By Chris Ericksen

I spent the last weekend helping to run some sailboat races. What was unusual for me is that I was pretty much just a helper. I often get involved in these things in a position of responsibility, but such was not the case.

As I had a fair amount of spare time on my hands, I had a chance to really see our waters in a way that I haven’t had a chance to for years. I was able to watch the schooner “American Pride” ghost along the Peninsula. There was a lot of activity on the oil islands as well, and boats and barges moved across the water between the islands and the shore.

There were sailboats and kiteboards and jet skis and speedboats and cabin-cruisers of every size and color. And in most there were families and friends just plain enjoying a day on the water.

We can all do that.

If all you want to do is see the water, try a walk along the bluffs. You can stroll unobstructed from the Long Beach Museum of Art all the way to Bluff Park. You can go down on the bike path below the bluffs or the Boardwalk along the Peninsula. But my favorite suggestion is to catch a ride on the AquaBus that runs from Alamitos Bay Landing all the way to the Queen Mary and downtown. It’s not too much money, but a great way to get out on the water.

August is here. September and school is not far behind. Don’t let the summer get away without a family day on the water.

Sea Festival

The Long Beach Sea Festival rolls on in August with several great events on the water this week. Among the most popular is the Kid’s Fishing Rodeo on the Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier on Friday, Aug. 1. It is probably the oldest event of all in the Sea Festival, as it harkens back to fishing contests for children that were first staged on the Grand Avenue Pier before World War I.

There are a few other venerable events as well. One is the Long Beach Sprint Nationals, two days of speedboat racing on Marine Stadium that began in the 1940s. That will run on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 2 and 3. Featuring the same kind of “cracker box” hydroplanes that I remember from my youth, this event has both thrills and spills and some historic boats.

Speaking of historic boats, Shoreline Yacht Club will be hosting the third annual Classic Boat and Yacht Festival from Friday through Sunday, Aug. 1-3. It’ll be like a “concourse d’elegance” for the boating set, with classic wooden cruisers and runabouts dating back to the ’30s on display in Rainbow Harbor downtown.

There also are such events as the annual Land Meets Sea Camp for disabled children and adults, a great day for inner-city kids at the Aquarium of the Pacific that includes a harbor cruise. There’s Pier Daze on the Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier and a two-day Crawfish Festival at the Colorado Lagoon. I suggest you look elsewhere in this edition of the Grunion Gazette for information on these events, or go to the Sea Festival Web site, www.longbeachseafestival.com. You can also call the offices of the Sea Festival Association at 426-7670.