We arrived into Astoria on Friday, July 22nd after a little OOPS moment to start the day off. Here’s what happened.
After an uneventful night passage from Newport we were happy to see the entrance to the Columbia River, thinking how nice it would feel to get tied up and then get caught up on some sleep. The morning was overcast but the water was pretty flat as we started our approach towards the infamous Columbia River bar. The Columbia River bar is used as part of the rescue training for the US Coast Guard because the waters can be extremely treacherous, depending on currents and sea conditions. We planned our arrival to coincide with the flood, which would give us an extra kick towards Astoria, an hour and a half away. Conditions were good. Jim was helming under power and keeping a watchful eye out for crab traps when one suddenly appeared from under the water, almost completely submerged and right on our bow! After passing thousands of crab traps over 26 years of cruising we couldn’t avoid this one! Jim turned hard to port with a last minute attempt to miss the two floats and poly line that led down to the trap itself. Then came the CRUNCH sound.
Jim instantly put the engine into neutral while I glanced behind Falcon where I spotted a bunch of broken florescent orange crab floats bobbing in our wake. When Jim put the engine in gear we heard a terrible knocking sound so he immediately shut off the engine and radioed the Coast Guard about our situation. Within moments a local Fish and Wildlife Police boat arrived to see how they could help. What we needed was a tow…they apologized but they weren’t permitted to tow us to Astoria since we weren’t in grave danger. We had the headsail up but there wasn’t enough wind to fill it and the ebb tide was holding us in place.
 |
| What was left of the crab trap line that was wrapped around our prop. |
The Columbia River bar is not a place you want to toy with! The local martime museum shows just how wicked it can be, especially in the winter. We knew we couldn’t safely sail into the marina more than an hour away. While we bobbed in the swells and contemplated our options a coastal towing vessel appeared heading our way. The skipper, Bill, heard our radio call to the Coast Guard and came to check in with us since he was only a couple of miles away. We quickly agreed to be towed to the West Basin in Astoria where we would check the propeller. We readied the towing lines and then let Bill tow us to the transit dock at Astoria. It was strange sitting in the cockpit quietly moving through the water with no engine on or sails up. Bill was an expert at manouvering his boat in the marina and getting Falcon eventually tied to the transient dock. As luck would have it, Bill’s son-in-law was a certified diver and he was able to dive and untangle the crab trap line, tighten a zinc on the shaft and check that everything looked good with the prop. After he did this we started the engine and tested it at full RPM while tied at the dock. First in forward and then reverse and everything was fine. Thank goodness! Finally we got around to catching up on our night at sea and unexpected morning oops.
 |
| Falcon with the bridge that joins Oregon and Washington beyond. |
 |
| The marina has a few...shallow areas. Proceed with caution!!! |
We enjoyed the little town of Astoria, which we visited in 2013 as well. After a couple of days we left to check out a little used anchorage that our friends Dawn and Mike, S/V Destiny, recommended. We met Mike and Dawn in La Cruz, Mexico but they now call Astoria homer. The anchorage they loved was only 6 miles east of town, behind Tongue Point and near Lois Island but we felt like we were miles from civilization, anchored in a now-defunct turning basin. Lois Island is quite C shaped and part of the Lewis & Clark National Wildlife Refuge. Many islands lie within its protection. Lois Island was thickly forested in lush greens and very serene, when the wind wasn’t blowing. We anchored in the middle of the basin so we didn’t spot many birds close up but we heard plenty of falcons, seagulls, occasional blue herons, ravens and more.
The turning basin and 12 piers of old ship pilings jutting out perpendicular to shore were used in WWII. The basin was dredged and created specifically for the war ships to turn around in. It was dug out to in a rectangular shape, consistent 30 feet deep. Hundreds of war ships from the reserve fleet were docked row upon row between the long piers. Now the area is tranquil and lovely.
Only a mile away, tucked in the corner of the basin was a little gap that opened up to the lovely little John Day River. Dawn and Mike’s home, S/ V Destiny, sits at a friend’s dock about a half mile in. What a nice quiet place to call home.
 |
| The floating community hidden in John Day River |
 |
| You can just spot the old barn above the field. |
We spent a few enjoyable hours slowly making our way along John Day River. We drifted in the current and enjoyed the afternoon sun and being in nature where we spotted a beaver and heard our first eagle call since heading north!
 |
| That' pretty close to actual size of the little crayfish. |
 |
| End of the water, time to turn around again. |
 |
| But not before we spotted this beaver swimming by. Very rare for us! |
More on river exploring in the next blog. Until the….
Tricia and Jim Bowen
S/V Falcon VII
email: tandjbowen13@gmail.com
Columbia River exploring in Falcon was amazing. We anchored near Miller Sands twice and explored a sandy bluff, walked end to end along the beach, and wound our way to a hidden lagoon with lush marshlands covered with acres of pink spiky flowers. Another morning we took the dinghy along the perfectly curved Welcome Slough on Puget Island. Our ten days cruising the Columbia was heaven and confirmed how much we love the intimacy of rivers and their secluded anchorages.
