The Discovery Channel had a good program tonight called, "Pacific Graveyard," about crossing and crabbing the Columbia River bar with some great footage of training at the Coast Guard Rescue School where 20 foot breaking seas are the norm. I know the Columbia is supposed to have the fastest current in North America - anyone here boat in that area? Got stories?
Columbia River
- Thread starter Riverbed
- Start date
About 6 years ago, my FIL, a friend, and I took a 37' Aft Cabin from the tri-cities in central Washington through the Columbia bar, then north along the coast of Washington, and east along Juan de Fuca to Anacortes, WA. We locked through 4 locks on the Columbia and overnighted in Hammond, WA at the mouth of the Columbia.
For several months I had been researching the "Graveyard of the Pacific." The guy who voluntarily opened his fuel dock early on the morning we planned to cross the bar said we had about an hour on each side of slack tide to make a comfortable crossing. After contacting the CG and getting the weather report, we hit it right at slack.
We had no problem crossing the bar, and a manageable roller coaster ride north along the coast of Washington.
The 5 day adventure was highlighted by coming upon a pod of Orcas along Juan de Fuca. The only boat within sight, we shut down and watched them from within spitting distance for about an hour.
For several months I had been researching the "Graveyard of the Pacific." The guy who voluntarily opened his fuel dock early on the morning we planned to cross the bar said we had about an hour on each side of slack tide to make a comfortable crossing. After contacting the CG and getting the weather report, we hit it right at slack.
We had no problem crossing the bar, and a manageable roller coaster ride north along the coast of Washington.
The 5 day adventure was highlighted by coming upon a pod of Orcas along Juan de Fuca. The only boat within sight, we shut down and watched them from within spitting distance for about an hour.
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I'm pretty certain that similar conditions apply to entering the SF Golden Gate. They have a fast outgo that makes the waves stand up. The locals call it the Potatoe patch.
The tide is everything. You can see the ships outside the gate waiting for the tide to change. The following picture shows the horse shoe shape band of shallow water created by sediment washing out of the bay.
The tide is everything. You can see the ships outside the gate waiting for the tide to change. The following picture shows the horse shoe shape band of shallow water created by sediment washing out of the bay.
When I was a kid we did some boating on the Columbia. Just outside the Portland Or. area. I learned how to water ski on this river, some areas of the Columbia look like a calm lake. This would probably be hundred miles in from the bar.
I have been to the Grand Coulee (sp) dam during a summer evening when we were camping and boating with our kids.
Anyways at night when it became dark the dam was used as a giant screen and a laser light show took place and told the history of Lewis and Clark and eventually the dam. Music played in the back ground. Pretty impressive.
http://www.grandcouleedam.org/
I have been to the Grand Coulee (sp) dam during a summer evening when we were camping and boating with our kids.
Anyways at night when it became dark the dam was used as a giant screen and a laser light show took place and told the history of Lewis and Clark and eventually the dam. Music played in the back ground. Pretty impressive.
http://www.grandcouleedam.org/
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That was a good program. One of my young nephews was thrown out of the Coastie boat during that Rollover training. He was the "Weather Coxswain" and his strap broke.
I've been over the bar in a 'Westport Charter fishing' boat.
let me tell you that you cannot find words to express the abject terror you feel when your into that thrashing wallowing sea. You cannot fight the panic.
When the boat piles into one of those up-rollers and the engine slows down under the load it begins to frighten.
Then the boat slews and Yaws and dumps over the top sideways...hanging on is a real chore. But if you dont hang onto something you get thrown into something.
Naturally, I never volunteered to do that again.
There's a certain window of time.
You have to be down below the smooth part of the River, just waiting to head out over the bar when the window opens.
Or your boat just cant go fast enough to escape.
If I were coming into the River from the West, I'd worry if I was in a small boat.
This fishing boat went 18 Kts and we nearly didn't make it.
I've been over the bar in a 'Westport Charter fishing' boat.
let me tell you that you cannot find words to express the abject terror you feel when your into that thrashing wallowing sea. You cannot fight the panic.
When the boat piles into one of those up-rollers and the engine slows down under the load it begins to frighten.
Then the boat slews and Yaws and dumps over the top sideways...hanging on is a real chore. But if you dont hang onto something you get thrown into something.
Naturally, I never volunteered to do that again.
There's a certain window of time.
You have to be down below the smooth part of the River, just waiting to head out over the bar when the window opens.
Or your boat just cant go fast enough to escape.
If I were coming into the River from the West, I'd worry if I was in a small boat.
This fishing boat went 18 Kts and we nearly didn't make it.
I have run across all of the bars on the West coast--but for the most part I have timed my travel to be at high slack tide. I got caught a couple of times even with CG "OK". At one bar I knew that the surfboats were practicing. On the way out, we took a wave which went over our entire 46 foot boat--and the CG folks were watching us--no problem, but almost immediately the red flag went up and the broadcast was made that the bar was closed. A sportfisher comming up the coast was denied entrance and had to go at slow displacement speed in order to make his fuel last to the next port which was open.
thataway,
On what West Coast bar did such a wave hit your 46'er? And what kind of boat were you on?
I'm sure glad the admiral didn't read that story before we novices ventured north on the outside of Washington state.
Our biggest pucker came when we ran across the bar into Westport, WA. Running from the Columbia bar north to Neah Bay, about 180 miles, we decided to tuck into Westport (about one third of the way on our trip north to Neah Bay) to fuel up before heading further north.
We rode one wave that acclerated (surfed)our 37' aft cabin to about 30 knots! Closest to broaching I have ever had the terror of having.
Thankfully, it was short-lived and, more thankfully, it was not our time.
On what West Coast bar did such a wave hit your 46'er? And what kind of boat were you on?
I'm sure glad the admiral didn't read that story before we novices ventured north on the outside of Washington state.
Our biggest pucker came when we ran across the bar into Westport, WA. Running from the Columbia bar north to Neah Bay, about 180 miles, we decided to tuck into Westport (about one third of the way on our trip north to Neah Bay) to fuel up before heading further north.
We rode one wave that acclerated (surfed)our 37' aft cabin to about 30 knots! Closest to broaching I have ever had the terror of having.
Thankfully, it was short-lived and, more thankfully, it was not our time.
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Yeah, surfing the boat is bad....
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I took our last boat, a 20' Sea Ray deep V hull with 5.7 Merc. O/D and Yamaha kicker over the Columbia River bar 6 or 7 times over two years, always in August, and had no problems. We would go to the CR buoy and troll, catching our limit of salmon every time. There were often smaller boats out there than ours. The spookiest times were just at the outer edge of the bar, where the water at 75' deep was a confused 2-3' chop. Once you got past that point, about 1/8 mile or so, the water got deeper, it calmed down.
Buzz
Buzz