Commodore
By Dave Peoples, C42, Jammin'
Trust your equipment. If you have any. About 18 years ago plus or minus a couple of years I made one of my first trips from the mouth of the Columbia to the Puget Sound. We had done it a couple of times before and had always just motored against the wind straight up the Washington coast. At the time we were sailing on a Cascade 36. The trip to Neah Bay usually took about 36 to 40 hours. It was a slow boat. With any kind of weather the speed would drop considerably. Knowing that sailing would be faster we looked forward to the time we would have a southern breeze. That time never seemed to come, so we came up with this brilliant idea. We would sail Northwest out about 200 miles offshore and make one gigantic tack and come flying down the straights to make land at Neah Bay. Wow what an adventure. Now came the fun part. Planning the "voyage", finding suitable crew, and preplan charting. We had to check all the equipment to make sure it was in working condition for this big challenge. That part wasn't too hard because all we had was a VHF radio, Radar, and a hand held radio direction finder. The radio direction finder worked great as long as you were within 20 mile or less of the beacon. We also had a compass to steer by, a handheld compass to get bearings and a sextant in a really nice box. We had taken celestial navigation classes but had never really tried it on the ocean. We know that most of our navigation would be dead reckoning.It was time to make the trip. Our crew consisted of four people, myself, my friend who owned the boat, and two other guys who had never been sailing on the ocean. One was an ex coastguard man, and the other was an armchair sailor who was trying to quite smoking and owned all the charts for the west coast and Hawaii. He too had great plans.
We left the mouth of the Columbia before daybreak and started our adventure. We spent the next two days on a glorious NW sail. On the second day we saw what we thought was a fire on the horizon. We were able to determine it was a fire, and there seem to be a plane above it. Ah!! a coastguard emergency we were on our way. When we got closer, a couple of miles away, we could see a fixed wing airplane and a helicopter were on the scene. There seemed to be more than one fire but we couldn't see any boat. At that point we tried to radio the coastguard to see if we could lend any assistance. When we finally raised the coastees, the helicopter, the fixed wing plane, and the onshore base all responded, we were told that we had sailed right into the middle of an offshore rescue drill. Opps!! They told us we could continue to sail on our heading and they would not try to drop any flares or rescue divers on top of us. It really was fun to watch, but we felt we might have been a little in the way so we turn on our motor to help us along. Hindsight we probably should have asked them for a fix since it had been cloudily and we had not been able to try our hand at celestial navigation yet, but we were sure our dead reckoning position was a good one. After a couple of more hours of beautiful sailing we made our tack, Neah Bay we were on our way.
It took two and a half days to make landfall, a little longer than we expected, but we had made it back. We didn't seem to have exactly hit the mouth of the straits, but that's ok we have a flashing buoy light in front of us about 15 miles away, we should be able to figure out where we our by the flash pattern. We figured it must be Destruction Island, but the flash pattern didn't exactly match. We were unable to get any radio beacon on our hand held receiver and radar just showed a land mass in front of us. After checking the chart there were no flash patterns that matched let alone offshore lights that we should have been able to see from the Columbia up to our location. First Clue something might be wrong. With all the evidence to the contrary we still determined that it had to be Destruction Island. We assured our crew that we knew what we doing and would make Neah Bay by morning.
To make a long story shorter, we had no idea where we were!!!! It took us four more days of motoring up the coast to find the entrance to the straits. We think we could have been as far south as Coos Bay. We really don't know. We do know sometime in the middle of the night we actually missed the entrance to the Columbia River. We were about 15 miles offshore. We think our helmsmen , the guy with the charts, might have falling asleep. He had also been really seasick the whole time. Who knows? Once we got to Neah Bay the guy jumped ship. He got off the boat went to buy some smokes and came back and told us he was taking the bus home. Total lack of confidence in our sailing skills. When he got home he sold all of his charts and dreams and bought golf clubs, and has never been sailing since. Hey it was an adventure we knew we were on the west coast somewhere.
We found out later that there is a fairly strong southern current offshore we had not compensated for. Not having a GPS, Loran, or clear sky to get a fix, really put us in this position. We didn't believe our chart when the light pattern didn't match, and we learn you need two people on watch at least at night. We were really lucky nothing bad happened and we learned a lot of lessons on that trip. Look at our boats now, every bell and whistle available, but are you ready for a complete system failure. I am!!!!
Sailboats of Oregon Changes Ownership
By Dave Dudek, New OwnerOn January 7, 2003, Glenn and Deane Johnson sold ‘Sailboats of Oregon’ to Dave Dudek of Lake Oswego. Glenn will stay on board to assist Dave for 45 days, and act as a consultant for a year after that. Dave will continue to be the authorized Oregon and southwest Washington Catalina Yachts dealer. The boat yard, with its 35 ton travel lift, was also sold to Dave in the transaction.
 |
| Glenn Johnson, on the left, welcomes Dave Dudek, the new owner of Sailboats of Oregon. |
Dave Dudek was raised in western Pennsylvania, and graduated from the United States Naval Academy, where he developed his love for sailing. Dave built a wooden boat with his father when he was 12 years old. He was an instructor on Luders class yawls in Pensacola, Florida when he was in the Navy. Dave has sailed on many different sailboats, and owned a Cal 20. He avidly sailed Hobie Cats in Kaneohe Bay, Oahu, Hawaii, where he lived for many years. He also spent many hours crewing on the Catalina 27 in Hawaii. Dave and his wife, Tracy have two boys, Casey (8), and Michael (3), and reside in Lake Oswego.
Dave will run the business as it has been operated by Glenn and Deane. Service and quality will continue with the same high standards. All CRACA members are invited to visit Sailboats of Oregon anytime - you are always welcome!
Secretary/Treasurer
By Kathleen Lewis, C42, Wind Raven
Happy 2003 to all of you. We now have 67 members including our two newest that joined at the holiday party. Please welcome
Ed & Dee Elkins of Bend, ORBurgees are on order and should arrive soon. The cost is $20. Call or email to reserve yours.
Max & Sandy Reager of Reedsport, OR
- Catalina 42 – Rebecca B - at Tomahawk Island G41
- Catalina 42 – Sadie II - at Winchester Bay, OR
Please notify me of address, email changes ASAP. I try to keep the roster and Mainsheet subscription list up-to-date.
My new email address is sewingmaven@msn.com
Past Commodore
By Michael Lewis, C42, Wind Raven
So here we are again, the Portland Boat Show is done and the Seattle Boat Show is rapidly approaching. The cruising season is nearly here. Let’s go sailing. Remember what we told Eugene Wilkinson at his birthday party and holiday party last month:“The gods do not deduct from a man’s (or women’s or Newfy’s) allotted span those days spent SAILING.”I welcome the new owner of Sailboats of Oregon, Dave Dudek and wish him well in the future. He is already a new member of CRACA, the newest one, too.
Although Glenn and Deane will still be around for months, we hope they can finally get in some sailing. Kathy and I have made friends with them and hope to keep track of them in the future. Good luck, Glenn, Deane and Skipper.
I had an interesting conversation at the Portland Show with a boating neighbor at McCuddy’s Landing that sent me researching. He has a very tall (70 feet) and fat (2 slips) catamaran, wintering here from San Diego, heading North in the spring. He wanted to assure himself that he could get under the Sauvie Island Bridge. It seemed simple enough. According to the U.S. Coast Pilot it is: A fixed highway bridge near the S end had a clearance of 78 feet (at Mean High Water (MHW).
Just watch the tides and go at low to be safe, right? 70 feet, hmmm? I then, in passing, said watch the river levels especially in the winter and spring.
Wait a minute; I want to think about that.
Again the U.S. Coast Pilot comes to my rescue: Heights—These are in feet (meters) above the tidal datum used for the purpose on the charts, usually mean high water. On the Columbia and Willamette (up to Oregon City) Rivers overhead clearances and depths are at the Columbia River Datum.
Now, Tide Tables 2002—West Coast of North and South America are checked next. They tell me in Table 2, Tidal Differences and Other Constants that the Mean Range is 1.8 feet and the diurnal range is 2.2 feet for the secondary station at St. Johns, Willamette River, Oregon. I needed to check to see what that meant next. Range—The mean range is the difference in height between mean high water (MHW) and mean low water (MLW). The diurnal range is the difference in height between mean higher high water and mean lower low water.
So, I know that NOAA has river forecasts at www.nwrfc.noaa.gov that look like this for the Willamette River at Portland, the closest one to the Sauvie Island Bridge. The plot shows me the level right now, past and forecasted. I see that it is 2.90 feet now, last week it was above 9 feet and will go above 6 feet next week. These levels are based on the Columbia River Datum.
WILLAMETTE--AT PORTLAND (PRTO3)
County: MULTNOMAH State: OR
Elevation: 2 (feet) Latitude: 45 31' 7" Longitude: 122 40' 0"
Flood Stage: 18.00 (feet)
The following data is preliminary and subject to change
Now what? Don’t confuse me with the facts, especially too many! I need to make some sense out of this soon; he might want to leave the dock someday. The graph above takes into account tides, so I don’t need to calculate the tide level as you would normally in a tidal only zone.
But, I do need to relate the Columbia River Datum to the River Stage. I talked to NOAA and learned that the River Stage is adjusted by the elevation for each river gage is the Columbia River Datum. So for this gage, the elevation is 2 feet. So the way, I understood this was to add the elevation to the river stage to get the true height (2.9 plus 2 or 4.9 feet).
The net—net was 74.20 feet for the river stage of 2.9 feet. And I told him to go via St. Helens for a while instead of the Sauvie Island Bridge route.
| Item | Value | Source/Remarks |
| 1. Published Clearance: | 78.00 | Read from applicable chart or other source. |
| 2. Minimum Clearance: | 70.00 | Masthead height. |
| 3. Safety Margin: | 3.00 | Judgment input (recommended as at least 3 ft.) |
| 4. Required Clearance" | 73.00 | Line 2 plus Line 3. |
| 5. Height of Tide at Specified Time: | 4.90 | From completed Tide Worksheet or Hydrograph plus elevation |
| 6. Mean Tide Level: | 0.00 | From Table 2 (last column) of Tide Tables for appropriate station. |
| 7. Mean Range: | 2.20 | From Table 2 of Tide Tables for appropriate station. |
| 8. Mean High Water: | 1.10 | One-half of line 7 plus line 6. |
| 9. Clearance Increment: | -3.80 | Line 8 minus Line 5 (may be negative quantity). |
| 10. Predicted Clearance: | 74.20 | Line 1 plus Line 9 (take note of sign). |
| 11. Sufficient Clearance: | GO | Is predicted clearance (Line 10) greater than required clearance (Line 4). |
Ps – NOAA charts measure clearances from Mean High Water but Canadian(CHS) Charts measure clearances from Higher High Water, Large Tides. The same bridge, over the same waterway, would show less vertical clearance on a CHS Chart than a NOAA chart and they are in meters. Go figure!
Past Commodore's Hammock
By Michael Lewis, C42, Wind Raven
Here is a couple of items you might find interesting. I don't know the source.
Columbia River (N.Jetty to Portland) begins approximately 25 miles inland from the Columbia bar at Harrison Point. From Harrison point the river has a nearly constant 1/2 mile width.
It is 105 statue miles from the bar to Portland. The current varies according to the cross-section (width & depth) of the river and also varies by the season. During the spring snowmelt runoff (May-June-July) currents easily average 3-4 knots. In the fall, when cooler weather stops further snowmelt and the autumn rains have not yet started, the current flows will be at their minimum.
Also, the ocean tidal currents affect the river currents as far upriver as Bonneville dam. However the tidal effects are very minimal (approx. six inches at most) at Bonneville.
With careful planning, one can use these tidal effects to enhance ones progress upriver or downriver. It is best visualized as a "wave" that travels upriver at approximately 18 knots which slows the river somewhat. This wave will also cause the river current to flow backwards at times. I have seen the current flow backwards at 1/2 knot at St Helens - 90 miles upriver! The "trough" of the wave travels upriver at 12 knots.
It is most advantageous to cross the bar at LOW SLACK WATER. Once safely across the bar, the incoming tides will act against the river for six hours before it fades. If your boat rides the "wave", a six-knot sailboat can ride this 18-knot wave for nearly 10 hours before it ends.
If one crosses at HIGH SLACK WATER, one can still navigate safely upriver, but at a slower pace. Plan on an average 2-knot river current.
Playing the River Currents and Eddies
The elemental rule: WATER HATES TO CHANGE ITS DIRECTION.
Water seems to refuse to flow around a bend. It would rather go straight into (and along) the outside bend of the river. When motoring upriver, cut corners around the bends as much as the water depth will safely afford. In straight sections of the river, motor along the sides in shallow water or in the "hollows" of the river shoreline. Most of the river is sand and clay, rocks are rare. Always KNOW if the river level is rising or falling. On a falling water level - stay in deeper water - or pay more attention to the depth sounder.
When motoring downriver, do the opposite, stay in the middle and go more toward the outside of the river bends - to a limit.
I feel it is extremely poor advice to take a MOTORLESS sailboat up or down the river. Do not attempt to anchor in strong currents - especially with a short rode (line). The current may pull the bow underwater.
Membership Distribution
By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic MystCurious about how the different Catalina models are distributed across the membership? The following graph is a quick view of the data.
Food Drive a Success
By Julie Thomas, C30, SunchaserA big thanks to everyone who provided Oregon Food Bank Donations at the December Holiday Party. We topped out at 105 pounds of donations, better than last year I think.
 |
| Julie and Dave Thomas' C30, Sunchaser, at Gilbert River with Jerry Sampson and Karen Clouse on the dock. Photo by Dave Thomas. |
January General Membership Meeting
Time: Wednesday, January 22 starting at 6 pm. Meeting starts at 7 pm. Place: Damon's Grill15230 S.W. Sequoia Pkwy.
Tigard, OR 97224
503-670-7770
Holiday Cheer and Camaraderie Amongst Friends
By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic MystThe Columbia River All Catalina Association held its annual Holiday Party on Saturday, December 7 at the Holiday Inn Express - Jantzen Beach. The event's first choice, the Rose City Yacht Club (RCYC) was unavailable because of a renovation project, so party organizers secured the Holiday Inn which turned out to be a very nice location.
Members brought appetizers and desserts while CRACA provided pizza, delivered hot by Vancouver Pizza. The pizza turned out to be quite a hit and very good.
After dinner a white elephant exchange was held. The gifts ranged from whimsical to truly useable, with highly sought after gifts changing hands several times.
On behalf of all members who attended, I'd like to thank the party's organizers for volunteering and putting together a wonderful night out.
Cruising
Cruise Hosts Needed
By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic MystOur Cruise Officer, Jim Elieff, is looking for volunteers to lead cruises for the 2003 season. As a cruise host your duties typically include:
- Checking on the status of any destinations and facilities planned for the cruise.
- In some cases making appropriate marina and restaurant reservations (depends on the event)
- Communicating the plans for the cruise including destinations, schedules, activities and any other significant information. This is typically done via email.
- Collecting the names of those planning to participate on the cruise.
- Provide or organize assistance in planning, preparation, navigation, etc. as required to encourage the participation of inexperienced cruisers.
- Organizing a "buddy" system to accommodate the needs of inexperienced crews during the cruise.
- In the event of adverse weather, notify participants of any changes.
- Show up on the cruise. If you can't make it, find a replacement and notify the participants and the Cruise Officer.
- Note: The cruise host will at times give advice or make decisions that will be directed to the boats involved. However it must be understood that the responsibility for the safe operation of each boat and its crew during the cruise does not reside with CRACA or the cruise host but is the sole responsibility of the boat’s captain.
If you are interested in helping out, please contact Jim at elieffmaan@yahoo.com or 503-254-7758.
| Month | Date | Cruise | cruise host(s) |
| February | 15 - 16 | Valentine's Day Cruise, Government Island - East Dock | |
| March | 15 - 16 | St. Patrick's Day Cruise, Riverplace Marina | |
| April | 19 - 20 | Gilbert River Cruise | |
| May | 17 - 18 | Lady's Cruise, McCuddy's Landing - Multnomah Channel | << none required >> |
| 24 - 26 | Memorial Day Cruise - Martin Island | ||
| June | 21 - 22 | Ackerman Island - Northside | |
| July | 19 - 27 | Cathlamet Cruise
| |
| August | 16 - 24 | Upriver Cruise
| |
| September | 12 - 14 | Catalina Rendezvous, McCuddy's Landing - Multnomah Channel | |
| 20 | Sail for the Cure | << none required >> | |
| October | 25 - 26 | Halloween Cruise, Coon Island | |
| November | 22 - 23 | Thanksgiving Cruise, Government Island - East Dock | |
| December | 6 | Holiday Party, Rose City Yacht Club |
Local Sailing Associations
- SailPDX (hosted by Oregon Corinthian Sailing Association, OCSA)
- Small Yacht Sailing Club of Oregon (SYSCO)
- Oregon Women’s Sailing Association (OWSA)
- Portland Yacht Club (PYC)
- Rose City Yacht Club (RCYC)
The Columbia River All Catalina Association newsletter is published online once a month. Articles are the opinions of the authors and don’t necessarily represent the consensus of the Association.
