26M Caught on the Columbia

[Sailor Dale]

I sometimes sail the Columbia, although not yet in my M26. I spotted this article and photo on the Three Sheets NW blog. A very good site for northwest sailors.

http://threesheetsnw.com/blog/2013/06/r ... -columbia/

[u12fly]

When reading the title I had to open the string on this one. We've had our boat for 4 years - but this year is the first time we've moored the boat (we trailer it everywhere). We got a slip at Hayden Island on the Columbia River which is not far from where the photo in the article was taken. Current, yes that is quite an experience.... even getting the boat into the slip take a bit of work. We are moored near the Island Café which is a great location but is in full flow of the never ending current rushing to the ocean. I figure it is a good learning experience.

[Sailor Dale]

I like that Island Cafe location, but the Columbia is certainly challenging there! Have you sailed at Cascade Locks, about 45 miles up river? A wide spot above Bonneville Dam, with less current, better scenery and wider. A nice little marina there too, including some transient space. World class sailboat racing venue, if you weren't already aware.

[dlandersson]

Here someplace more drastic - the bay of Fundy

http://video.search.yahoo.com/video/pla ... ge=0&&tt=b

[u12fly]

No we have not gone that far to the east... We have been about 30 miles west to Martin Island. There is a great little cove there to spend the night, anchored out. We just got the boat moored into a rented slip two weeks ago so we have all summer to explore. I am sure we will go up that way because I want to venture through the locks on at least one trip!

[Catigale]

It is a bit scary that people can be boaters and have such a low level of understanding of tides/currents/ etc....but maybe the article is being written that way on purpose, to be fair. In New England, if you arent tuned into tides, currents, local conditions...you will be tuned in by Nature pretty quickly.

The person who was surprised that a tidal estuary can reverse itself needs to do a little more reading, for example.

The Hudson River here in NY is tidal all the way up to Troy, NY - 130 miles from the ocean!!