Our boat is slipped in Portland, OR but we would like to develop the skills to cross the Columbia Bar so that we can venture north and south along the Pacific coast. I would like to get a few recommendations for a captain to hire for a Bar crossing lesson. Does anyone have some tips?
Captain to Hire for Columbia Bar Crossing Training
- Thread starter dkinzer
- Start date
Hi Kinzer: I'm a 25+ year Columbia River sailor. A few bar crossings under my keel. While I'm not your guy for this, I can point you to numerous options. Some starter ideas:
- See NW Offshore Race Site, you'll see about 25 boats that just recently crossed and went to Port Angeles. Many experienced skippers there.
- try Preston Wright at Heart of the Gorge Sailing
- private message me to discuss more options. We plan to go down there this summer to Ilwaco and may try a crossing if all is aligned.
Good to be vigilant about the Columbia Bar, but also good to know it is readily crossable in the right conditions.
- See NW Offshore Race Site, you'll see about 25 boats that just recently crossed and went to Port Angeles. Many experienced skippers there.
- try Preston Wright at Heart of the Gorge Sailing
- private message me to discuss more options. We plan to go down there this summer to Ilwaco and may try a crossing if all is aligned.
Good to be vigilant about the Columbia Bar, but also good to know it is readily crossable in the right conditions.
No USCG Capt license, but about 20+ crossings. It's not difficult. Study the basics. Make very sure that your fuel is clean and your filters are clean, also. Lots of river sailors have had problems with 5' seas stirring up the old gunk in their fuel tanks. And no one likes having to bleed a diesel engine and smell that fuel on a rolling boat... nausea may ensue. Ick.
Watch the forecast, and delay a day if needed. The sea state should not too gnarly. Cross two hours after the end of the ebb slack to give the current time to also slack off and slowly start inward.
Never schedule your crossing for the middle or late ebb. Rough and, at times, quite dangerous.
And after reading all the advice about the aptly named Graveyard of the Pacific, most of your crossings will be uneventful. The major attention-getter is watching for ships moving fast and recreational fishing boats with absolutely no idea what they are doing there...
The USCG will advise you if the bar is hazardous or unsafe to attempt.They will NOT tell you what to do with your vessel, since legally *you* are the captain of your boat.
Once clear and heading north, there just ain't much to look at other than a far off low lying lee shore. About 26 hours after leaving Astoria, you will be at Neah Bay, and in another long day you will be in Pt Angeles. Excellent YC there, I should note; you can use your reciprocals there too, as you can use them in Astoria. This presumes you are a YC member, of course.
Fair winds!
____
ps: Hi Chris!
Watch the forecast, and delay a day if needed. The sea state should not too gnarly. Cross two hours after the end of the ebb slack to give the current time to also slack off and slowly start inward.
Never schedule your crossing for the middle or late ebb. Rough and, at times, quite dangerous.
And after reading all the advice about the aptly named Graveyard of the Pacific, most of your crossings will be uneventful. The major attention-getter is watching for ships moving fast and recreational fishing boats with absolutely no idea what they are doing there...
The USCG will advise you if the bar is hazardous or unsafe to attempt.They will NOT tell you what to do with your vessel, since legally *you* are the captain of your boat.
Once clear and heading north, there just ain't much to look at other than a far off low lying lee shore. About 26 hours after leaving Astoria, you will be at Neah Bay, and in another long day you will be in Pt Angeles. Excellent YC there, I should note; you can use your reciprocals there too, as you can use them in Astoria. This presumes you are a YC member, of course.
Fair winds!
____
ps: Hi Chris!
Start reading.
Seriously.
Use Google or DuckDuckGo as well as books.
I crossed on our trip from SF to BC in 2016. I read everything I could get my hands on and timed the crossing for slack to flood coming up from the south. Spent a couple of days in Ilwaco, and left "right on time" but the heavy rains inland that year delayed slack for 2 hours.
Be situationally aware.
WADR, the "Horror Stories" are usually wintertime tales, and well deserved.
If you do what you plan to do, then you simply shouldn't be there in winter anyway.
In mild months and weather, THE issue is the water speed over the bar and size of standing waves that are produced. Avoid stupidity, learn the current tables, be there at the right time, and you'll wonder what all the fuss was about.
jssailem
SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
- Oct 22, 2014
- 22,777
Crossing the Columbia bar is on my bucket list.
Been up to the CG Bar observation tower. There is a CG petty officer on duty 24 /7. He/she has giant binoculars more like dual telescopes with the object lenses that looked to be 18-20” in diameter. Chatting with the CG petty officer, he said he could read the boats name as they made their run over the bar a couple miles away on a clear day.
Been up to the CG Bar observation tower. There is a CG petty officer on duty 24 /7. He/she has giant binoculars more like dual telescopes with the object lenses that looked to be 18-20” in diameter. Chatting with the CG petty officer, he said he could read the boats name as they made their run over the bar a couple miles away on a clear day.
Ha!
In 2014, when we left about an hour earlier than we should have, that watch stander might have seen part of our keel. Another boat crossed with us and when we met them later they commented about seeing a glimpse of our keel... and we saw theirs, too....
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Crossed the bar several years ago aboard a cruise ship. In and out, conditions were fairly calm. Interesting thing on way out, the bar Pilot was extracted from the ship via helicopter using a hoist! First time I had ever seen that happen. Astoria was the friendliest town; if you get a chance to visit , make sure you visit the maritime museum.
Yes. Living in Portland, I have visited Astoria many times and have greatly enjoyed visiting the maritime museum. There are a lot of good restaurants there.
Passion Yachts sailing school includes a bar crossing in the ASA 106 course (weather permitting). I thought I remembered talking to one of the local schools that did this, and it took me a few minutes of searching to find the description:
www.passion-yachts.com
Slightly related: I found Michael Haglund's history of the bar pilots fascinating: https://www.amazon.com/Worlds-Most-Dangerous-Columbia-Equipment/dp/B085ZQLK6N
I gave it away, so don't have the quote handy, but I recall laughing at my own docking mishaps while reading about the (pre-helicopter) system where a small transfer boat motored directly into a custom stern dock on the larger bar pilots boat - in 20+ foot seas...
Advanced Coastal Cruising
Slightly related: I found Michael Haglund's history of the bar pilots fascinating: https://www.amazon.com/Worlds-Most-Dangerous-Columbia-Equipment/dp/B085ZQLK6N
I gave it away, so don't have the quote handy, but I recall laughing at my own docking mishaps while reading about the (pre-helicopter) system where a small transfer boat motored directly into a custom stern dock on the larger bar pilots boat - in 20+ foot seas...
Thanks. I'm aware of Passion Yachts ASA 106 course - we bought our boat working with them. The timing of this year's offering (Portland to the San Juans and a second course on the return leg) didn't work out for us so we may have to wait for next year (and my wife has to complete the ASA 105 Navigation prerequisite).