Another Day, Another Night




A Beautiful Evening

After arriving at Salmon Bay Marina, we spent the afternoon resting up and then headed out again at 5:30pm to use up the remainder of a weather window.  Eight-to ten foot swells were running along the edge of the Umpqua River Bar; once outside the bar we had relatively calm seas, which turned into smooth, gentle rollers later that evening. 







A Moonlit Night with Artistic Clouds along the Coast

It was a pleasant cruise with several whale sightings, accompanied by their haunting sounds.  Best of all, it was a moonlit evening so we could see the horizon and the direction of the waves throughout the night.  The following day brought lumpy seas and 5-foot swells with winds shifting from the northwest around to the southeast.  We arrived at the Columbia River Bar at 1:40pm that afternoon – time to make an important decision.  Should we continue motoring another 158 nautical miles along the Washington coast to Neah Bay (a run of 21 hours), or should we stop at Astoria?  Several factors affected our decision:  1) a gale-force wind was approaching the Washington coast and would arrive at 5pm that following day – what if it arrived earlier and/or we arrived later, not a pretty picture  2) it also seemed a bad idea to be motoring in the dark along the Washington coast due to logs, deadheads, and other debris in the water that could damage the hull of the boat or damage the props, likewise not a pretty picture.  

A Fishing Boat Entering the Columbia Bar

 At the same time, however, we might be missing our last weather window to get back home and end up spending the winter in Astoria, or cruising up the Columbia River to winter over in Portland, Oregon – not necessarily an unpleasant prospect.  

Coast Guard Boys Practicing - Columbia River

Rather be safe than sorry was the decision; we had been beaten up enough so we headed over the Columbia River Bar into Astoria.  

Got d' Fever Approaching Astoria

After pulling into our assigned slip at Astoria Mooring Basin, we settled in for the night, happy to sleep in a real bed after spending several nights in the pilothouse bunk.  We woke up the next morning to find that a cruise ship (the Norwegian Sun) had come into port for the day, an opportunity for its passengers to enjoy this charming and historic town.

Tanker Traffic passing Got d' Fever - Astoria

Got d' Fever at Astoria Mooring Basin

Cruise Ship at Astoria