The Narwhal, a U.S. Coast Guard cutter that patrols the Orange County coastline and works with first responders, will drop anchor in Dana Point Harbor on Saturday, April 2.

The ship is the only active Coast Guard unit in Orange County and usually is kept at the Coast Guard’s facility on Bayside Drive in Newport Harbor. It is one of seven cutters that operate in the Coast Guard’s Southern California fleet, and the public will have the opportunity to get aboard, meet the crew and learn about the life and service of the Coast Guard.

The Narwhal’s mission is to secure the country’s maritime borders, but its crew also participate in search and rescue, enforcing immigration laws, overseeing local fisheries and responding to oil spills. In recent months, it has frequently served along the maritime border south of San Diego.

“It’s not often a warship comes into Dana Point Harbor,” said Garry Nelson, flotilla commander for the volunteer Dana Point U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. “They won’t have guns displayed, but it is a warship.”

The Dana Point group is the largest of seven flotillas in Orange County; there are three of the auxiliary groups in Newport Beach, one in Huntington Beach, one in Seal Beach and one in north Orange County.  There are 226 members in flotillas countywide.

Some of the more fun things to check out onboard the ship, Nelson said, will be its bridge, from where the vessel is operated, the galley where food is cooked, the area where the 12-man crew sleeps and its engine room.

At 87 feet, the Narwhal is among the smaller Coast Guard ships. Some are as long as 420 feet. It is out to sea for several days during a typical mission.

The visit to the Ocean Institute dock was coordinated by the Dana Point flotilla. Members of this flotilla participate in a number of functions including daytime and nighttime patrols.

Patrols are done four days a month and include activities such as keeping an eye on boaters, assisting those in need and looking for hazards along the shoreline from San Mateo Point to the northern point of Newport Beach. Another fun thing this flotilla does is escort and create a perimeter around the tall ships engaged in canon battles during the annual Tall Ships Festival at the Ocean Institute.

Flotilla members include experienced boaters, former Coast Guard veterans and newbies who want to learn more about the Coast Guard and about boating.

Recent data indicates the number of boating accidents has risen by almost 50% in the past two years, with the most common being people driving them are “not looking up,” Nelson said. “They’re not paying attention to boats around them or to the shoreline.”

Nelson said that with summer coming, he expects the number of incidents to rise. Part of the rise is because of the pandemic, more people have taken to activities outside and boating has become more popular. But some boaters aren’t as familiar with the rules of navigation as they should be, Nelson said.

“We’re out there looking for any hazards to navigation,” said Nelson, who joined the auxiliary in 2014. “We’re looking for boating safety issues or boaters that may be taking on water and don’t know it. We assist anyone who needs it.”

Auxiliary members also train with the active-duty “Coasties.”

That training also comes in handy for the Coast Guard, said Lt. j.g. Dustin Smith, commanding officer of the Narwhal.

Among some of the capabilities of the Narwhal is towing vessels. While its crew could practice with other Coast Guard boats, the flotilla vessels “look like the boats we find,” Smith said. “It gives us a unique opportunity to practice and train with what we might pull up on.”

And some of Nelson’s crew have culinary backgrounds and have taught Smith’s food specialists how to make new meals for the crew.

The most important point, though, is the boater outreach that the auxiliary does.

“Their ability to provide non-legally punitive inspections gives boaters a greater understand of how to be safe at sea,” Smith said. “And to inform them what they need to comply with federal law. They’re really good at getting that out to the public.”

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The Coast Guard Auxiliary, established in 1939, includes 26,000 men and women nationwide, serving in 825 local units.

The local flotilla has two boats in Dana Point Harbor: Easy Does It and Raider. Both are private boats but become federal vessels when called to go under Coast Guard orders. Members of the auxiliary wear the same uniforms worn by Coast Guard service members.

“We are a force multiplier for the regular Coast Guard,” Nelson said.

The Dana Point flotilla has 56 members and is always looking for more. Meetings are held at 8:30 a.m. on the fourth Saturday of every month at the Dana Point Yacht Club. Members do not need prior boating experience.

Tour the Narwhal

When: 10:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 2

Where: Ocean Institute dock, 24200 Dana Point Harbor Drive, Dana Point

Cost: Free