16 September 2014
Departed Schooner Creek Marine in the morning headed fro Astoria OR. River and weather conditions were ideal but did encounter an issue where the engines both dropped to idle rpm and there were no forward or reverse controls at the helm. Took nearly 30 minutes to get advice and recover control, but wind opposed the current and the boat stayed stationary.
17 September 2014
Crossed the Columbia Bar at slack high tide but still encountered 5-ft standing waves. Unfortunately the sea predictions did not hold and the trip south was much worse than the bar. Waves were 6-8 foot on top of an 8 foot serge. Conditions slowed us so we had to stop in Garibaldi OR for the night. We experienced another engine control issue but knew how to recover this time. Sanding dust continually fell from the unfinished ceiling making the floor very slippery in spite of cleaning it up every 15-20 minutes.
18 September 2014
Sea conditions improved somewhat but remained uncomfortable until the last hour into Newport. Docked at Back Bay Marine to start completion of the interior of the boat. In Newport we had access to a complete shop, a marine electrician, an experienced marine welder, and a former interior carpentry finishing manager from Marathon Coaches from nearby Eugene. As an added bonus, my brother and nephew will be joining me on the boat to help with the projects. My nephew has volunteered to tackle the headliner. My brother and I have been going in opposite directions for the past 50+ years and this will be an excellent opportunity to reconnect.
