Coos bay
- Thread starter Stratus3
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I have spent a lot of time on coos bay when I was a power boater, but not in a sailboat.
there are lot of sailboats in the coos bay area which includes Empire and Charleston, and it is a deep water shipping port, so that should tell you something.
but with that said, I can tell you that at low tide the channel is narrow compared to the water area at high tide, so be careful and watch your depth meter.
as its a river, there are many good overnight anchorages to be had, just know the depth as you can anchor in an inlet that may have 15ft of water below your boat, yet when the tide goes out, the mouth of the inlet may be high and dry, so you may be landlocked until the next tidal flood.
you can cruise up the river many, many miles (and some beautiful scenery) so finding a secluded place to anchor will never be a problem, and in the bay you just need to drop the hook well out of the channel wherever the water is deep enough (stay out of the oyster beds)
it all mud bottom with very little sand... excellent holding with a danforth anchor.
the large S shape of the bay allows almost any place you would anchor to be reasonably protected from unnecessary wind, but this also causes seemingly shifty winds when sailing.
a 26 with its water ballast rather than a weighted keel, you will be fine no matter where you want to go, but the depth sounder is still the most important piece of electronics you will need.
the perch fishing is good and the crabbing is always excellent, so go prepared and make a weekend of it.
there are lot of sailboats in the coos bay area which includes Empire and Charleston, and it is a deep water shipping port, so that should tell you something.
but with that said, I can tell you that at low tide the channel is narrow compared to the water area at high tide, so be careful and watch your depth meter.
as its a river, there are many good overnight anchorages to be had, just know the depth as you can anchor in an inlet that may have 15ft of water below your boat, yet when the tide goes out, the mouth of the inlet may be high and dry, so you may be landlocked until the next tidal flood.
you can cruise up the river many, many miles (and some beautiful scenery) so finding a secluded place to anchor will never be a problem, and in the bay you just need to drop the hook well out of the channel wherever the water is deep enough (stay out of the oyster beds)
it all mud bottom with very little sand... excellent holding with a danforth anchor.
the large S shape of the bay allows almost any place you would anchor to be reasonably protected from unnecessary wind, but this also causes seemingly shifty winds when sailing.
a 26 with its water ballast rather than a weighted keel, you will be fine no matter where you want to go, but the depth sounder is still the most important piece of electronics you will need.
the perch fishing is good and the crabbing is always excellent, so go prepared and make a weekend of it.
Thank for the information, sounds like you have quite a bit of experience on coos bay. We have only had our boat out once before on lost creek lake down here in southern Oregon. Is this somewhere that with our limited experience in your opinion should attempt to go sailing over the 4th. Or can you suggest a nice lake that we could moor out in the boat to try it out for camping. Our lakes down here in south Oregon are already turning to mud puddles . And thanks again,
boating on coos bay has no unreasonable dangers to watchout for other than grounding on a mud shoal... there are no rocks except out by the mouth where the jetties are.
it woulde be a good fun experience.
there is a good boat ramp in empire where you can leave your vehicle, or camp in the parking lot for a small fee.
you can visit charleston by boat or car, and if by car you should take the 3-4mile drive out to sunset bay and cape arago state park.
if you visit charleston by boat and if the weather is good you might sneak out over the bar and back in just for the fun of it....
there are other nice boatable lakes in the area but the only other lake in the area of any size that will be any good sailing is siltcoos lake, which is north about an hour...
tahkenitch lake is more scenic and better for exploring due to its many arms, but its not a sailing lake... but the large mouth bass fishing is top quality by any standards.
tenmile lake just north of the coos bay area about ten miles and is about the size of siltcoos, but due to its location, its not as good for sailing as siltcoos lake is... and is very powerboat heavy.
all three of these are comparable in size to lost creek lake...