Cruising Guide for Oregon Waters?

[clausont]

I have looked for a cruising guide that includes Oregon waters. Almost everything that I have found so far is either Washington (Puget Sound, San Juans, Vancouver Island, etc) or California south of San Francisco. My question is:
Which cruising guide has a good coverage of Oregon waters and harbors? I am sure that there must be several and I just have not found them. I also have done a search of this forum and have not found anything either.
We want to start doing some harbor hopping / coastal cruising early next year and this would be helpful.

[scotte]

What about Coastal Pilot 7?

[Randyonr3]

Check out "Charlies Charts" give good info on crossing the bars.. also Exploring The Pacific Coast by Don Douglass & Reanne Hemingway used them both, lots of info.

[clausont]

Thanks Scotte and Randy. I will look at these.

[Randyonr3]

The boat you have is a good sturdy boat, and I'm not doubting your ability, but the north-west is not a playground for those unseasoned. The wife and I have made the trip a few times, and we always find something that we had not planned for..
I would suggest that you post a thread asking for people that have done the trip and the problems they ran into..
I'll give you a couple, Shelter Cove, California..... The fishing boats of that area use the cove for moorings during their season.. the mooring balls are attached to old Diesel blocks.. when the cable or chain rots off, they go get another old block or two and drop it into the water. (remember, the timber industry and logging trucks) So the bottom is littered with this iron trash..
On our first trip down, we had to cut lose a 45lb CQR andcor and 150 feet of chain that had hung up in this trash and we could'nt retreve it.. 30 feet of water..
second, and we're still in California.. Ft. Brag... you ride the swells under the bridge on the way in.. The bar was 11 feet when we entered and we draw 8.
and the lighting system... from the outer mark, look under the bridge, you'll see a light.. if your to far to the right, the light is RED, to far to the left, The light goes GREEN, down the center its WHITE. keep it in the white..
and making the trip around St. Georges reef...Give it plenty of room.. as a mile or two... or get a fisherman from Crescent City to show you the inside channel.
Our first time around the reef, we were in to close, and saw the head of a rock apear at the bottom of a swell, just 50 yards off our right...and the reef was on our left... what that tell you..
and something else you'd never expect....when the weather gets rough on the oregon coast....They close the bars.........and you cant get in...

[s/vSouthernCross]

For what it's worth, the Oregon State Marine Board has some information on their website, including a publication called "Boating in Oregon Coastal Waters": http://www.boatoregon.com/OSMB/libra...astalGuide.pdf
This pub is now about 10 years old, but it still has some useful information and some good photos of bar crossings. I took new color photos of Oregon river bars last year for a revised version of this publication, but apparently it has not yet been published.

[clausont]

Randyonr3 - thanks for this information. I think that I will do that when we get closer to actually going somewhere.
As for Shelter Cove - that is some of the area that I grew up in. As for the old truck blocks - you are exactly right. My father and grandfather undoubtedly contributed to the iron trash in the area as I remember them both talking about that type of thing. They were both fishermen and loggers in that area when I was a child. I used to sail mainly out of Bodega Bay when I was younger.
Now I live in Oregon and am well aware of the bar closings. And they are quite serious about it when the bar closes.
I have never been near St Georges reef or Ft Bragg in a boat of any kind. This is the type of information that is quite valuable.
Thank you for contributing all of this information - I am filing it away until I get closer to using it and then I will bring it out and review it again.

s/vSouthernCross - Thanks for that input also. I have looked that one over and will be printing it soon also. What part of Oregon are you in?

[hallie]

ooh, good story... i love the tales of circumnavigation, though i doubt i'll be willing to try my own til i'm about the same age - ha!

any more you know of..?

[Randyonr3]

Mark, Lets just say I'm documented out of Coos Bay, Left there a year or so ago, went to the The California Delta to do the retro-fit on the boat.. Its finished and we're off.. we were waiting for Christmas to pass, spent it with the grankids, We're going to hang out in San Francisco for a couple months before we head south.........
Be really careful on your trip south, Many do the trip, both north bound and south bound each year.. the sailing is easy if you pick your windows right..