Want to go for a boat ride?
- Thread starter GFC
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone who enjoys boating.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
- Joined
- Apr 15, 2008
- Messages
- 13,731
- Location
- California Delta
- Vessel Name
- FlyWright
- Vessel Make
- 1977 Marshall Californian 34 LRC
WTG!! What a great trip! Thanks for taking us along!
Great photo, Tom!!
Great photo, Tom!!
Alaskan Sea-Duction
Guru
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2012
- Messages
- 8,062
- Location
- USA
- Vessel Name
- Alaskan Sea-Duction
- Vessel Make
- 1988 M/Y Camargue YachtFisher
Kudos to GFC and cowboy Jim. Awesome trip. I am honored to be part of it.
Total milage Kenniwick to Union Marine (Sea Ray) 640 miles.
Total milage Kenniwick to Union Marine (Sea Ray) 640 miles.
Crusty Chief
Guru
Congrats you guys! Job well done.
Cheers
Cheers
Alaskan Sea-Duction
Guru
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2012
- Messages
- 8,062
- Location
- USA
- Vessel Name
- Alaskan Sea-Duction
- Vessel Make
- 1988 M/Y Camargue YachtFisher
GFC has lots more to add to include pics
Ken E.
Guru
- Joined
- Nov 12, 2016
- Messages
- 1,978
- Location
- United States
- Vessel Name
- Hatt Trick
- Vessel Make
- 45' Hatteras Convertible
Thanks for bringing us along with you!
Flyguy1967
Senior Member
Congratulation Mike!
Hello All!
I'm finally home after an 8.5 hour trip from Seattle, down to Longview to drop off Tom then east about 4.5 hours to our neck of the woods. I'm pretty tired so I'm not going to add anything tonight but I will add words and photos tomorrow.
My wife has dinner ready so I'm going to sign off, have some grits and hit the sack.
Sign me: One Pooped GFC
I'm finally home after an 8.5 hour trip from Seattle, down to Longview to drop off Tom then east about 4.5 hours to our neck of the woods. I'm pretty tired so I'm not going to add anything tonight but I will add words and photos tomorrow.
My wife has dinner ready so I'm going to sign off, have some grits and hit the sack.
Sign me: One Pooped GFC
- Joined
- Apr 15, 2008
- Messages
- 13,731
- Location
- California Delta
- Vessel Name
- FlyWright
- Vessel Make
- 1977 Marshall Californian 34 LRC
My nomination for Thread of the Year!! WTG, Gang.
I knew there would be some Klondikes somewhere in the story...love a happy ending!
I knew there would be some Klondikes somewhere in the story...love a happy ending!
Alaskan Sea-Duction
Guru
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2012
- Messages
- 8,062
- Location
- USA
- Vessel Name
- Alaskan Sea-Duction
- Vessel Make
- 1988 M/Y Camargue YachtFisher
OK, I'm finally getting some time to relax and get some pics uploaded. These were taken the first day out as we headed to McNary dam....
The obligatory wake shot...
and a bow shot before we got too far down the river and headed into the rougher water.
This is what the hills alongside the river look like. These cliffs were left after The Great Missoula Floods went through here. (Google it!)
Here's my crew member Jim handling the lines as we tie up inside McNary lock.
Inside the lock as we've reached the bottom and the guillotine gate is opening.
This is the upstream gate at McNary. This is a cantilever gate. It rotates down as boats enter or leave at the upstream end of the lock.
The obligatory wake shot...
and a bow shot before we got too far down the river and headed into the rougher water.
This is what the hills alongside the river look like. These cliffs were left after The Great Missoula Floods went through here. (Google it!)
Here's my crew member Jim handling the lines as we tie up inside McNary lock.
Inside the lock as we've reached the bottom and the guillotine gate is opening.
This is the upstream gate at McNary. This is a cantilever gate. It rotates down as boats enter or leave at the upstream end of the lock.
Alaskan Sea-Duction
Guru
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2012
- Messages
- 8,062
- Location
- USA
- Vessel Name
- Alaskan Sea-Duction
- Vessel Make
- 1988 M/Y Camargue YachtFisher
Let me say the locks are awesome and intimidated all at once.
OK, I'm finally getting some time to relax and get some pics uploaded. These were taken the first day out as we headed to McNary dam....
The obligatory wake shot...
and a bow shot before we got too far down the river and headed into the rougher water.
This is what the hills alongside the river look like. These cliffs were left after The Great Missoula Floods went through here. (Google it!)
Here's my crew member Jim handling the lines as we tie up inside McNary lock.
Inside the lock as we've reached the bottom and the guillotine gate is opening.
This is the upstream gate at McNary. This is a cantilever gate. It rotates down as boats enter or leave at the upstream end of the lock.
I guess an apology is in order for not posting sooner. Since the first day of the trip when we got to Arlington, OR I have not been able to connect to wifi. So no photos, no narrative. My bad by not my fault. Also, the days were long and strenuous so come night time after I had fixed dinner for my crew (HAPPY CREW, HAPPY CRUISE) then cleaned up from dinner and got things ready for the next day's cruise, I was too pooped to do much.
Anyway, the cruise went like this: The first day out (Wednesday) we cruised about 83 statute miles (95 statute miles). We passed through McNary lock in high winds and fought the same winds and 4'-5' seas to get to Arlington. As we got to the marina at Arlington the winds were blowing straight on the bow. That meant when we got into the marina the winds would blow us straight to the dock. We put out all of our fenders on the stbd side to cushion the blow of hitting the dock. I kept the boat parallel to the dock and just held on as we hit the dock. The boat rocked to the side from the force of hitting the dock but we didn't have any damage due to the large number of fenders.
Arlington only has two restaurants, both sub standard but it's the only game in town. We hiked the 3/4 mile into town and picked a burger joint and I had one of the most mediocre burgers I've had in a long time.
Here's a shot of Beachcomber at the dock in Arlington. This was taken by Jim who I had designated "Ship's Photographer". I had enough stuff to take care of and didn't want to worry about missing a good photo. Thanks Jim.
Anyway, the cruise went like this: The first day out (Wednesday) we cruised about 83 statute miles (95 statute miles). We passed through McNary lock in high winds and fought the same winds and 4'-5' seas to get to Arlington. As we got to the marina at Arlington the winds were blowing straight on the bow. That meant when we got into the marina the winds would blow us straight to the dock. We put out all of our fenders on the stbd side to cushion the blow of hitting the dock. I kept the boat parallel to the dock and just held on as we hit the dock. The boat rocked to the side from the force of hitting the dock but we didn't have any damage due to the large number of fenders.
Arlington only has two restaurants, both sub standard but it's the only game in town. We hiked the 3/4 mile into town and picked a burger joint and I had one of the most mediocre burgers I've had in a long time.
Here's a shot of Beachcomber at the dock in Arlington. This was taken by Jim who I had designated "Ship's Photographer". I had enough stuff to take care of and didn't want to worry about missing a good photo. Thanks Jim.
The next morning we had 27/31 miles to go to reach John Day Dam, then another 25/28 miles to reach The Dalles Dam. The wind was blowing but not like the day before. We got in and out of both dams on schedule then went to the marina at The Dalles. Getting in there is a bit tricky in a calm wind and can be a PITA in a strong breeze which we had. You have to enter the breakwater, make a hard left turn (going downwind) then make a 180* turn and get parallel to the side tie dock. I had called ahead to arrange for that dock to make it a bit easier. We got in, make the 180* turn and I nailed the backing around to side tie. You gotta love a good docking.
The nearest restaurants to the marina are about a mile away. None of us wanted to walk that distance (it was all uphill). I saw a family who appeared to be living in the marina parking lot in a beat up old motorhome. I talked to the mother and offered her $10 to give us a lift for that mile and she readily agreed.
After a great meal in a sports bar we were looking at having to walk back. Now, for most of you walking a mile is not a big deal. For me, just coming out of chemo treatment, walking a mile is a big deal. As we came out of the restaurant there was a couple in their 30's who came out behind us. I asked them if they would give us a lift to the marina and showed them my retired LEO ID card to show they would be safe. The wife looked at the husband then back at me and said "We'd be honored". Come to find out he was a deputy sheriff so he and I had something in common. When we got to the marina we invited them aboard for a drink and they readily agreed. The thin blue line held strong that night!
Here's a shot of Beachcomber at the dock in The Dalles Marina.
The nearest restaurants to the marina are about a mile away. None of us wanted to walk that distance (it was all uphill). I saw a family who appeared to be living in the marina parking lot in a beat up old motorhome. I talked to the mother and offered her $10 to give us a lift for that mile and she readily agreed.
After a great meal in a sports bar we were looking at having to walk back. Now, for most of you walking a mile is not a big deal. For me, just coming out of chemo treatment, walking a mile is a big deal. As we came out of the restaurant there was a couple in their 30's who came out behind us. I asked them if they would give us a lift to the marina and showed them my retired LEO ID card to show they would be safe. The wife looked at the husband then back at me and said "We'd be honored". Come to find out he was a deputy sheriff so he and I had something in common. When we got to the marina we invited them aboard for a drink and they readily agreed. The thin blue line held strong that night!
Here's a shot of Beachcomber at the dock in The Dalles Marina.
Friday morning we got a later start out of The Dalles because we only had one lock to go through, Bonneville Lock which was 45 miles away, and then about another 45 miles to go to get to the place we were going to fuel up in Portland. When we got to the lock we were delayed due to a tug and barge going in ahead of us, but the lockmaster and tug captain were nice enough to let us go in and tie up to the tug. This was another first for me with Beachcomber and we enjoyed it.
Here's the rough water we faced on the way to Bonneville lock.
Following the tug into the lock.
Leading the way out of the lock. The tug skipper was nice enough to let us go first so we wouldn't have to wait for him.
By the time we got out of the lock it was too late for us to make it to the yacht club where we were going to fuel up. We changed plans and decided to dock at Government Island, another first for us. It's a great dock but has no power or water. No problem, that's why they put generators in boats.
.
The next morning we set out for St. Helens to fuel up. The wind wasn't too bad but the fuel dock and pump out are in a slough that has a stiff current running through it. The fuel dock was tied up so we went a couple hundred yards upstream to pump out. When we got there a small boat was tied up right where we needed to be. When we asked, the skipper was nice enough to slide it down the dock so we could get in.
I had to "parallel park" the boat between the one that moved and a larger one right where our stern would be close to it. After a couple of minutes of maneuvering the boat to get a feel for the current I decided to go for it. When I did, that maneuvering paid off. I nailed another landing, putting it squarely between the two boats. Gotta love it when things go right.
After pumping out and taking on fuel we headed out for Tom's dock. After a leisurely cruise down river we pulled out into a slough and a few minutes later we got to Tom's place.
.
Here's the rough water we faced on the way to Bonneville lock.
Following the tug into the lock.
Leading the way out of the lock. The tug skipper was nice enough to let us go first so we wouldn't have to wait for him.
By the time we got out of the lock it was too late for us to make it to the yacht club where we were going to fuel up. We changed plans and decided to dock at Government Island, another first for us. It's a great dock but has no power or water. No problem, that's why they put generators in boats.
The next morning we set out for St. Helens to fuel up. The wind wasn't too bad but the fuel dock and pump out are in a slough that has a stiff current running through it. The fuel dock was tied up so we went a couple hundred yards upstream to pump out. When we got there a small boat was tied up right where we needed to be. When we asked, the skipper was nice enough to slide it down the dock so we could get in.
I had to "parallel park" the boat between the one that moved and a larger one right where our stern would be close to it. After a couple of minutes of maneuvering the boat to get a feel for the current I decided to go for it. When I did, that maneuvering paid off. I nailed another landing, putting it squarely between the two boats. Gotta love it when things go right.
After pumping out and taking on fuel we headed out for Tom's dock. After a leisurely cruise down river we pulled out into a slough and a few minutes later we got to Tom's place.
.
Crusty Chief
Guru
Well? Dont stop there Mike! Please continue on!
Alaskan Sea-Duction
Guru
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2012
- Messages
- 8,062
- Location
- USA
- Vessel Name
- Alaskan Sea-Duction
- Vessel Make
- 1988 M/Y Camargue YachtFisher
I have never seen the stretch between The Dalles and Bonneville be so smooth. That was a fun....Wind surfers didn't like it.
The following morning (Saturday) we headed out from our last night on the Columbia. It was an easy cruise until we got almost to the end of the river when we encountered what we figured were about 1500-2000 fishing boats, all trying to catch the elusive Chinook Salmon. Most were not in the channel but there were enough in the channel that we often had to go out of the channel to safely proceed.
We were headed to Astoria, OR to fuel up. After a short wait while some fishing boats gassed up we pulled up to the dock and fueled up. Then it was back out onto the river for a short cruise to Ilwaco, the last marina on the river before crossing the infamous Columbia River Bar. The directions we got from the marina employee to get to our slip were rotten at best. Her directions were "come into the marina and head east then find the "The Rebel" and side tie across the dock from it. Well as we headed east inside the marina we had no idea which fairway we were to head down and had ZERO clue what The Rebel looked like or what kind of boat it was or even what style boat it was. I finally had to csll her back to get better directions and even then it was not much better.
We finally found the right dock and I had to walk the boat sideways to the dock so we could side tie. Wow, nailed another one.
We had a nice night there, getting things put away for the rough bar crossing the next day. We planned on pulling out of the marina about 8:00 a.m. so we all hit the sack early. As was the usual case, I was up around 5:30 and started the coffee. I fixed breakfast then cleaned up and put everything away. We got away from the dock right on schedule and followed the long, winding channel that led to the river. It was light but there was a heavy overcast that made it difficult to see very far out across the bar.
Once we got into the Columbia's channel we could really feel the current and the very confused seas. It seemed like they were coming at us from all sides so I stepped up the pace just a bit to lift the bow. That worked and we proceeded out without any issues. Waves were about 4'-6' and close together.
We had a LONG way to go so I didn't want to waste any time. Once we got beyond the effects of the river and the seas flattened out to about 4' swells we were able to step up the pace. I was running about 1100 rpm's and getting about 13-14kts.
We had planned on overnighting on the hook at Neah Bay. That would have been a run of 170 miles but as we rounded the corner of WA state (and the US) at Cape Flattery we decided to continue on to Port Angeles. I took the helm back and stepped it up to about 1700 rpm's with a speed of 24-25kts (about 27-28mph). It was another 62 miles to Port Angeles and I figured we'd be there well after their office closed so I phoned ahead to get a reservation. The guy we talked to was kind enough to let us just tie to the fuel dock. No power there but we didn't need it.
Port Angeles Marina is a tough place to get in to in the day time. It's even worse in the dark because the entrance is tough to find, not well lighted and there ain't no directional signs. After we rounded the long peninsula that shields the bay from the strong winds of the Strait of Juan de Fuca we had to first locate the marina then find the opening then find the way into the opening. Once inside we had to maneuver around a LONG sailboat that was tied on our port side, find the fuel dock and tie to it.
If I said it was the hardest marina to get into at night that I've ever encountered I would not be lying. But the silver lining to this was that we were first in line for fuel in the morning. See, things happen for a reason.
I have no photos from the part of the trip from Ilwaco forward to Seattle so I'll have to wait until I get them from Jim to post them. That having b een said, I'm off to bed.
Nighty Nite
....
We were headed to Astoria, OR to fuel up. After a short wait while some fishing boats gassed up we pulled up to the dock and fueled up. Then it was back out onto the river for a short cruise to Ilwaco, the last marina on the river before crossing the infamous Columbia River Bar. The directions we got from the marina employee to get to our slip were rotten at best. Her directions were "come into the marina and head east then find the "The Rebel" and side tie across the dock from it. Well as we headed east inside the marina we had no idea which fairway we were to head down and had ZERO clue what The Rebel looked like or what kind of boat it was or even what style boat it was. I finally had to csll her back to get better directions and even then it was not much better.
We finally found the right dock and I had to walk the boat sideways to the dock so we could side tie. Wow, nailed another one.
We had a nice night there, getting things put away for the rough bar crossing the next day. We planned on pulling out of the marina about 8:00 a.m. so we all hit the sack early. As was the usual case, I was up around 5:30 and started the coffee. I fixed breakfast then cleaned up and put everything away. We got away from the dock right on schedule and followed the long, winding channel that led to the river. It was light but there was a heavy overcast that made it difficult to see very far out across the bar.
Once we got into the Columbia's channel we could really feel the current and the very confused seas. It seemed like they were coming at us from all sides so I stepped up the pace just a bit to lift the bow. That worked and we proceeded out without any issues. Waves were about 4'-6' and close together.
We had a LONG way to go so I didn't want to waste any time. Once we got beyond the effects of the river and the seas flattened out to about 4' swells we were able to step up the pace. I was running about 1100 rpm's and getting about 13-14kts.
We had planned on overnighting on the hook at Neah Bay. That would have been a run of 170 miles but as we rounded the corner of WA state (and the US) at Cape Flattery we decided to continue on to Port Angeles. I took the helm back and stepped it up to about 1700 rpm's with a speed of 24-25kts (about 27-28mph). It was another 62 miles to Port Angeles and I figured we'd be there well after their office closed so I phoned ahead to get a reservation. The guy we talked to was kind enough to let us just tie to the fuel dock. No power there but we didn't need it.
Port Angeles Marina is a tough place to get in to in the day time. It's even worse in the dark because the entrance is tough to find, not well lighted and there ain't no directional signs. After we rounded the long peninsula that shields the bay from the strong winds of the Strait of Juan de Fuca we had to first locate the marina then find the opening then find the way into the opening. Once inside we had to maneuver around a LONG sailboat that was tied on our port side, find the fuel dock and tie to it.
If I said it was the hardest marina to get into at night that I've ever encountered I would not be lying. But the silver lining to this was that we were first in line for fuel in the morning. See, things happen for a reason.
I have no photos from the part of the trip from Ilwaco forward to Seattle so I'll have to wait until I get them from Jim to post them. That having b een said, I'm off to bed.
Nighty Nite
....
Our last leg of the trip started with taking on fuel at 8:00 then hitting the road. We had about 70 nm/80m to go which, after our prior leg of ~230 miles this was a piece of cake. We had a heavy overcast when we started but that burned off by noonish and the rest of the time was spent in the sun. We ran at about 1100 rpm's and were getting a push from the tidal currents so were making about 15kts.
We got to the Ballard Lock and had to wait about 20-30 minutes to lock through. We were using the small lock Ranger tug went in ahead of us and the lockmaster told us to tie up opposite him. The lock is only 26' wide and the Ranger has an 8.5' beam. That left about 17.5' width for us to squeeze into. We needed to stay clear of the lock wall as we entered and keep enough room between the Ranger and our fenders so it was a bit tight. The skipper of the Ranger was getting VERY nervous and kept watching the diminishing space between our boats as I pulled in alongside him. Beachcomber has a beam of 15'7" so it was a bit of a tight fit. We made it with no scrapes or scratches so another "docking" was nailed.
We followed the Ranger out of the lock and he took off. I think he was relieved, to say the least.
After a short tour of Lake Union we got to Union Marine and called the broker to tell him we were standing by. He said to rig for a port tie and we'd be backing in. When I saw where he wanted to put us I almost crapped my britches. We had to back around another boat that was port tied, then fit between that boat and a metal building with a corner that was heavily dinged and dented by prior boaters who miss judged their approach.
This was like many dockings where, once you started your approach you were committed and just hoped for the best. I took it slow and easy and worked my way in beteen the stern of the boat and the corner of the building and got it safely in place.
We got to the Ballard Lock and had to wait about 20-30 minutes to lock through. We were using the small lock Ranger tug went in ahead of us and the lockmaster told us to tie up opposite him. The lock is only 26' wide and the Ranger has an 8.5' beam. That left about 17.5' width for us to squeeze into. We needed to stay clear of the lock wall as we entered and keep enough room between the Ranger and our fenders so it was a bit tight. The skipper of the Ranger was getting VERY nervous and kept watching the diminishing space between our boats as I pulled in alongside him. Beachcomber has a beam of 15'7" so it was a bit of a tight fit. We made it with no scrapes or scratches so another "docking" was nailed.
We followed the Ranger out of the lock and he took off. I think he was relieved, to say the least.
After a short tour of Lake Union we got to Union Marine and called the broker to tell him we were standing by. He said to rig for a port tie and we'd be backing in. When I saw where he wanted to put us I almost crapped my britches. We had to back around another boat that was port tied, then fit between that boat and a metal building with a corner that was heavily dinged and dented by prior boaters who miss judged their approach.
This was like many dockings where, once you started your approach you were committed and just hoped for the best. I took it slow and easy and worked my way in beteen the stern of the boat and the corner of the building and got it safely in place.
On our last day of this journey I would have to say that I was in kind of a downer mood. I knew this would be the last time I'd ever see Beachcomber and I was bummed. We've all heard the old saying about the happiest days of a boater's life but I gotta tell you, this was not a happy day. At 9:15 I picked up the Suburban we rented from Enterprise and backed it down the dock to load everything. Jim did an excellent job of packing it and we were able to get everything to fit. We filled the back end and the area around the folded down double seat from top to bottom and front to back.
After we pulled away we stopped to get a sandwich at a little shop in downtown Seattle. The sandwich was great but the drive through downtown was depressing. The friggin' rioters had damaged every building and the stores had covered all their windows in plywood. Between the covered windows and the grafitti I was getting pissed. Friggin rioters. Makes me wonder why the city leaders have allowed this mayhem to continue unabated for almost 3 months. I figure the political party in charge of the cities where the rioting is happening are gathering votes.
I hope if their candidate wins the election we don't end up with 4 more years of riots and mayhem. Shoot the Bustards!
It was a long 3.5 hour drive in fairly heavy traffic down to Longview to kick Tom to the curb, then another 4.5 to Jim's house, then another 20 minutes to my house. It sure felt good to be home. I'm not sure who was happier to see me, my wife or the dog.
In the morning Sailor, our Lab, woke me up at 6:00 for his walk, then it was back home to unload all the boxes of stuff we'd unloaded off the boat. The Suburban had to be returned by 9:15 so there was a deadline I had to meet. I got it back there and my wife picked me up and we headed back home so I could unload the boxes and put stuff away and cut the lawn.
So that's the end of the trip. I figure I'll do a wrap-up but that will have to wait until later today.
After we pulled away we stopped to get a sandwich at a little shop in downtown Seattle. The sandwich was great but the drive through downtown was depressing. The friggin' rioters had damaged every building and the stores had covered all their windows in plywood. Between the covered windows and the grafitti I was getting pissed. Friggin rioters. Makes me wonder why the city leaders have allowed this mayhem to continue unabated for almost 3 months. I figure the political party in charge of the cities where the rioting is happening are gathering votes.
I hope if their candidate wins the election we don't end up with 4 more years of riots and mayhem. Shoot the Bustards!
It was a long 3.5 hour drive in fairly heavy traffic down to Longview to kick Tom to the curb, then another 4.5 to Jim's house, then another 20 minutes to my house. It sure felt good to be home. I'm not sure who was happier to see me, my wife or the dog.
In the morning Sailor, our Lab, woke me up at 6:00 for his walk, then it was back home to unload all the boxes of stuff we'd unloaded off the boat. The Suburban had to be returned by 9:15 so there was a deadline I had to meet. I got it back there and my wife picked me up and we headed back home so I could unload the boxes and put stuff away and cut the lawn.
So that's the end of the trip. I figure I'll do a wrap-up but that will have to wait until later today.
Wrap up of our trip.
What a great trip this was. We covered a total of 556nm/640m in 7 days. That averages out to 80nm/day, but that figure is deceiving because on one day we traveled 202nm/232m. That was, by far, our longest day.
The weather window we lucked out in getting into was darn near perfect. Our first day out we encountered 4’-5’ waves with a strong wind on the bow. That was offset by the glassy smooth stretch of river between The Dalles and Bonneville lock. Hood River is known as the wind surfing capital of the world but there was zero wind the day we cruised that stretch. Other than those two extreme days, and the normal confused seas as we crossed the Columbia River Bar conditions were pretty darn good.
The selection of crew members for this trip was fairly easy. Tom was picked because he has a lot of experience crossing the bar and cruising up and down the coast. Jim was picked because he has cruised with me on trips to Portland (232 miles) and back. Both guys were invaluable to the trip. Between the two of them they drove about 80% of the way. I did all the docking and took my turn at the helm but they added a whole additional dimension to the trip.
When Jim loaded up his gear on the boat I wasn’t sure the boat wouldn’t sink. He had dive gear in case we got a crab pot line caught in the props (we only saw one set of buoys!), a Garmin GPS/Plotter, additional VHF portable radio and an assortment of other gear.
On the trip covered 640 miles. We had pumped 330 gallons of fuel into the boat before we left. Our fuel stops were as follows:
St Helens, $605 (their receipt doesn’t list gallons burned)
Astoria, $203, 78 gallons
Port Angeles $439, 180 gallons
That gave us a total cost of $1907 or about $2.97 per mile which would roughly equate to about 1mpg if you don’t count the last 60 some miles from Port Angeles. Figuring that in would roughly come out to about .75mpg. Not too bad for a boat that size and considering the stiff headwinds we encountered at times but that was offset by the push we got going down the Columbia. The
only other costs were for moorage ($25 at Arlington) and a couple of meals for the three of us which totaled about $110.
Was it worth it? Absofreakinlutely! While I was/am sad about getting rid of Beachcomber we’re looking forward to our next adventures in a motorhome. My wife asked me a few months ago if I could really sell Beachcomber. My reply was “Yes, I love the boat but I’m not In Love with her.” Knowing that we’re headed off to land cruises instead of water cruises made the decision a lot easier.
My crew made this trip a lot more pleasurable than I would ever have guessed. We took it easy, laughed a lot and turned it into a week long pleasure cruise not a “forced march” thing. So thanks to Jim and Tom the boat is safely in Seattle waiting to give lots of fun times to her new owners.
Bon Voyage to whoever you may be.
What a great trip this was. We covered a total of 556nm/640m in 7 days. That averages out to 80nm/day, but that figure is deceiving because on one day we traveled 202nm/232m. That was, by far, our longest day.
The weather window we lucked out in getting into was darn near perfect. Our first day out we encountered 4’-5’ waves with a strong wind on the bow. That was offset by the glassy smooth stretch of river between The Dalles and Bonneville lock. Hood River is known as the wind surfing capital of the world but there was zero wind the day we cruised that stretch. Other than those two extreme days, and the normal confused seas as we crossed the Columbia River Bar conditions were pretty darn good.
The selection of crew members for this trip was fairly easy. Tom was picked because he has a lot of experience crossing the bar and cruising up and down the coast. Jim was picked because he has cruised with me on trips to Portland (232 miles) and back. Both guys were invaluable to the trip. Between the two of them they drove about 80% of the way. I did all the docking and took my turn at the helm but they added a whole additional dimension to the trip.
When Jim loaded up his gear on the boat I wasn’t sure the boat wouldn’t sink. He had dive gear in case we got a crab pot line caught in the props (we only saw one set of buoys!), a Garmin GPS/Plotter, additional VHF portable radio and an assortment of other gear.
On the trip covered 640 miles. We had pumped 330 gallons of fuel into the boat before we left. Our fuel stops were as follows:
St Helens, $605 (their receipt doesn’t list gallons burned)
Astoria, $203, 78 gallons
Port Angeles $439, 180 gallons
That gave us a total cost of $1907 or about $2.97 per mile which would roughly equate to about 1mpg if you don’t count the last 60 some miles from Port Angeles. Figuring that in would roughly come out to about .75mpg. Not too bad for a boat that size and considering the stiff headwinds we encountered at times but that was offset by the push we got going down the Columbia. The
only other costs were for moorage ($25 at Arlington) and a couple of meals for the three of us which totaled about $110.
Was it worth it? Absofreakinlutely! While I was/am sad about getting rid of Beachcomber we’re looking forward to our next adventures in a motorhome. My wife asked me a few months ago if I could really sell Beachcomber. My reply was “Yes, I love the boat but I’m not In Love with her.” Knowing that we’re headed off to land cruises instead of water cruises made the decision a lot easier.
My crew made this trip a lot more pleasurable than I would ever have guessed. We took it easy, laughed a lot and turned it into a week long pleasure cruise not a “forced march” thing. So thanks to Jim and Tom the boat is safely in Seattle waiting to give lots of fun times to her new owners.
Bon Voyage to whoever you may be.
Last edited by a moderator:
- Joined
- Apr 15, 2008
- Messages
- 13,731
- Location
- California Delta
- Vessel Name
- FlyWright
- Vessel Make
- 1977 Marshall Californian 34 LRC
Outstanding trip and trip report, Mike! I thought of you guys often during your adventure. Thanks so much for taking the time to bring us along for the ride.
These photos are from the part of the trip between Tom's dock and Ilwaco.
I hate these rough waters....
another little fishing boat. Actuially it's a car carrier arriving from Japan.
Happy Crew, Happy Cruise
Passing under the 4 mile long Astoria bridge.
Beachcomber tucked in for the night and the crew is getting ready for an early morning bar crossing.
This was an interesting evening for all of us. Each of us went through every drawer, cabinet, locker and opening where anything could be stored. We were looking for things that needed to (a) be secured for the bar crossing and (b) pack it if we would be taking it home with us.
Tom tried his darndest to convert me into a Scotch drinker and, honestly, I didn't try real hard to resist. Then, when the bottle of Scotch was empty (no, it wasn't full when we started) he tried real hard to convert me into a bourbon drinker.
T'was a nice evening and a nice way to wind down the cruise. Two more nights on the boat and we would be headed home. <SNIFF, SNIFF>
I hate these rough waters....
another little fishing boat. Actuially it's a car carrier arriving from Japan.
Happy Crew, Happy Cruise
Passing under the 4 mile long Astoria bridge.
Beachcomber tucked in for the night and the crew is getting ready for an early morning bar crossing.
This was an interesting evening for all of us. Each of us went through every drawer, cabinet, locker and opening where anything could be stored. We were looking for things that needed to (a) be secured for the bar crossing and (b) pack it if we would be taking it home with us.
Tom tried his darndest to convert me into a Scotch drinker and, honestly, I didn't try real hard to resist. Then, when the bottle of Scotch was empty (no, it wasn't full when we started) he tried real hard to convert me into a bourbon drinker.
T'was a nice evening and a nice way to wind down the cruise. Two more nights on the boat and we would be headed home. <SNIFF, SNIFF>
These are pics from our bar crossing (nothing spectacular there), our trip up the coast and down the Strait of Juan de Fuca. No "landing" photos from Port Angeles because it was too darn dark. That boat at 10 o'clock to our position is a USACE boat.
pfd's for all
A bit of spray but we encountered worse the first day out.
Watching our progress as we cross the bar and cruise on out a few miles to get away from the influence of the Columbia.
Checking the GPS as we pass Gray's Harbor entrance
Now you see why we designated Jim as the "ship's photographer". Nice shot Jim
The harbor at Port Angeles is undoubtedly the most difficult harbor I've ever entered at night. (Google it to see why) You have to go around a loooong spit that sticks out about a mile or so and curves to the NE. After you're safely around that you have to go almost all the way to the SW corner of that bay to find the marina. Then you have to enter between two poorly lighted markers and the entry has to be from the west.
Then, to make matters just that much more fun there is a HUGE sailboat that we had to duck around the bowsprit of in order to get to the fuel dock.
QUICK, someone hand the captain a cold beer.
pfd's for all
A bit of spray but we encountered worse the first day out.
Watching our progress as we cross the bar and cruise on out a few miles to get away from the influence of the Columbia.
Checking the GPS as we pass Gray's Harbor entrance
Now you see why we designated Jim as the "ship's photographer". Nice shot Jim
The harbor at Port Angeles is undoubtedly the most difficult harbor I've ever entered at night. (Google it to see why) You have to go around a loooong spit that sticks out about a mile or so and curves to the NE. After you're safely around that you have to go almost all the way to the SW corner of that bay to find the marina. Then you have to enter between two poorly lighted markers and the entry has to be from the west.
Then, to make matters just that much more fun there is a HUGE sailboat that we had to duck around the bowsprit of in order to get to the fuel dock.
QUICK, someone hand the captain a cold beer.
Similar threads
