The infamous Columbia River Bar

I was reading, in a sailing Facebook group that I belong to, about a person who just bought a new sailboat and is contemplating making the trip down the coast from the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Astoria in the ocean. They were asking the group for advice. That got me thinking about the infamous Columbia River Bar and how important timing your arrival can be if you’re going to safely cross. So we’ll talk about the bar, and why it’s such a bear.

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Turning basins on the Columbia River

Today we talk about “turning basins” on the Columbia River: what they are, where they are, and why a ship might need one.

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While we’re talking about water safety, let’s talk about the River

Today, a look at the swift moving currents on the Columbia, and what they mean for boaters and people who may end up in the water. Boating here means considering and working with current – it’s your constant companion if you are in a boat on the Columbia.

Image: This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Photographer Stteve Morgan.

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As the weather gets nice, remember the water is cold

A caring reminder that with our first nice weekend of the season, people will be flocking to our beaches. So go out there and have a good time. But remember, it’s the Pacific Northwest, not a tropical resort.

Let’s remember that though the air is warm, the water remains dangerously cold.

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Solstice, what does it really mean?

We’ll talk today about some of those events in the astronomical calendar that define our seasons. One of them is the summer solstice. But wait, if you’re in the southern hemisphere it’s the winter solstice. What’s up with that?

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Well, the weather’s getting nice…

Well, the weather’s getting nice and you know what that means… people will start going out on the water in boats – everything from kayaks to sailboats to power boats.

So let’s talk a little about what to do if you’re on one, and it starts to sink. This happens probably more often than you realize.

A few tips on how to call for help if you need it.

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Good Samaritan saves a fisherman in trouble

A crisis on the water off Manzanita in the ocean this weekend: a commercial fishing boat caught fire and the captain, the only person on board, had to jump into the ocean to save himself. Fortunately, he was rescued by a nearby boater. We’ll talk about the tradition and legality of doing the right thing at sea.

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When archaeology and beachcombing might not mix

A big story in the news this week is the discovery of the timbers of a sunken Spanish galleon from 1693 in a sea cave on the beach near Manzanita, Oregon. This doesn’t mean you should run out there and try to find your own treasure. We’ll talk about why this is a bad idea for most people.

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The perils of buildings built over the water

After the partial collapse yesterday of the old cannery building in Astoria that now houses Buoy Beer, we take a look at the inherent perils of owning a building that is built over the water on pilings. There are miraculous aspects to these old venerable structures, and plenty of nautical charm. But they can be a headache to their owners, who navigate great risk owning something that stands in the shallows of the mighty Columbia.

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Army Corps to control dam water releases to prevent Columbia flooding

In response to high spring tides augmented by widespread atmospheric river rainfall in the Pacific Northwest, the Army Corps of Engineers is restricting water flow over some dams to control downriver flooding.

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