Newport Harbor Is Home to a Couple of Riverboat Gamblers

Your true pilot cares nothing about anything on Earth but the river, and his pride in his occupation surpasses the pride of kings.

--Mark Twain, “Life on the Mississippi,” 1883

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Riverboats these days are often just legal excuses for setting up gambling casinos. But ah, there was a time. . . .

A time once when the riverboat was queen for elegant travel. Can’t you picture a young Samuel Clemens on the banks of the Mississippi, dreaming of the destinations for the passing riverboats?

You don’t have to go back to the previous century. Jim Watts of Newport Beach can remember times like that. He grew up along the Illinois River, where riverboats were commonplace.

Watts, who owns several commercial boats in Newport Harbor, bought his own stern wheeler nearly five years ago, which he calls the Newport Belle. He wanted his customers to get a feel for the old riverboat days.

Joe Warren of Newport Beach had the same idea when he bought the Angela Louise and brought it up to Newport Harbor from San Diego a few years ago. The Angela Louise is what’s known as a “twin screw” riverboat, its propeller operated by diesel engine without a paddle wheel. Both boats are used for private parties.

It was only natural for Warren and Watts to get together. Warren asked Watts recently: Remember those old riverboat races that used to stir up so much excitement? Why don’t we do the same thing here with our two boats?

The Newport Harbor Nautical Museum, which is housed in the harbor on the riverboat replica Pride of Newport, agreed to become a sponsor.

The result is what will be billed as the “Great Newport Riverboat Race,” in Newport Harbor on Saturday afternoon. Organizers hope it will be an annual event.

“It’s just for fun, and to help raise a little money for charity,” said Warren.

The museum will raise money by selling boarding tickets for either of the boats for two heats and a final championship race. Each boat will have 50 passengers per race. The proceeds will be divided by the Olive Crest Abused Children’s Foundation, Laura’s House domestic violence shelter and the Nautical Museum’s education program for youngsters.

Just a little friendly competition? Here’s what the competitors had to say:

“We’ll win,” said Warren with a laugh. “We’re bigger and more elegant. “Besides, I designed the race course.”

But Watts has his own thoughts on how his smaller paddle-wheel boat will take the Queen-of-the-River trophy.

“Dirty tricks,” he said. “I’ve been watching those old Disney Davy Crockett movies, where he won a keelboat race by using tricks. We’ll maybe tie an anchor to the other boat’s propeller.”

Whoever wins, it should bring back a little of the old steamboat race excitement. Who needs a river for a riverboat race?

Tolerance Through Food: St. Timothy’s Catholic Church has been trying to teach tolerance and diversity to junior-high age parishioners through its religious education program. One way, said Gloria Fetter, who’s in charge of the program, is through direct interaction with the poor.

On Sunday, a dozen teens from the program helped cook and prepare food and then served it to street people at the Catholic Worker shelter in Santa Ana.

“It’s done with dignity; no one has to stand in a food line,” points out Fetta, who says the homeless who show up are seated when fed. “We do this to try to teach the students tolerance of others, and to introduce them to those less fortunate.”

Wishing for the Sky: If you saw a stupendously colorful jet at John Wayne Airport on Sunday, all the rainbow colors, it was there for some very special passengers.

Lynn Krogh, president of International Jet Aviation based in Englewood, Colo., painted up this Learjet, called the Dream Chaser, for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which tries to fulfill the wishes of youngsters with life-threatening illnesses. On Sunday he took 10 of those youngsters, all from Orange County, for a jet ride.

“It was really neat for them because he dropped to 6,000 feet to give them a good view of Disneyland,” said Teri Siplivy, of the Orange County chapter of the foundation.

He’s Been There: Even most non-golfers are well aware of the dispute between disabled pro golfer Casey Martin and the PGA Tour. Martin has won the first court round in his effort to force the PGA to let him ride in a cart in competitive events.

It’s been hotly debated, with lots of differing views. But some light was shed on the controversy this week in a guest column written for Golf World magazine. The author was from our own Corona del Mar.

The writer’s name is Jim Abbott. He deserves to be identified simply as a retired Angels pitcher. But in this instance, it’s important to note he was also baseball’s only one-handed pitcher.

The left-handed pitcher writes, in part:

“Casey represents what this great country is, or at least should be, about--opportunity. . . . So what if the PGA Tour has to adjust its rules in order to help Casey compete? Baseball did a similar thing for me.”

Abbott goes on to say that regular baseball rules require a pitcher to be motionless prior to delivery. But major league officials allowed Abbott to spin the ball first, to keep from telegraphing his pitches. (Other pitchers can hide their grip in their glove, but Abbott had to switch his glove to his left hand during delivery.)

“I wasn’t given an advantage,” Abbott writes. “I was merely being allowed to do something that everyone else was able to do naturally. . . .

“As a society, we are so much better off with people like Casey Martin, who show us that heart is just as important as talent, who only want an opportunity to complete against the best in their profession.”

Wrap-Up: There are tickets still available to ride on the two riverboats for Saturday’s race--$10 for each of the two initial heats and $20 for the final race, or $30 to ride all three times. The action begins at 12:15 p.m. at the Pride of Newport landing and the final race--over a 4-nautical-mile course--begins at 3:15 p.m.

Jerry Hicks’ column appears Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Readers may reach Hicks by calling the Times Orange County Edition at (714) 966-7823 or by fax to (714) 966-7711, or e-mail to jerry.hicks@latimes.com