Update from Riva


A little update from the boys on Riva! Looks like they remain in good spirits despite the light winds, thanks for sharing, Chris!

"Abeam Umatilla Reef. So far so good. Looks like we have come out of the night's toilet bowl in a decent spot..."


And the first to finish in the 2013 Oregon Offshore is... The Norwegian Pearl? Wait, I sure don't remember seeing that entry?!

Just kidding folks! The wind looks pretty light out there this morning and the harbor looks like glass, so time for all of us landlubbers to pray for wind and do our wind dances to appease the wind gods to help get our sailors up the coast!

There just might be a pic of my wind dance coming later. ;)

RC on Station


Doing work on the blog earlier. ;)

Neptune's Car seems to have a nice lead on the race tracker! All boats are north of Grays Harbor and working their way up the Washington coastline.

Stay tuned for more updates from the West Can RC Crew.

Race Committee has arrived in Victoria, BC!


We have arrived in Victoria, BC and are set up on Pier A of Ogden Point to finish the 37th Annual Oregon Offshore Competitors! 

We had 26 boats start this morning at 1005 hours and all boats are showing on Tracker. Check out the race tracker to watch their progress! More updates will be posted as information starts flowing my way. A big thanks to Steve White and all our friends at Royal Victoria Yacht Club for helping coordinate the finish line and getting us all set up! 

Stay tuned for more updates!


Supplemental Sailing Instructions now available

With less than 48 hours left until the start of this year's race, skippers can now find the Supplemental Sailing Instructions by clicking the link to the left.

We've also posted a link to the US Coast Guard Light List, which includes updated navigational information for the Pacific Northwest.

Peregrine won't make it this year

We just heard from skipper Steve Smolinske of the Catalina 38, Peregrine, and after fighting a huge headwind in the Strait of Juan de Fuca on his way south, he's recalculated his arrival time in Astoria. Rather than arriving at the Columbia bar at full ebb tomorrow night, he's decided to take this year off. Bummer.

See you at Swiftsure, Steve!

Skippers' Meeting at Astoria Yacht Club

You may have noticed in the final revision of the Race Packet, we've selected a new location for our Skippers' Meeting this year.  Astoria Yacht Club has generously offered to host us at their new clubhouse.

Location: Astoria Yacht Club - 300 Industry, Suite 201
Date: Wednesday, May 8
Time: 1800 Hours

Remember, every boat must have a representative at the Skippers' Meeting or face disqualification. We look forward to seeing you in Astoria!

Update: Dinner will not be available at the Skippers' Meeting.  There will be beer and wine for purchase.

AYC Clubhouse - They claim to be further along with the remodel now.

2013 Class Breaks

Race Committee has finalized the class breaks for this year's race, attached here for your viewing pleasure:


Turnagain's Entry has arrived from Vancouver, BC

Today we received our 27th, and we believe final, entry for the year. Turnagain is a Beneteau Oceanis 50 hailing from Vancouver, BC, and skippered by Travis McGregor.


Turnagain's PHRF rating is 105.

Cathlamet Channel Shoaling

Portland skippers! As you are preparing to move your boats down the river to Astoria for the big race, be sure to consider the following warning from the US Coast Guard: The Cathlamet Channel has such severe shoaling that it is not navigable or capable of being marked by navigational aids. Certain buoys marking the channel along the Washington side of Puget Island have been removed and will be removed from chart 18523. Click here for more details, and if you have any questions, you can call the Marine Safety Unit in Portland at 503-240-9310.


View Larger Map


Corinthian Yacht Club of Portland would like to recognize our Gold Sponsors:


Schooner Creek



Freewind's entry has arrived!

We've received an entry from Richard Hudson, skipper of the Cal 9.2 Freewind. This will be Richard's second time skippering this boat in the Oregon Offshore race, although you may remember that Freewind has long been a part of the Oregon Offshore's list of participants. Her PHRF rating is 177, and she now hails from Nanoose Bay, on Vancouver Island, BC.


Banner Year

It turns out no one is impressed with yesterday's post about 20 boats. At the Kickoff Party last night, we got five more entries, and we have at least two more in the mail! In a few days we will confirm the final number, which will be at least 27. This is the highest level of participation in the last decade! The closest in recent memory was 24 boats in 2006. We are thrilled!

Last night, we received entries from:


Desperado, a New York 36 skippered by Portlander and CYC member Jerry Barnes. Jerry's ready to get back out there on his new boat, after his last attempt at the Oregon Offshore was thwarted just north of Buoy 2 when a breaching whale landed on his Beneteau, L'Orca. Desperado is one of two NY 36's entered this year, and both have PHRF ratings of 108.

Desperado


Raindrop is a Cascade 36, one of three racing this year. Her PHRF rating is 138, and this is her first time racing in the Oregon Offshore. Don't get confused, though... This boat, skippered by Portland's Joby Easton was the first to finish in the double-handed Pac Cup in 2008.

Raindrop


Shamrock is a Yankee 30, touted by skipper and CYC member Gary Bruner as "the slowest boat in the fleet," because of her 195 PHRF rating. Nobody's buying it, Gary. We remember when Shamrock beat a number of boats in 2011, after racing half the course with a broken gooseneck.

Shamrock


Siren is a Beneteau 36.7 skippered by Carl and Nicole Sirois, CYC members hailing from Portland, OR. This is Siren's third year in a row racing the Oregon Offshore, and she has a PHRF rating of 96.

Siren


Rya is a Hylas 49 hailing from Portland, OR, skippered by CYC member Andy McCann. Rya has also raced the Oregon Offshore the last two years, and she'll round out this year's Cruising Class at three boats.

Rya


What a great race we're going to have this year! At the top of the fleet, two storied Pacific Northwest Goliaths; in the middle, the battle of the Cascades; at the most diminutive, a match-up between two pocket ocean racers. There are lots of good stories to play out, and the start is just over two weeks away!

Thanks to everyone who came out to the Kickoff Party last night and made it a fun and successful event.

Photo credits Dena Kent.

The fleet grows to 20!

We've received two more entries: Neptune's Car and Cool Change.

Neptune's Car
Neptune's Car is a Santa Cruz 70 owned by Paul LaMarche of Seattle, WA. With a PHRF rating of -84, we're expecting that this boat and Rage will have a rivalry worth following.

Cool Change
Cool Change is a C&C 38 with a PHRF rating of 144. Skipper Frank Noragon is an experienced Oregon Offshore racer from Portland, OR.





Tonight is the Kickoff Party and the deadline for entry. Since the deadline requires entries to be postmarked by midnight tonight, we may see a few entries trickle in over the next few days. Check back tomorrow to hear about the skippers who are bringing their entries to the Kickoff Party!

Photo credits Jan Anderson for Neptune's Car and Dena Kent for Cool Change.

Oregon Offshore Kickoff Party and Race Entry Deadline Tonight!


Hello Offshore Racers!

Don't forget...tonight is the 37th Annual Oregon Offshore Kickoff Party! All skippers, crew, and potential 2013 Oregon Offshore sailors are welcome to join the Corinthian Yacht Club of Portland at Kells Irish Restaurant and Pub. Come share the excitement with fellow competitors as we discuss the upcoming race. The Kickoff Party is a great place to chat with veteran skippers about boat prep and logistics, compare notes on proven strategies, and find crew or boats searching for crew.


We’ll have T-shirts for sale. There will be a no-host bar and dinner available for purchase, and a raffle with proceeds benefiting CYC Portland. The raffle will include a grand prize from West Marine: an Offshore PFD with attached harness, double tether, strobe light for vest, and a crotch strap... A $400 value.

Have you turned in your race entry? If you haven't, this event is also the entry deadline, so bring your checkbook! Entries must be delivered to CYC by the Kickoff Party, or postmarked no later than midnight tonight.

RSVP to isr.committee@gmail.com. We hope to see you all there!

Event: Oregon Offshore Kickoff Party
Location: Kells Irish Pub, 112 SW 2nd Ave, Portland, OR 97204
Date and Time: Monday, April 22nd starting at 6:30PM

Wave Dancer's Entry has arrived!

Wave Dancer's entry showed up in the mail today. She's a NY 36 skippered by Portlander and CYC member Steve Moshofsky. She last raced Oregon Offshore in 2010, taking a few years off for a major refit of the boat. Now she's ready to get back out there with a PHRF rating of 108.


Photo credits Dena Kent.

Have you booked your hotel in Astoria?

If you haven't made your hotel arrangements for the night(s) before the race, the Holiday Inn Express in Astoria has a great rate through mid-May.

Mention their Manager's Special when making a reservation.

It's a nice place within walking distance of the West Basin moorage. The Manager's Special is for one King or two Queen beds, a fireplace, and a Riverfront view for $119 plus tax. Call soon, as the number of rooms is not guaranteed.

HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS
204 West Marine Drive
Astoria, OR 97103

Entries 16 and 17 Received Today!

We've received two more entries, for a total of 17 boats so far. One is CYC member Jim Calnon with his C&C 34, Katzenjammer. She rates 147, and has participated in this race multiple times before.

Katzenjammer
Panama Red
We also received an entry for Panama Red, a Mumm 36 owned and skippered by Jeff McDonald and Chris Schweiger, another CYC member. Panama Red has a PHRF rating of 51, and this will be her first time racing Oregon Offshore, although her skippers are long-time Offshore racers. Seven or eight other skippers have said they plan to enter as well, so we hope to have well over 20 boats this year. Get your entry in this week!

Final 2013 Race Packet

Hello skippers!

We've updated the race packet once again. This will be the final version for this year. Any other changes will be outlined in the Supplemental Race Instructions, which will be posted online and distributed at the Skippers' Meeting on May 8, in Astoria, OR.

If you haven't turned in your entry yet, please be sure you've downloaded the most recent packet with the updated entry and waiver forms. You can download it here.

Feel free to contact us at membership@cycportland.org if you have any questions, and remember, all entries must be postmarked no later than Monday, April 22, or delivered at the Kickoff Party at Kells that evening. That leaves only six more days!

Kokopelli - Santa Cruz 27


Kokopelli hails from Portland, OR, and has a PHRF rating of 159. Her skipper is Eric Collins.

Photo credits Jan Anderson.