Congratulations to Steve Rander and the crew of Rage crossed the line May 9 14:20:00
Rage - First to Finish - 2015 Oregon Offshore Race
We Need Wind
HELLLOOOO, race enthusiasts! It's beautiful here at the finish line in Victoria, but our racers are in a holding pattern off Cape Flattery without wind. We need help creating the wind with prayers, rituals, superstitious deeds, and semi-scientific procedures to help our racers. I've heard of such things as biting the heads off mackerels, sailors dancing in their undies, while others are brewing up some top-secret, special family recipe chili. We are currently doing our part by sending a crew to the end of the breakwater with a jigger of 10-year-old bourbon as an offering to King Neptune. Whatever it takes, we need to get our race boats into the Strait of Juan de Fuca by 17:00 to catch a favorable wind and tide.
Riva Withdraws
Riva withdraws saying "All is well, lack of wind and distance from finish is the cause."
The Oregon Offshore Race ends tomorrow, Sunday morning at 10 am. With 27 hours left in the race there will be a lot of pouring over charts determining time, speed, and distance to the finish today.
Skipper Scott Campbell and crew thank you for racing, the hospitality committee will meet you at the dock here in Victoria.
The Oregon Offshore Race ends tomorrow, Sunday morning at 10 am. With 27 hours left in the race there will be a lot of pouring over charts determining time, speed, and distance to the finish today.
Rage Has Turned the Corner
2000 hour and Rage has turned the corner into the last of the ebb current. If the wind cooperates we might see Rage at the finish line in the wee hours tomorrow morning.
Anam Cara Withdraws
In a text to skipper Tom Kelly this afternoon to see if we could get a spot signal, Anam Cara officially withdrew May 8, 15:33, and is headed to Port Angeles.
All is well except for Anam Cara's electrical system. We are sorry to see you go. Better luck in the Swiftsure.
All is well except for Anam Cara's electrical system. We are sorry to see you go. Better luck in the Swiftsure.
It seems like only yesterday...words and pictures from the start line:
The Start Line Committee reports nice weather for the start, with a light breeze at about 10 mph combined with some current out of the north. Al 13 boats crossed the start line within a few minutes of the start gun but will have to work against the headwind and current to get North.
Low Winds Spark Debate
The finish line received a text from Velocity this morning reporting they were off "Cape Elizabeth enjoying sunshine and muffins with little wind." I don't know if this message came from skipper Tom Keffer or one of the crew. They were having a debate amongst the crew as to which would be more effective to raising some wind, an offering of a muffin, or spirted horn pipe on the fordeck. I don't know, I'm more of a scratch the backstay kind of guy.
Perhaps someone out there has a sure-fire wind raiser?
Victoria @ 8am
Low Winds in the Strait
The Strait of Juan de Fuca buoys are forecasting winds of less than 10 miles per hour for tomorrow, May 8th. Steve Rander may coax Rage into the finish on the 3 knot flood current, but any boat caught in the Strait at 7 pm will be facing a dying wind and a 2 knot ebb.
It is going to be a long race for some of our Offshore fleet, so lets all keep our fingers crossed for some wind tomorrow.
Finish Line Is Ready
Long, beautiful drive this morning up the peninsula, meeting everyone on the ferry and exchanging towels and stories. Set up in the motel and the internet just in time to finish some guy from Norway.
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Oregon Offshore Celebrates Our Gold Sponsors - Columbia Crossings
Columbia Crossings is proud to provide Portland area boaters with the
area’s finest moorage facilities and easiest access to the excitement of
boating on the Columbia and Willamette Rivers. Their friendly,
professional staff provide exceptional customer service and maintain a
clean, safe and secure environment for you and your family to enjoy your
boating experience and the variety of their facilities.
Thank you to Columbia Crossings for supporting this awesome event year after year!
Thank you to Columbia Crossings for supporting this awesome event year after year!
The sailors are getting dialed in...
We're now 5 hours into the race, and the boats have sorted out into their respective classes. PHRF A leads the pack, with Rage starting to leg out from the rest of the fleet. Riva is hanging in there, though. We'll see if Rage can maintain her 1+ knot speed advantage over her competitors.
Turnagain and Thirsty are finding success nearshore, leading PHRF B.
For PHRF C, Cool Change is leading her class as the inshore boats all head offshore, where Wy'East had stayed further out and looks to gain when the class consolidates.
Turnagain and Thirsty are finding success nearshore, leading PHRF B.
For PHRF C, Cool Change is leading her class as the inshore boats all head offshore, where Wy'East had stayed further out and looks to gain when the class consolidates.
And they're off! (Updated)
Report from the start line is all boats have started. We have one boat, Aja, which is failing to appear on the tracker website. We are trying to resolve this issue.
Update 1: Aja is now tracking. She had been appearing as Cantata - their tracker registration numbers were swapped on the charting software. Unfortunately for Cantata, this means her tracker is not transmitting.
Update 2: Word from Tracker HQ is Cantata's tracker transmission has not been received since it was tested yesterday. Cantata, if you're reading this, check your tracker!
Update 3: It looks like Cantata's transmitter is now on. The whole fleet is now visible on the race tracker. Thanks for your patience while we sorted out a couple technical glitches.
Update 1: Aja is now tracking. She had been appearing as Cantata - their tracker registration numbers were swapped on the charting software. Unfortunately for Cantata, this means her tracker is not transmitting.
Update 2: Word from Tracker HQ is Cantata's tracker transmission has not been received since it was tested yesterday. Cantata, if you're reading this, check your tracker!
Update 3: It looks like Cantata's transmitter is now on. The whole fleet is now visible on the race tracker. Thanks for your patience while we sorted out a couple technical glitches.
Fleet Breaks
PHRF A
Boat Name Model Rating
Rage Wylie 70 -63
Anam Cara J-122 42
Riva J-46 45
Velocity J-42 72
PHRF B
Boat Name Model Rating
Turnagain Beneteau Oceanis 50 99
Turnagain Beneteau Oceanis 50 99
Ion Beneteau 43 105
Passpartout Stevenson 47 115
Thirsty C&C 35 MkIII 132
PHRF C
Boat Name Model Rating
Cool Change C&C 38 144
Cool Change C&C 38 144
Cantata Ericson 38 147
Aja Ericson 35-2 150
Wy'East Cascade 36 153
Evermoore Moore 24 168
Oregon Offshore Celebrates Our Gold Sponsors - Schooner Creek Boat Works
Schooner Creek Boat Works is the Pacific Northwest’s premier full
service boat yard facility. Established on the banks of the North
Portland Harbor in 1977 by Steve Rander, what began as a small boat
building and repair operation with a few dedicated craftsmen is today
one of the largest and most advanced boat repair, maintenance and new
construction yards in the United States. Today, the facility at
Schooner Creek houses a full-service boatyard and boat building
operation with the capacity to construct, service and store dozens of
vessels indoor and out.
Steve's wife Nancy is a long-time supporter and organizer of the Oregon Offshore. Look for Steve during the Oregon Offshore on his beautiful and fast Wylie 70, Rage. Thanks for your support, Steve and Nancy!
Steve's wife Nancy is a long-time supporter and organizer of the Oregon Offshore. Look for Steve during the Oregon Offshore on his beautiful and fast Wylie 70, Rage. Thanks for your support, Steve and Nancy!
Tips for Spectators
Once again, racers' positions will be available at oregonoffshore.swiftsure.org.
Those of us watching the race unfold from home while our loved ones compete often spend restless nights refreshing the tracker, cheering our favorite boat on to safely finish in Victoria. When the boat’s position fails to update, our minds can invent all kinds of horrific reasons for it. We want to remind you not to equate a tracker in distress with a boat in distress. There are several reasons why the trackers may not update, including a failure to communicate with satellites, an unsuccessful GPS fix, or battery failure. Often the crew are quite involved with racing and fail to notice when the tracker stops transmitting (pro tip: as a spectator, if you are prone to worry, ask your crew to regularly check the operation of the tracker during the race).
In case of a lifesaving emergency, each boat is required to carry an Emergency Position Indicator Radio Beacon (EPIRB) or Personal Locator Beacon (PLB). Every crew member should be trained in the operation of this device. If a boat is in immediate need of assistance, a crew member will activate the EPIRB to coordinate a rescue.
The US Coast Guard has issued a permit for the race and is aware of each yacht's participation in the race. This is just a reminder... the trackers are meant more for your vicarious enhoyment, and not to replace an EPIRB or PLB. Sit back and enjoy the fun from your armchair!
Those of us watching the race unfold from home while our loved ones compete often spend restless nights refreshing the tracker, cheering our favorite boat on to safely finish in Victoria. When the boat’s position fails to update, our minds can invent all kinds of horrific reasons for it. We want to remind you not to equate a tracker in distress with a boat in distress. There are several reasons why the trackers may not update, including a failure to communicate with satellites, an unsuccessful GPS fix, or battery failure. Often the crew are quite involved with racing and fail to notice when the tracker stops transmitting (pro tip: as a spectator, if you are prone to worry, ask your crew to regularly check the operation of the tracker during the race).
In case of a lifesaving emergency, each boat is required to carry an Emergency Position Indicator Radio Beacon (EPIRB) or Personal Locator Beacon (PLB). Every crew member should be trained in the operation of this device. If a boat is in immediate need of assistance, a crew member will activate the EPIRB to coordinate a rescue.
The US Coast Guard has issued a permit for the race and is aware of each yacht's participation in the race. This is just a reminder... the trackers are meant more for your vicarious enhoyment, and not to replace an EPIRB or PLB. Sit back and enjoy the fun from your armchair!
Ready for check-in
Please note the trolley will leave AYC at 6pm sharp to take crew to Rogue Brewery for the party after the Skippers' Meeting. The trolley will only run once, so skippers and one navigator should be sure to get to Rogue via another method of transportation for the meeting, which will start at 6pm.
If you have no other method of transportation, let Darroch know during check-in, and we will try to help coordinate a ride.
Good News, Bad News, and New News
Bad news first: Avalon and Soufflé have had to withdraw for unfortunate unchangeable circumstances. So, there will be no cruising fleet, but we've still got at least 4 boats in each of 3 PHRF classes. We'll miss you, Phil and Pete! Maybe next year...
The good news is that the sailing instructions have been posted for your reading pleasure. Find them here.
The other news is that we have an official start time of 1100 hours on Thursday, May 7. Don't forget to check in between 3 and 5:30 tomorrow, May 6 at the Astoria Yacht Club. After check-in, the skippers' meeting will be at Rogue Brewery starting at 6pm.
The good news is that the sailing instructions have been posted for your reading pleasure. Find them here.
The other news is that we have an official start time of 1100 hours on Thursday, May 7. Don't forget to check in between 3 and 5:30 tomorrow, May 6 at the Astoria Yacht Club. After check-in, the skippers' meeting will be at Rogue Brewery starting at 6pm.
Oregon Offshore Celebrates Our Gold Sponsors - James F. O'Rourke Law
As we polish the final details for this year's race, we want to bring your attention to another of the Oregon Offshore's biggest sponsors. Attorney Jim O'Rourke will be racing on Wy'East this year, and took an interest in helping CYC make the 2015 Oregon Offshore another successful race.
Jim has practiced as a criminal defense attorney and personal injury and wrongful death lawyer in Oregon for over 30 years, representing people in DUII, DUI, drug crime, property, measure 11 and other crimes and automobile injury accident and death cases. He works with an extensive network of Oregon professionals from various disciplines to provide effective legal representation for his many clients. Jim is also very experienced in defending Oregon health care professionals in criminal cases and board proceedings.
This is a good guy to know! If you see Jim, be sure to say "Hi" and "Thank You" for his support of the Oregon Offshore!
Jim has practiced as a criminal defense attorney and personal injury and wrongful death lawyer in Oregon for over 30 years, representing people in DUII, DUI, drug crime, property, measure 11 and other crimes and automobile injury accident and death cases. He works with an extensive network of Oregon professionals from various disciplines to provide effective legal representation for his many clients. Jim is also very experienced in defending Oregon health care professionals in criminal cases and board proceedings.
This is a good guy to know! If you see Jim, be sure to say "Hi" and "Thank You" for his support of the Oregon Offshore!
Oregon Offshore Celebrates Our Gold Sponsors - GoPro
Maker of the world's most versatile cameras, GoPro helps people capture and share their lives’ most meaningful experiences with others—to celebrate them together. GoPro enables you to share your life through incredible photos and videos, because the sharing of our collective experiences makes our lives more fun.
If you were at the Kickoff Party last week, you probably noticed everyone's favorite raffle item—a GoPro Hero 4. There will be another one for raffle after the Skippers' Meeting on May 6.
Safety at Sea Certificates
Hi all,
If you haven't gotten your Safety at Sea certificates and took a class through US Sailing, you can email Donna Leary at donnaleary@ussailing.org.
If you haven't gotten your Safety at Sea certificates and took a class through US Sailing, you can email Donna Leary at donnaleary@ussailing.org.