Night Runner Heads Out, Rain Drop Hangs In, Crossing Big Bows Along the Way

Well, we're 6 hours into the 2016 Oregon Offshore International Yacht Race (note: add 3 hours to the race elapsed time clock due to the advanced start time).

They've gotta be feeling pretty good on Night Runner about now; they've just altered course which leads us to believe they have tacked and will be heading offshore. Crossing the bows of boats like Panama Red, Anam Cara, Kinetic V, Rage, and the rest of the boats in the fleet must make this old girl feel pretty proud! Great job to the skipper and crew on Night Runner, but how long can you hold them off? Ask Rain Drop - they're right on the heels of Night Runner. This is getting very interesting!

Blue Martini - Shaken, Not Stirred!

Blue Martini is currently the southernmost boat in the fleet; after getting stuck in a no-wind zone after the start, and getting pushed south by the ebbing tide, they are now making progress north at a good clip, 5.1 knots. They're still not quite clear of the river's tidal zone, so the switch to an incoming tide in the next hour could prove interesting.

Weather Update - Oysterville, Washington

As the fleet runs north along the Washington coast, the weather (12:45 pm PDT) at Oysterville, WA is currently 58 degrees, sunny, winds west at 12 mph. It looks like the afternoon breeze is starting to establish itself. Watch for the larger boats to start closing the gap with Night Runner.

Watch that depth sounder!

With much of the fleet currently sailing well inside the 10 fathom line (60 feet of water depth or less), some of these boats are eventually going to have to start heading out into deeper water. Either that, or keep a really close eye on the depth sounder! As the afternoon breeze builds, it may back (shift more westerly), putting the inside boats (those closest to shore) on the outside of the wind shift, giving the boats farther out to sea a distinct advantage... We'll see...

It's Almost Like a Presidential Election!

Who woulda thunk it? After five hours of racing in the 2016 Oregon Offshore International Yacht Race, a Cascade 36 and a classic yacht are winning the race - boat for boat. Amazing. Congrats to Night Runner and Rain Drop for consolidating an early lead!

Sailing In Their Own Breeze

Night Runner is killing it up the beach, moving north at 5.8 knots. They seem to be sailing in a new breeze or puff that hasn't worked its way down to the rest of the fleet. These guys are skirting the coastline, less than 2 miles offshore heading north towards the entrance to Willapa Bay.

Winds are predicted to gust to 15 knots as the afternoon heats up. It looks like Night Runner is seeing some fresher breeze along the coast. Learn more about the history of this classic 42' Perry-designed cutter rigged classic sailing yacht here.

Sample Boat Speed Readings at 0950 hours

Finding the wind and staying in it is key today!

Rain Drop: NNE @ 3.7 knts
Night Runner: NE @ 4.1 knts
Kinetic V: NNW @ 2.8 knts
Panama Red: NNE @ 3.8 knts
Rage: NNE @ 3.5 knts
Free Bowl of Soup: NNE @ 3.5 knts
Anam Cara: N @ 2.9 knts
WyEast: NNE @ 4.6 knts
Bum's Rush: NNE @ 3.9 knts
Hana Mari: NNE @ 4.7 knts
Blue Martini: S @ 1.4 knts
Thirsty: NNE @ 4 knts

Pictures From The Start Of The 2016 CYC Oregon Offshore International Yacht Race

Here are a couple of pics from the starting area of today's race:

Pictures courtesy of Gregg Bryden.

Cascade 36 in the Lead!

If the Race Tracker is accurate, we're showing Joby Easton/Bill Huseby and crew on board Rain Drop as the lead (northernmost) boat in the race currently! There are three of these venerable NW classics sailing this year, and Rain Drop was in the very first running(s) of this race 40 years ago. Way to go, Rain Drop! They are currently getting a very rare close-up view of Cape Disappointment and the SW Washington coastline. They just need to find some wind...

The Longer You're In It, The More You Win It!

Time Bandit, Night Runner & Rain Drop are having an amazing race, currently leading the fleet to the right in the 2016 Oregon Offshore International Yacht Race... a dangerous place to be in most circumstances; but today calmer seas and winds have allowed these boats to get "spit out" on the westerly flowing current. Effectively, they are being pushed to windward by the tidal current which will continue to flow out until 1:30 today. Imagine a big invisible "arrow" of current pushing from right to left. That's the lift these boats are getting right now - a good tactical move but common wisdom knows that, as the breeze freshens and backs, the boats on the outside track start to move up.

Rage Sails Into Washington Waters!

Rage is back on the race tracker, and appears to be the lead boat heading north, just crossing into Washington waters. Next to Rage, the most northerly boats are Blade Runner and Night Runner, and then a tight pack consisting of Kinetic V, Panama Red & Anam Cara. The fleet is still just south and west of Cape Disappointment.

Winds are light and progress is slow but it looks like upwind boat speed, tactics, and crew work will all be important parts of this year's race.

Wy'East Tracker

We've got Rage's tracker back online, but we are still having difficulty with Wy'East's. If you guys are reading this, turn it off, then on again, and make sure it's pointing skyward! We'll keep checking on the back end.

Upwind Duel - Kinetic V consolidates

Kinetic V has tacked over to port and crossed clear ahead of Panama Red. Night Runner has also tacked back onto Starboard - still more northerly than any other boat in the fleet. It's an upwind tacking duel; anything can happen!

Night Runner Riding The Ebb Looking For A Right Side Payoff

While most of the fleet is still heading out to sea on starboard, Night Runner is the most Northerly boat in the fleet now, appearing to be on Port tack heading towards Ocean Shores.

The effect of the outgoing tidal  currents cannot be underestimated. They can be either a blessing or a curse, depending on the wind strength and directions, tidal flow and sea state. As previously noted, on a day like today with relatively calm winds and flat seas, an ebb tide can "push" a boat to windward of the competition, who may be farther outside the tidal influence. It will be interesting to watch Night Runner, because they seem to be playing the "inside" course so far. Cantata, Blade Runner,Time Bandit are over on the right. too. The tide ebbs until around 1:30 pm today.

How's That Voodoo Thing Working?

It looks like Panama Red has moved up in the fleet... Maybe that voodoo doll is working! One of the most northerly boats in the fleet right now and still heading out to sea, Big Red is hitting their stride. It looks like they've closed some distance on Kinetic V and pulled slightly ahead of Anam Cara.

The winds are light and variable from the NNW, this could be an upwind tacking duel for the next few hours.

What Happened To Rage?

It looks as if Rage has gone in to "stealth" mode; they are not currently appearing on the race tracker. Intermittent interruptions do occur with the Tracker. We'll try to see if we can get Rage's transponder back up and running.

UPDATE: They're out there! Rage's last position was to windward and slightly astern of Kinetic V heading out to sea on starboard tack. Check back often for more position updates.

Tracker Glitch - Rage and Wy'East

We are having technical difficulties with the trackers for Rage and Wy'East. Stand by, and we will update you when they have been resolved.

This is the Craziest Bar These Sailors Will Ever See!

The Columbia River Bar:



Image credit: By KDS444 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0,

The Fleet Spreads Out

It appears that the boats heading out to sea on starboard tack are starting to get some breeze. The fleet has spread out, with Rage, Anam Cara, Kinetic V, and Hana Mari as the early leaders.
The boat furthest right (and north) currently is Rain Drop; close by are Blade Runner, Night Runner, and Thirsty.

With an ebb tide running until 1:30 pm today, there may be some chop, but a good push out to sea on the ebb may pay off for those closer to the tidal influence in the early going. Time will tell.

Early Leaders are Rage & Kinetic...maybe even Thirsty or Raindrop - are you surprised?

Well, by the looks of the race tracker, the fleet is off to a great start with early leader Rage appearing to be to windward of the fleet at the start but Kinetic V is out in front, just to leeward. It looks like Alan Bergen and the Thirsty crew tacked over to port early along with Joby Easton/Bill Huseby and crew on Rain Drop, it shouldn't be long before the rest of the fleet throws in a tack too.

Congratulations to all of the competitors in the 2016 Oregon offshore International Yacht Race. Let the fun begin!