Sailing the Northwest

The Columbia River Gorge is a world-renown sailing area with constant summer winds usually ranging from 10 to 20 knots.  It is a haven for windsurfers and kite boarding, but also offers a great opportunity to learn to sail on traditional boats or dinghies. 

Two sailing schools in the Portland area include the Portland Sailing Center and the Willamette Sailing Club.  Each offers a different sailing experience, with the Portland Sailing Center focusing on larger boats, and the Willamette Sailing School offering the opportunity to learn on small one-design boats, including Optimists and 15-foot 420s.

The Portland Sailing Center is certified by the American Sailing Association, which means you will be able to obtain your ASA certification through completion of their courses.  Class sizes are limited to a maximum of four students, and are taught on their club boats ranging in size from 22 to 39 feet. 

Portland Sailing Center sailing classes include:

Basic Keelboat Sailing (ASA 101) - $299
Basic Coastal Cruising (ASA 103) - $299
Intermediate Coastal Cruising (ASA 104) - costs vary
Coastal Navigation (ASA 105) - $175
Advanced Coastal Cruising (ASA 106) - $685 + food

The Willamette Sailing Club is for the more adventurous, or for those wanting to learn to sail while being closer to the water.  I’ve always recommended new sailors to learn on the smallest boat available, as they are much more responsive to maneuvers, and the possibility of being dunked means you focus more on what you’re doing!  And during the hot summers, what’s better than occasionally getting a splash of water in your face?

Adult Beginning Sailing Courses through the Willamette Sailing School are available over two weekends with four 4-hour sessions, and Advanced Sailing Courses are taught over four friday evenings from 6:00pm to 9:00pm.  Each course is $90 for WSC members, or $180 for non-members.  Private and family lessons are also available.

For more information, you can contact these Portland Sailing Schools at:

Portland Sailing Center
Harbor One Marina
3315 NE Marine Drive
503.281.6529

Willamette Sailing School
6336 S.W. Beaver Avenue
503.730.7245
wss@willamettesailingclub.com

The Center for Wooden Boats is a unique marine resource in Seattle.  They are a hands-on maritime museum that maintains original historic wooden boats for public use.  With over 600 active volunteers, they are supported by its sailing programs and membership, as well as grants and donations by many local sailors just like you!

“To provide a gathering place where maritime history comes alive through direct experience, and our small craft heritage is enjoyed, preserved, and passed along to future generations.”
- Mission Statement, CWB

Making Youth Sailing Accessible to All
This year, the Center for Wooden Boats has changed how they price their Youth Sailing Programs to ensure their programs are accessible to all youths wanting to learn to sail. 

Their new pricing policy is aptly named “Pay What You Can”. Each learning-to-sail program has a suggested price, but financial assistance is available.  Likewise, if you are able to pay more than the suggested price, the additional funds will be made directly available to the scholarship program to make the youth sailing classes more widely accessible.

The Center for Wooden Boats Youth Summer Sailing program begins after school ends, with the first set of sessions starting June 23.  Classes run in the mornings (10:00 a.m. to 1:oo p.m) or afternoons (2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.) for a full week.  The suggested price for this Youth Sailing Program is $175 for the week - quite affordable even without the new Pay What You Can program. 

If you would like to support this program, you can visit their website to learn more about how to donate to the Center for Wooden Boats.

There are basically four major ways you can enjoy Seattle’s Opening Day Boat Parade- line up on the Montlake Cut, actually take part in the boat parade, watch the Windermere Cup races on TV (no fun!), or moor on the Log Boom and throwing a few back with your neighboring boaters.

Each year, the University of Washington and Seattle Yacht Club voluntarily provides a 4,000 foot log boom along the North side of the race & parade course.  It has a reputation for being a long weekend boating party, and boaters can begin the festivities by tying up to the log boom as early as noon on Thursday, May 1st. 

The coordination of the log boom is an all-volunteer effort, and moorage is mostly allocated on a “first-come, first-served” basis, so please be considerate of all officials as you make your way to the boom.  You should plan on arriving early, as the parade route closes at 9:30am, and you will not be able to make your way through Montlake Cut after this point.  You can download the Log Boom Registration Form from the UW Crew website.

The log boom expenses exceed $40,000 each year for the installation, management and insurance, and boaters are asked to make a donation of $10 per foot of beam width.  If you make this donation by April 29th, you will be guaranteed a spot along the log boom if you arrive before 8:00am on the 3rd. 

The Bush Administration apparently thinks so, as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced their Small Vessel Security Strategy today to help reduce terror risks associated with small boats.  DHS is essentially hoping to institute a Neighborhood-Watch type program among boaters to help fight terrorism.  The full strategy is available on the DHS website.

This strategy came as a result of last year’s National Small Vessel Security Summit which brought together over 300 small boating community stakeholders along with federal, state and government leaders.  The Small Vessel Security Strategy identifies four key risks associated with the potential for terrorist use of small vessels:

1. Domestic use of waterborne improvised explosive devices
2. Conveyance for smuggling weapons into the U.S.
3. Conveyance for smuggling terrorists into the U.S.
4. Waterborne platform for conducting a stand-off attack

The Small Vessel Strategy identifies several safety concerns specific to small vessels that can very easily lead to assumptions about future regulations, restrictions and inspection processes.  These safety concerns include:

1. A longstanding public expectation of totally unregulated access and use of U.S. waterways
2. Limited ability to screen for weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), especially chemical and biological agents
3. Regular operation in close proximity to critical infrastructure and key resources
4. Lack of a centralized access to hull identification and vessel registration data

By engaging the small vessel community, the DHS is hoping to enlist the tens of millions of recreational, fishing and small commercial vessels to help provide “eyes on the water” and identify suspicious activities.

Increased Security on Puget Sound
Today’s announcement by the DHS is the latest focus on maritime security, and comes on the heals of the launch of the $10 million West Coast Maritime pilot program currently underway on Puget Sound.  This program involves the training and arming of harbor patrols with portable radiation detection equipment, as well as the development of radiation detection technologies to help reduce the chance of small vessels being used to transport radiological or nuclear threats.

So what does this mean for the average Puget Sound boater?  We’ll see how the summer plays out as the DHS develops their small vessel implementation plan to put this strategy in action.  Key to this plan is whether small vessels will be viewed more as a problem, or as part of the solution.

However, with any dependence on recreational boaters to report “suspicious activity”, comes the reality of many false alarms.  I would definitely recommend making sure you have all of the Coast Guard required equipmenton your boat just in case you get too close to the Kingston-Edmonds ferry on your next outing.

Many people will line up on Montlake Cut on Saturday, May 3 to watch the UW crew races in the 24th Anniversary running of the Windermere Cup.  But Opening Day in Seattle is best known for the Seattle Yacht Club’s Opening Day Boat Parade.

An annual tradition since 1920, the Boat Parade is the largest regional celebration of the opening of boating season in the country, and over 100 participating boats will be decked out for this year’s theme - “A Three Ring Circus”.

The parade will be watched by thousands of spectators and families lining the Montlake Cut, or moored on the 4,000+ foot log boom on the North Side of the parade route.  This year’s crew races start at 10:20am, with the parade officially opening at 12:00 noon.

For many Seattle boaters, this will be the first time out on the water this year.  Be sure to check that you are carrying all of your Coast Guard required safety equipment, and also see if you are required to carry a Washington State Boater Education Card.

The figure eight knot was the first sailing knot that my father taught me when I was learning to sail, and should be the very first sailing knot you learn as well.  Other names for the figure eight knot include the Flemish knot, the Savoy knot, or the Figure of Eight knot.

The primary use of a figure eight knot is to stop lines or sheets from running out of sight or back through any restraining devices.  For example, after rigging your genoa or jib, you want to tie a figure eight knot at the end of your sheets to keep them from running back through the blocks.  Even if the knot jams tightly against the block during a maneuver, it will not bind and will remain easy to undo.  This virtue can also be its main vice, as you may find yourself needing to retie this knot more than once.

The finished figure eight knot looks like its name. To begin, start by creating a loop in the bitter end and then pass the bitter end around the standing end before bringing it back through the loop and tightening to make the figure eight.

Thinking about buying a sailboat? Or do you just not want to make a fool of yourself anymore when you go sailing with your friends?If this is the year you want to learn how to sail, this series will let you know where you can do just that!  Here is part two of the list of sailing schools we’ll be covering (part one can be found here: Learn to sail in the Northwest - Part One):

Gig Harbor Sailing Club & School
Boats: Capri 22′, Catalina 27′, Catalina 30′
Costs: $219 - $473
Email: info@gigharborsailing.com
Phone: 253.858.3626
Description:
Gig Harbor Sailing Club’s award-winning school offers US SAILING certification in its Basic Keelboat curriculum. We have instructors who are tested and licensed U.S. Coast Guard Captains with years of experience making learning to sail safe, easy and enjoyable. Graduates receive certification recognized world-wide through US SAILING, the national governing body for the sport of sailing.

Island Sailing School
Boats: Santana 20′, J-22′
Costs: $375 - $750
Email: isckirkland@islandsailingclub.com
Phone: 800.303.2470
Description:
The curriculum is designed to allow maximum time on the water, setting Island Sailing Schools apart from other schools. Classes are taught by certified instructors and all of our programs come with a guarantee of excellence. For the inexperienced sailor Island Sailing Schools offers beginning and intermediate classes in the Pacific Northwest. Basic Keelboat and Basic Coastal Cruising are designed to introduce anyone to the world of sailing. Each of these courses offer ASA certification and are completed in one full weekend.

Neptune Sailing Club
Boats: J-22 or Catalina 22
Costs: $285-$385 + $20 for training materials
Email: info@neptunesailing.org
Phone: n/a
Description:
The instructional program involves a minimum of 21 hours of instruction—six in an evening lecture/discussion format and at least 15 hours on-the-water.  Additional sessions may be scheduled when weather or other conditions prevent adequate practice. Supervised practice outside scheduled class meetings is often available depending on mutually available schedules of new members and club trainers. 

Given that much of the instructional program is carried out by existing members who volunteer their time, there are generally only two class sessions for new members.  In 2008, the first starts early in May. If a second class is offered, it will begin between the 10th and 15th of June.  Lecture sessions are usually scheduled from 7-9 p.m. on a weekday evening and on-the-water sessions are held on Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. until about 12:30 p.m. 

Orcas Island Sailing
Boats: 21′ to 26′
Costs: $339 for ASA Basic Keelboat Sailing (includes book and ASA Test fees)
Email: info@orcassailing.com
Phone: 360.376.2113
Description:
This 12 hour course is the first of many designed to train individuals wishing to make sailing a part of their life.  Spread over two days, three hours of classroom instruction plus nine hours of training with a boat will provide you with the backbone of the ASA certification you’ll need to begin your studies.  Space is reserved for each class and is extremely limited (only four students per class) so book early!

Puget Sound Sailing Institute
Boats: 22′ to 42′
Costs: $350 - $560+
Email: pssi@wamail.net
Phone: 253.383.1774
Description:
Offers a full range of ASA certified classes ranging from Basic Keelboat sailing to Advanced Coastal Cruising.  One of the few schools to guarantee wind (or they will reschedule!), and that you will pass the appropriate ASA test for certification (or they will tutor you until you do!). Owner Mike Rice has won an ASA Instructor of the Year award a total of six times.

Sail Express
Boats: 24′ to 28′
Costs: $399 - $649
Email: rob-wood@msn.com
Phone: 425.339.3670
Description:
Sail Express is an official American Sailing Association affiliate sailing school with boats located at Port Gardner Bay on Puget Sound and in Bellevue on Lake Washington. This class is updated every three years and has evolved to become one of the Pacific Northwest’s best sources for learning to sail safely, opening the door to many awesome sailing adventures. They provide you with the tools to build a solid foundation of knowledge and experience.

Sail Northwest Charters
Boats: 32′ or 38′
Costs: $1,285 for seven day course
Email: info@sailnw.com
Phone: 360.305.6169
Description:
Sailnorthwest Charters offers a week long Cruise ‘n Learn class in the San Juan Islands that takes sailors from basic sailing fundamentals, to coastal navigation, to bareboat chartering. Captain Judy Mickel-Griffin is an American Sailing Association Certified Sailing Instructor and has many years teaching in the Pacific Northwest. Classes are taught on a 32′ Islander or our 38′ Ericson with a class size of three or a private class for two. The class size is kept small so each student gets a lot of hands-on experience. The only additional cost for a private class for two is $425.

San Juan Sailing School
Boats: 31′ to 49′
Costs: $1,295 for a seven-day course, + $99 for ASA certification + cost of books
Email: school@sanjuansailing.com
Phone: 360.671.4300
Description:
In just one week in the beautiful San Juan Islands, you can achieve your ASA Bareboat Charter certification and be qualified to charter your own sailboat up to 40 feet in length anywhere in the world.  This week-long learning vacation takes you out in the islands for a wonderful adventure of sailing, exploring and learning.  Or choose the 10-day Broughton Islands option for $1,995.

United States Coast Guard District 13 for the Pacific Northwest has launched a Vodcast series hosted by Petty Officer Tara Molle.  Every month, they will be highlighting news, video and other features from the 13th District.

We’ll be linking to each of the episodes as they launch so that we can stay up-to-date with these Guardians of the Pacific Northwest.  In the meantime, the Vodcasts started in January, so we are already three episodes behind.

Episode I: January, 2008
Watch the top 5 videotaped rescues of 2007, learn about the Coast Guard support for the Seattle Seahawks 2007 Wildcard Playoff game, find out about happenings in the Coast Guard Auxiliary, and recognize the 47th Anniversary of the loss of the motor lifeboat Triumph.

Episode II: February, 2008
Host Tara Molle visits the U.S. Coast Guard Museum of the Pacific Northwest, an interview with Rear Admiral John P. Currier, information on Operation Safe Crab, watch a rescue swimmer’s workout, learn about surge operations in the Port of Astoria, Oregon, and interviews with members of the USCG Auxiliary at the Seattle Boat Show.

Episode III: March, 2008
Host Tara Molle is aboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mellon in this episode, which celebrates the 100th anniversary of Coast Guard station Tillamook Bay, flies with a paraplegic pilot in the Coast Guard Auxiliary, profiles the Active Duty and Reserve Duty District 13 Person of the Year, and highlights random facts of the role that women have played in the U.S. Coast Guard.

Nervous about your upcoming trip on your friend or co-worker’s sailboat?  Has been a bit too long since you were last on the water?  Don’t know the difference between port & starboard, fore & aft, or genoa & mainsail?

It might be time to order up a DVD and sit back in the comfort of your living room to learn a bit more about sailing before hitting the water.  While videos are definitely no replacement for learning to sail with a sailing school, they can be a great preparation for your first lesson or your next trip out.

One such video - Learn to Sail with Steve Colgate - is a comprehensive, easy-to-follow sailing course for beginning and intermediate students.  Aboard a 27-foot Soling, you are led through 106 minutes of exciting, easy-to-follow lessons by Steve Colgate, founder of the renowned Off-Shore Sailing School. This complete basic-to-intermediate sailing course will have you learning all the language, tips and techniques to make you ready for the water in no time.

Subjects covered include:

• Parts of a Boat
• Sailing Terms
• Sailing Knots
• Running and Standing Rigging
• Getting Underway
• Setting a Spinnaker
• Points of Sail
• Emergency Procedures

This DVD is available through Bennett Marine Video for $34.99.

Here’s a quick snippet of the course to get a taste of what you can expect from the DVD:

We previously posted links to online NOAA charts for Puget Sound and the Northwest, and today wanted to point you in the direction of an online site that publishes waterproof charts for Puget Sound and the Pacific Northwest.

I personally have always found these handy charts to be very useful for everyday cruising and racing on Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands.  Their size is much more manageable than the normal NOAA chart, and affordably priced at $24.95.  They roll up quite easily and also have a thin laminate covering the chart to guard against the accidental slip of the coffee cup or occasional rain we get here in the Northwest.  I would not recommend their use, however, as a complete replacement for your NOAA charts when it comes to navigating new harbors, passages or approaches - especially those with navigational hazards.

Five charts are available for the Pacific Northwest.  Unfortunately, there is no coverage for any Oregon or Idaho waterways.  I’ve listed the available waterproof charts here for convenience, along with their corresponding NOAA chart coverage areas.  You can visit the website to order the charts and have them shipped directly to you before your next cruise.

WATERPROOF CHART #30 - PUGET SOUND
Complete Coverage from Olympia through Seattle to Port Townsend and Skagit Bay. Details of Tacoma, Olympia, Pitt Passage and Gig Harbor on south side. Blown-up insets for Port Madison, Eagle Harbor, Agate Passage, Seattle, Kingston, Port Ludlow, Rich Passage, Port Townsend Canal and Liberty Bay on the north side. GPS WAYPOINTS are printed directly on the chart. Color Keyed Insets are easy to find.
Information from 6 Different NOAA Charts; 18445, 18448,18449,18446,18464 &18441.

WATERPROOF CHART #43 - SAN JUAN ISLANDS
This waterproof chart covers the San Juans from Whidbey Island and Victoria north to Galiano Island and Includes Bellingham Bay. Blown Up Details for Henry Island and Roche Harbor, Fisherman Bay, Patos and Sucia Islands, Stuart and Johns Island, East Sound Friday Harbor, Anacortes and the Guemes Channel, Skagit Bay and the Swinomish Chanel, Deception Pass, Bellingham Bay, Jones, Crane and Wasp Islands and West Sound, Lopez Island and the San Juan Channel. 12 Different Insets are clearly explained with a key and letter system.
Information from 8 different NOAA Charts; 18423, 18427, 18434, 18430, 18432, 18431, 18433, 18421

WATERPROOF CHART #86 - GULF ISLANDS - BRITISH COLOMBIA
From Victoria and Discovery Island one side covers the area north to Mayne Island and then northwest to Gabriola Island and Nanaimo. This side also covers the Strait of Juan de Fuca from Sooke Inlet east to Victoria and south to Port Angeles Harbor in the U.S.13 detailed insets are provided on side B for the following areas; Active Pass, Tsehum Harbor, Sansum Narrows, Pender Canal, Ganges, the Gut, Nanaimo Harbor, Pirate Cove, Dodd Narrows, Enterprise Channel, Gabriola Passage, Porlier Pass Montague Harbor. A color keyed harbor locator makes it easy to find each area.
Information from Canadian Charts

WATERPROOF CHART #87 - STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA TO DESTRUCTION ISLAND
Covers the area from Port Townsend north to Lopez Island and west to Cape Flattery and Neah Bay then south in the Pacific to Destruction Island. Detailed insets for La Push, Neah Bay, Sequim Bay and Port Angeles. GPS Waypoints are plotted directly on the chart. Colored designators for details make them easy to find.
Information from 6 different NOAA charts; 18485, 18480, 18465, 18468, 18471, 18441.

WATERPROOF CHART #89E - SAN JUAN ISLANDS CRUISING CHART (large print)
Coverage of the heart of the San Juanswith uncluttered clarity and large print is very easy to read. Large Place names are easy to find. State Parks and Public beaches and Landing Areas are highlighted in green. East side shows detail of Lopez, Thatcher, Peavine and Obstruction Pass west to Friday Harbor with detail for Friday Harbor and Fisherman Bay. Reverse side has greater detail of West Sound, Wasp Passage, Roche Harbor and Reid Harbor, Stuart Island.
Information from 5 NOAA charts; 18432, 18433, 18434, 18430, 18429. GPS Datum