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 Post subject: Columbia River
PostPosted: Wed Dec 10, 2014 6:07 pm 
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Joined: Sat Dec 19, 2009 4:35 pm
Posts: 53
Location: Dana Point, CA
I would like to plan a trip from the mouth of the Columbia River, to Bonneville Dam and back again. Does anyone with experience on the Columbia think this would be feasible in an AI?


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 Post subject: Re: Columbia River
PostPosted: Thu Dec 11, 2014 1:51 pm 
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Joined: Tue Jun 19, 2007 6:14 pm
Posts: 3323
Location: South Florida
I've never sailed on the Columbia R, but I was there last summer, and it looked like it would be a blast. Here is an image from about 22 mi further inland from the Bonneville Dam. That is Mt Hood in the background. Kite boarders were all over the place, but there were no AI/TIs out.

Image

Every day the winds blow strongly UP the gorge. I think you would have a strong tailwind every day, making it easy to go upriver. I'm assuming that the opposing current would not be a major problem. Reversing the trip, however, would mean tacking against strong winds. You might be able to go back down river simply by furling your sail and riding the current aided by as much pedaling as you would like to do.

Keith

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 Post subject: Re: Columbia River
PostPosted: Thu Dec 11, 2014 2:16 pm 
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Joined: Tue May 27, 2003 12:44 pm
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Location: Oceanside, California
You might need a drift chute to drag you back down river if it is blowing, but the wind there is not 24-7. You could do down river legs during lower wind periods I'd think. Very rough in this area too. Big standing waves.

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 Post subject: Re: Columbia River
PostPosted: Fri Dec 19, 2014 5:31 pm 
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Joined: Fri Dec 19, 2014 5:11 pm
Posts: 1
i sail the Columbia regularly, although in a larger boat. I am in the process of downsizing (now have both the large boat and a TI). So my comments are coming from the perspective of sailing on the larger boat and projecting to a TI experience based on the TI sailing i have done, which has also been in the Columbia.

I think you could do it, with the exception of the stretch of the Columbia between beacon rock and the Bonneville. Once you get above beacon rock the river gets VERY fast - six knots or so. But by the time you are at Beacon Rock you have competed 99% of the trip so thats not so bad. Current above beacon is dependent on the water release level from the dam so is quite unpredictable. the river is also narrow there so it is hard to avoid the current by skillful use of the shallows.

In the summer the wind and the current oppose each other, which is quite nice. Average current is maybe 2 knots, but you can get lower than that by going in the shallows which is easy to do in a kayak. One thing to note is that the lower Columbia has significant tidal influence. in fact near the mouth it flows backwards at times. You can count on tidal influence until about longview, and if you plan your trip to align with the tides you can get quite a bit of help from the current. Also, on the lower Columbia it is good to go past tongue point when the wind is low, likely early in the morning. the geography at that point tends to focus the wind and the waves can get high.

I would also highlight the elochoman slough marina in cathlamet. Nice place, showers, small town. A good place to stop for a break if you want too. Another item to be aware of are wing dams. These are lines of posts that stick out from the shore a distance and are used to control current and channel depth. You should be aware of these as they are sometimes submered and appear in areas that otherwise look OK.

Hope this helps - Have fun!


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 Post subject: Re: Columbia River
PostPosted: Sun Mar 22, 2015 11:39 am 
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Joined: Wed Mar 18, 2015 9:04 pm
Posts: 5
I did a solo trip from Sauvie Island near the confluence with the Willamette to just past Longview on my way to Astoria and return on my Hobie 16 a few years back but the wind died or was a slight breeze upriver so I bailed at Longview and ended up having to paddle almost 15 miles home at the end. Then I bought my first mirage drive and built an adapter for it to act as a get home for the 16 but never tried the trip again...

I've kayaked, boated and sailed (and did commercial assistance salvage & towing) on lots of stretches of the Columbia and it's always great. We just did 36 miles in 6 hrs way upriver on the Hanford reach past the old nukes and I used just the main hull as a peddle/paddle kayak along with 5 others in traditional kayaks. A great trip on an unusual (well they used to be anyway) 70F March day with almost no wind.

Sold the 16 awhile back and am now enjoying my AI with several mods (new raised swivel cushion seat, tiller extension) and interested in doing a multi day trip on the river again...anyone else in the area too ? Great daysailing out of east basin in Astoria across the channel and over the flats to the Washington side or up around Tongue point on a summer day too. 8)


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