, 1694 …
December 22, 2017
Sadly, lots of 5150s this time of year
Nov 17 09:42 Medical: Surfer with a bloody nose and concussion at Tourmaline. Patient is a 20-year-old female. Lifeguards respond and treat and release according to the report. 12:15 Cliff: Cliff rescue at Hully Gully, …
December 21, 2017
Kayak to Sunny Jim
In the early 1920s, Frank Baum, author of The Wizard of Oz, was looking at the illuminated mouth of the cave from the darkness inside and remarked that the silhouette resembled Sunny Jim, the cartoon …
December 19, 2017
Bluefin and yellowtail for Christmas
Dock Totals Dec 10 – Dec 16: 1,128 anglers aboard 60 boats out of San Diego landings this past week caught 893 bluefin tuna, 4 yellowfin tuna, 567 yellowtail, 6 calico bass, 19 sand bass, …
December 18, 2017
Harbor Patrol calls — rowing dinghies and wind don’t mix
Dec 9 Harbor Patrol responded to an adrift vessel near Harbor Island. Harbor Patrol located an adrift kayak which was then taken to the Harbor Patrol dock and impounded. Dec 8 Harbor Patrol were dispatched …
December 14, 2017
Lots of elbow room
Dock Totals Dec 3 – Dec 9: 1,032 anglers aboard 59 boats out of San Diego landings this past week caught 577 bluefin tuna, 16 yellowfin tuna, 146 yellowtail, 23 calico bass, 16 sand bass, …
December 11, 2017
Lifeguard oddities of 2017
March 15 – Harbor Patrol responded to the A-2 Anchorage (Americas Cup Harbor) to investigate a subject acting erratically aboard a sailboat he set adrift. The naked subject was throwing items from the vessel into …
December 8, 2017
Early whales
This is the time of year that gray whales follow their twelve-thousand mile migratory round-trip to the Pacific lagoons of Baja California Sur, where they calve and nurse their newborns in the tranquil and food-rich …
December 7, 2017
Bluefin limits in December — some lingcod tips
Dock Totals Nov 26 – Dec 2: 1,547 anglers aboard 74 boats out of San Diego landings this past week caught 1,027 bluefin tuna, 35 yellowfin tuna, 14 bigeye tuna, 57 yellowtail, 11 calico bass, …
December 4, 2017
More clothes than normal
In 1930, while waiting for the rest of the players to show up for a volleyball match Paul Johnson of the Santa Monica Athletic Club suggested that he and the three others there early try …
December 4, 2017
Call for naught
July 24 Boating: 911 call for a vessel accident off Ski Beach. Lifeguard boat unit responds, turns out not to be a vessel accident. A PWC was overturned and being harassed by two other PWC’s. …
November 28, 2017
Jesse Billauer's second life on a board
In the mid-1990s while still in his teens, Surfer magazine named Jesse Billauer one of the top 100 up-and-coming surfers in the world. He was surfing Zuma Beach at Drainpipes before school in March of …
November 28, 2017
Thanksgiving goats that taste like crab
Dock Totals Nov 19 – Nov 25: 2,251 anglers aboard 84 boats out of San Diego landings this past week caught 445 bluefin tuna, 47 yellowfin tuna, 4 skipjack tuna, 105 yellowtail, 75 calico bass, …
November 28, 2017
Big bluefin tuna back at it — NEW video included
Dock Totals Nov 12 – Nov 18: 1,295 anglers aboard 71 boats out of San Diego landings this past week caught 159 bluefin tuna, 971 yellowfin tuna, 1 skipjack tuna, 236 yellowtail, 70 calico bass, …
November 20, 2017
Navy nabs lobster divers, Harbor Patrol rescues tired swimmer
Nov 10 - HP issued three citations to subjects that were caught scuba diving within San Diego Bay. The subjects were caught by the Navy and were found to be lobster fishing. - HP responded …
November 17, 2017
Tuna still loitering as freezer filling time nears
Dock Totals Nov 5 – Nov 11: 1,751 anglers aboard 86 boats out of San Diego landings this past week caught 106 bluefin tuna, 241 yellowfin tuna, 45 dorado, 828 yellowtail, 380 calico bass, 63 …
November 13, 2017
Dead sea turtle, dog locked in car, drunken dad with infants
Oct 29 09:00 - Medical: Lifeguards and emergency respond to incident with multiple patients. Lifeguards clear. Fire handles. 11:28 - Medical: Lifeguard responds to 911 call of stingray patient near Black Gold Rd. Patient is …
November 9, 2017
Dixon Lake — small lake, huge fish
Dixon Lake, one of the smaller lakes in San Diego County, has proven itself mighty in the bass fishing realm. From April 2001 until May 2003, the little lake within the Escondido city limits produced …
November 9, 2017
Full moon brings on bluefin tuna bite
Dock Totals Oct 29 – Nov 4: 2,320 anglers aboard 106 boats out of San Diego landings this past week caught 536 bluefin tuna, 314 yellowfin tuna, 199 skipjack tuna, 87 dorado, 1,095 yellowtail, 1 …
November 6, 2017
Kayak fishing like the Pericú
As European explorers made their way northward along the eastern Pacific, the natives at the southernmost portion of Baja were the Pericú. The Pericú had little, if any, interaction with other tribes. Their isolation left …
November 5, 2017
Always use a hot bait
Dock Totals Oct 22 – Oct 28: 3,370 anglers aboard 141 boats out of San Diego landings this past week caught 123 bluefin tuna, 2,945 yellowfin tuna, 595 skipjack tuna, 368 dorado, 3,271 yellowtail, 1 …
October 30, 2017
Two persons rescued at Blacks Beach cliff, stingray barb imbedded, speeding at Hilton, stuck kayakers at Devil's Slides, human-like sea lion
Oct 1 07:55 - Swimming: 54-year-old male pulled from the water at Bahia Point, Mission Bay Triathlon event. Special events lifeguard on scene, CPR in progress, automated external defibrillator deployed. 1 shock given. Medical, emergency …
October 29, 2017
Lake Jennings spookiness just before it closes
If you see an eerie reddish tint to the water at Lake Jennings on Halloween, it’s not spooks and goblins at work; it is a result of the lake’s hydraulic mixing action being tested by …
October 24, 2017
Too crowded in LA? Try the other Los Angeles.
Dock Totals Oct 15 – Oct 21: 3,121 anglers aboard 136 boats out of San Diego landings this past week caught 289 bluefin tuna, 3,970 yellowfin tuna, 843 skipjack tuna, 103 dorado, 967 yellowtail, 1 …
October 23, 2017
Stolen sailboat found, bilge fire, and a shot television
Oct 13 Harbor Patrol impounded a small vessel that was adrift near buoy #19. The owner of the dinghy overheard USCG broadcasting the hazard on VHF channel 16. He then met Harbor Patrol at the …
October 20, 2017
Extreme Sailing Series Act 7 — spectators will get good look
In 2013 Team USA’s Oracle, a hydrofoil fitted catamaran flew around San Francisco Bay and won the America’s Cup. By 2016, the Extreme 40, a sleek carbon fiber conventional catamaran, was replaced by the hydrofoil-equipped …
October 16, 2017
Bonito bite excellent — good bait for lobster hoop-netters
Dock Totals Oct 8 – Oct 14: 3,793 anglers aboard 165 boats out of San Diego landings this past week caught 139 bluefin tuna, 4,815 yellowfin tuna, 1,331 skipjack tuna, 469 dorado, 2,164 yellowtail, 1 …
October 16, 2017
Slip and fall, suicide attempt, boat collision, motorhome fire, distressed whale
Sept 24 09:33 - Enforcement: Transient male acting erratic at Tourmaline parking lot. Lifeguard and SDPD respond. Suspect questioned and released by SDPD. 10:56 - Boating: Vessel taking on water 1 mile off of Mission …
October 12, 2017
Pretty darn good fishing
Dock Totals Oct 1 – Oct 7: 3,449 anglers aboard 164 boats out of San Diego landings this past week caught 1 swordfish, 763 bluefin tuna, 4,682 yellowfin tuna, 488 skipjack tuna, 529 dorado, 662 …
October 9, 2017
Fleet Week: Ready to get yelled at by Marine drill instructor?
Though New York, Seattle, Los Angeles and San Francisco host military parades in their harbors, Fleet Week in San Diego was first. On May 29, 1935 a U.S. Marine Corps color guard-led parade crossed the …
October 9, 2017
Boat fire turns out to be flag burning at Campland
September 9 00:14 - Swimming: Possible suicide attempt south of OB Pier. Lifeguards, emergency, medical and SDPD units on scene. SDPD takes suspect into custody. 08:38 - Other: Smoke, possible boat fire near Campland by …
October 6, 2017
Fewer anglers but still getting the exotic species
Saltwater Dock Totals Sept 24 – Sept 30: 4,080 anglers aboard 175 boats out of San Diego landings this past week caught 113 bluefin tuna, 5,312 yellowfin tuna, 567 skipjack tuna, 825 dorado, 1,215 yellowtail, …
October 2, 2017
Female swimmer unties boats; illegal aliens jump off dark boat onto Shelter Island
Sept 22 Harbor Patrol investigated a vessel collision that occurred at the Harbor Police guest slips when one vessel was attempting to back out of a slip in strong winds. Due to the impact of …
September 28, 2017
Huge bluefin tuna caught off San Clemente Island
Dock Totals Sept 17 – Sept 23: 5,336 anglers aboard 214 boats out of San Diego landings this past week caught 124 bluefin tuna, 12,699 yellowfin tuna, 1,580 skipjack tuna, 762 dorado, 618 yellowtail, 376 …
September 25, 2017
Toy gun, pier jumper in boxers, and entangled whale on lifeguard to-do list
September 3 Harbor Patrol investigated a minor vessel collision in the Chula Vista Marina. Two vessels collided while one of them was attempting to enter a slip. The damage was minor. 07:51 Medical: 27 year-old …
September 21, 2017
Getting buggy
What bug can cost five hundred dollars? There are a bunch of them cruising along, especially near reefs and jetties. The hefty price tag is the fine for illegal take or possession of the California …
September 19, 2017
Yellowfin tuna fishing off the hook
Dock Totals Sept 10 – Sept 16: 5,182 anglers aboard 218 boats out of San Diego landings this past week caught 353 bluefin tuna, 10,824 yellowfin tuna, 1,378 skipjack tuna, 247 dorado, 1,886 yellowtail, 441 …
September 18, 2017
Arterial bleeding from stingray, boating under the influence
Aug 20 07:57 - Medical: 700 North Jetty Rd. 20 year-old male with burns. Lifeguard, medical and emergency units respond to South Mission Beach. Medical to UCSD. 08:22 - Medical: 13 year-old female nausea & …
September 14, 2017
You need the right gear for big-shoulders bluefin
Dock Totals Sept 3 – Sept 9: 4,672 anglers aboard 188 boats out of San Diego landings this past week caught 1,334 bluefin tuna, 696 yellowfin tuna, 345 skipjack tuna, 202 dorado, 2,500 yellowtail, 1,471 …
September 11, 2017
OMBAC's Classic Longboard contest at Crystal Pier
The Classic Longboard Surfing Contest, held in the waves aside Crystal Pier this Saturday, is sponsored by the Old Mission Beach Athletic Club. The club was formed and operated in the early 1950s, mostly as …
September 11, 2017
Baby locked in vehicle, 4 year-old drowning/aspiration at Leisure Lagoon
Aug 13 11:02 Boating: Seaforth rental boat on rocks at Islandia Point. Lifeguard boat unit responds, Good Samaritan pulls off rocks and clears. 11:22 Medical: Vessel Humbolt reports patient with elevated heart rate. Lifeguard boat …
September 5, 2017
Kayak fishing tournament starts midnight Sunday
In just a few years of internet postings by paddle-angler pioneers like Jim Sammons and Dennis Spike hitting the beaches with remarkable catches on an inexpensive plastic boat, the popularity of kayak fishing exploded. The …
September 4, 2017