The Duffy

The Newport to Ensenda Yacht Race starts today from the habour here in Newport.  Just a couple of weeks ago, I was at the playground eavesdropping on two mothers chatting.  Apparently, Nicholas Cage moors his yacht in Newport Harbour but sends it down to Ensenada in Mexico for four months over the winter to avoid paying property taxes.  That’s not the sort of chat I heard at the playground in Salisbury, we didn’t have Hollywood stars popping in there.  By the way, in case you’re interested, Nic’s boat is lovely from the outside but very gaudy inside so be warned if he invites you for a sail.

We took some friends on a tour of Newport Harbour on Easter Sunday.   I don’t know much about sailing. I’ve sailed the odd dinghy and understand  ‘going about’ etc, but really sailing for me is all about letting someone else drive while I admire the scenery.  You’ll gather from my lack of sailing terminology that I truly am a novice sailor.

Newport has a great harbour with lots of homes, boats and the odd sea lion to look at but you can’t really appreciate them unless you take to the water. We’ve discovered Duffy boats, which you can rent for an hour or two and cruise around.  They’re electric boats and according to Duffy of Orange County were created when Marshal “Duffy” Duffield placed the motor from a secondhand golf cart into the hull of a beat-up motorboat.  You can meander along and take a look at the houses just long enough not to be annoying, peer in to see which homes you like and which you don’t.  Which I always love, cruising passed a $20 million home in a boat that you’ve rented for the hour going ‘ooh, I don’t like that one.’  Like you’re about to make an offer and that one simply won’t do.

Lots of stars have lived in Newport including John Wayne who played cards on his boat with Dean Martin, Bob Hope, and Sammy Davis, Jr.  Shirley Temple had a house on the harbour here and according to my research; Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart hung out on their boat in Newport.  In other words, there’s a lot to look at.

Newport has lots of islands and channels and the restaurants have docks which you can park your boat and head in for lunch.  When I say park, I think I probably mean moor or dock or something boaty. There are lots of places to rent Duffys from including places at the Fun Zone, which is just at the base of the Balboa Pier and the main area where tourists gather.

It’s really worth an excursion, who needs a vast ocean, there’s nothing to look at there.  If I take to the high seas, I want to people watch, be nosey, have a glass of wine and make sure the boat doesn’t wobble too much.  That’s my idea of sailing.  I tried to take some photos of some Duffys this week but failed miserably.  Here’s a much better collection.

So, once you’ve spent the day in Balboa, done the beach, the Fun Zone, had lunch at Ruby’s at the end of the Pier, rented a bicycle to go up and down the boardwalk, rent a Duffy for an hour.  It’s a great way to escape the crowds and see Newport from another angle.  Just take me with you as your passenger; I’ll bring the wine.