Heading for the Barn

Looks like ICON has made the turn to the East and into the Strait of Juan de Fuca, still followed closely by Neptune's Car... incoming tide until 9 :30 pm should make it a fairly quick trip down the Strait for these two boats competing for line honors and top IRC fleet honors.

ICON is registering 9.2 knots heading ENE for the Canadian (North) side of the Strait, Neptune's Car is registering 10.7 knots, but does not appear to have made the easterly turn yet... what's ahead? Inside the Strait? See below:

Conditions at Sheringham Point

Wind

ESE @ 7 knts

Temperature

11°c

Waves

Not Reported

Updated

08-May-2014 17:00:00

The J-105 Free Bowl of Soup currently leads not only PHRF B, but also many of the PHRF A Boats, who remain tightly grouped south of the turn, at speeds of nearly 8-9 knots on average...

Winds Abating

Looks like winds have abated; Sailflow is showing winds at Destruction Island now (at 5 pm) closer to 20 knots, 13 knots at Quillayute, from the W & SW... wind still pushing the fleet North at possibly record pace. Winds have been recorded gusting to 40+ knots at the mouth of the Columbia today from noon until 2 pm.

At the Turn - Room at the Mark!

Looks like ICON is first boat to the turn with Neptune's Car hot on their heels, wind is still blowing Easterly at Neah Bay, but at 16 knots, here is their position as of 1700 hours:

ICON's position as of 1700 hours, May 8th:

48° 21.68' N 124° 47.41' W

Neptune's Car Position as of 1700 hours:

48° 19.87' N 124° 46.56' W

Latest tracker shows boat speed on Neptune's Car at 11.7 knots, with ICON at 11.1 knots... hope they don't have a rear view mirror on board ICON!

PHRF Class A boats may also make the turn before Sunset, tightly grouped at 5 PM just behind Ocelot are Riva, Anam Cara, Free Bowl of Soup, Time Bandit and Kinetic, all registering speeds of approximately 8 knots.

Weather Update

Destruction Island weather buoy registering winds at 35 knots from the SE.

How Fast?

Here are some sample boat speeds from sail tracker at 2 pm, May 8th:

ICON - 18.1 knots
OCELOT 16.8 knots
NEPTUNE'S CAR - 15.5 knots
RIVA - 12.3 knots
FREE BOWL OF SOUP - 11.8 knots
KINETIC - 11.3 knots
ANAM CARA - 11.4 knots
TIME BANDIT - 9.4 knots
BLADE RUNNER - 10.8 knots
CALIFORNIA GIRL - 8.7 knots
KOKOPELLI - 9 knots
VELOCITY - 7.2 knots
SIREN - 8.7 knots
KAOS - 8.5 knots
AVALON - 9.2 knots
ION - 9.4 knots
CANTATA - 7.9 knots
PASSEPARTOUT - 8.4 knots

NOTE: These are NOT average speeds or top speeds, just an indication of current individual boat speeds at 2 pm, 6 hours into the race (sorry, if I didn't get everyone).

Shore crews might want to get to Victoria a little earlier than planned if you want to be there when your boat finishes; there's still a long way to go however... We'll see what happens as the fleet starts to turn the corner into the Strait.

And They're Off!

The 2014 Oregon Offshore hosted by Corinthian Yacht Club of Portland is successfully underway!

At 8:10 am Thursday, May 8th, the fleet of 29 boats set off North from the mouth of the Columbia River  heading for Victoria B.C. in confused seas and heavy chop; winds at the start of the race were from the south, gusting to 20 knots at 8 am. Rain went from drizzle to pelting as the southerly front enveloped the fleet, air temperature was 51 degrees for the start of the race.

If this wind holds throughout the remainder of the day and evening, we could be in store for another record year for Oregon Offshore!

Several boats had reefed mains, with most opting for spinnakers immediately after the start.

Ocelot and Panama Red took the most offshore route at the start, while the rest of the fleet was enjoying a downwind reach allowing them to stick close to the rhumb line.

A pre-race collision between Wave Dancer and Ocelot appears to have resulted in little or no damage or injuries, however the confused sea state, winds, and anticipation of the race start were all, undoubtedly, factors in the pre-start "bump".

No whales were sighted breaching at the start of this year's race, but there were lots of crab pots near the starting area, a preliminary caution to all boats and crews to watch out for additional pots up the race course.

The Columbia River bar crossing was uneventful for most boats, many were already at the starting area near buoy #2 more than an hour before the start of the race. The sea state at the start of the race was turbulent, with a confused chop on top of a mild 3-5 foot swell challenging the racers "sea legs" early. Most of the boats left the west basin in Astoria before 5 am in anticipation of the 8 am start.

Here's wishing good luck and safe journey to all competitors in the 2014 Oregon Offshore sailing race.

Cool Change Withdraws

It windy and raining out there NOAA: s wind 25 to 30 kt becoming SW in the afternoon. Wind could gust as high as 38 kt Rain. W swell 4 ft. at 9 seconds. Wind wave 8 to 9 ft.

At 0630 Cool Change withdrew.

Official start time

The skippers' meeting was a success, with a full room at Rogue Public House. All 30 boats are ready to race, and the 10 minute warning will be at 0800 hours tomorrow, with the start at 0810.

Thanks to all of our sponsors, and everyone who came out to celebrate tonight. Special thanks to Timm Lessley of Danish Marine for giving the weather briefing again.

South Wind??

I don't know if any of you have noticed, but I have... The current forecast is for a south wind all day Thursday, and maybe shifting toward the west after that.

Who's excited?!

Start Time

Hi folks!

The start is tentatively set at 0800 hours on May 8. We'll confirm at the Skippers' Meeting the night before.

Fleet Breaks and Skippers' Meeting Updates

Hello racers!

We have also confirmed the location for the Skippers' Meeting on Wednesday, May 7. The skipper and one navigator from each boat should attend the Skippers' Meeting, beginning at 1800 hours at Rogue Public House in Astoria, OR, 100 39th St (Pier 39). The Skipper or a representative must attend! We'll hand out SPOT trackers and skippers' packets, including SPOT tracker instructions, supplemental sailing instructions, and some other goodies.

At 1845 hours, we'll welcome all crew and supporters. Drinks, dinner, t-shirts, and a raffle are all available for purchase, and we have some great prizes including another GoPro. Don't miss it!

Getting to Rogue: The trolley will be running from the barn at Industry and End Streets to take folks to the meeting. The first trolley will leave at 5:15pm (two folks from each boat should make sure to catch this one), and a second will come at 6:15pm to bring the rest of your crew and supporters. If you have a car, parking will be available at Rogue.

Please note: We have restricted attendance at the Skippers' Meeting to the skipper and one navigator from each boat for the first 45-minutes. This means if your crew wants to come support you, socialize, buy t-shirts, or just have a drink (and dinner), they are all welcome beginning at 1845 hours.

Find the fleet breaks for this year's race here.

Contact us at oregonoffshore@cycportland.org if you have any questions.

Moorage and Hotels in Astoria

The West Basin Marina in Astoria, OR has been notified that there will be 30 boats looking for moorage. When tides are low, any boats that draw more than 10' will definitely need to moor at the East moorage. However, the rest should fit in the West Basin. Please find an open slip and notify the harbormaster when you arrive as to which slip you have and how long you'll stay. Be aware of the tides in the marina, as there's not a lot of water at times.

Also, 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.

Mention their Manager's Special when making a reservation.

It's a nice place within walking distance of the West Basin. 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

1(888)898-6222

Victoria Harbour - Customs and Moorage Reservations

Hello racers,

Please be sure to make reservations for moorage at the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority before the race begins. Each boat will need a reservation despite arriving as part of the Oregon Offshore group. You'll receive a reduced rate if you pay by credit card before the race, or if you pay upon arrival. Reservations can be made here.

Please also note there is a new customs dock! You can find more information about it here.

Superceded Chart for Victoria Harbour

Hello racers!

We've received notice that one of our required charts for this year is out of date. (See the Notice of Race, Section 8.2.) Canadian chart 3415 (Victoria Harbour) has been replaced by Canadian chart 3412.

We'll require 3412 next year, and we strongly recommend you have it on board instead of 3415 this year.

More updates for West Basin Moorage in Astoria

There will be a cruise ship at the West Basin moorage on May 8 (the first day of our race), so the parking lot at the marina office on Pier 1 will be closed for parking starting Wednesday night, May 7. There will be parking available in the lot by the Chinook building and in the overflow lot across the railroad tracks.

Plan accordingly!

Crew Waivers

Hello Racers!

Some of you have had questions about what to do with the crew waivers... Please give them to your skippers, who should email them all together to legal@cycportland.org if they can do so before the Skippers' Meeting. Otherwise, they should bring them (all together) to the Skippers' Meeting.

Thank you!

Neptune's Car - Santa Cruz 70

Neptune's Car hails from Seattle, WA, and has a the lowest PHRF rating in this year's fleet, at -78. She'll also race in the IRC class, rated at 1.3. Her skipper is Paul LaMarche.

Photo credits Jan Anderson.

Big year for the Oregon Offshore

The Kickoff Party last night was a success... packed room at Rogue Hall with fun raffles including gift certificates, foul weather gear, and a GoPro! We also received a few more entries, for a total of 31 received or in the mail.

Unfortunately, Skipper Gil MacGregor has decided not to race his Child of the Mist, but that still leaves us with 30 boats. We're excited!

The newest entrants include Siren, Wave Dancer, Kokopelli, California Girl, and Ocelot, and we're told that Neptune's Car and Sol Pacifico mailed their entries yesterday, which qualify them for racing. Click on the links for more information about each boat.

We'd also like to give a shout out to Chris Schweiger and Jeff McDonald of Panama Red for being the first skipper(s) to return their entire crew list and crew waivers all together. Skippers, please collect those and get them to us as soon as possible (no later than the Skippers' Meeting on May 7).

California Girl - Cal 40

Timm and Victoria Lessley will race again on their pretty Cal 40, California Girl. She hails from Portland, OR, and rates 129. Timm recently surprised Victoria with some new bottom paint.

Guess what's on the other side!

Comparing Radar Reflector Performance

Hello Oregon Offshore Sailors!

Please take a look at some information concerning tests done regarding the abilities of certain types of radar reflectors.

Please be aware that certain types do not meet PIYA's requirements.

See you tomorrow at the Kickoff Party!