Kennewick or Portland?

[Hydraulicjump]

I know my chats are too long, but bear with me. We are doing our ritual shipping of the R29CB north from San Francisco Bay to the PNW this summer for our month of cruising, but are toying with extending the visit and having the boat shipped part way back so we can explore the Columbia River a bit. This is something we always meant to do with our R27 when we were trailering, but moving up in size caused us to wimp out and pay someone to move the boat for us. Yes it is more expensive, but comfort is what money is for.

You locals or those with experience on the Columbia, can you give us some free travel agent advice?

First, if you were going to pick a marina in the Portland area that has a good sling for hauling and a nice place to park for a few days while visiting the city, what is your top (or top 2-3) choice? Active Captain has too many choices.

Second, if you said you had ten days (give or take) to mess around on the river in late August/early September would you:

1) put the boat in Portland and do an upstream-downstream-upstream cruise (meaning up to the Dalles or farther, then back down and out toward Astoria and back.

2) Have the boat delivered to Kennewick (or nearby) and take a leisurely stroll down to Portland?

3) Have it shipped all the way to Lewiston on the Snake (with a full tank of fuel) and spend the next ten days covering the 300+ miles to Portland (this latter seems like a stretch).

Any way you slice it, we end at Portland to have the boat picked up and shipped back to Vallejo.

A free-for-all array of comments most welcome! Including "are you kidding?"

Jeff (and thermally-challenged Barbara)

 

[dpiano]

We keep of R29 at St. Helens Marina one hour downriver from Portland. Years ago we took our 36 grand banks upriver through three locks, and ended up at Crow Butte, just downriver from Hermiston. It was an interesting trip but We would not do it again. Many miles of not much to see, and few services. The summer wind can be viscious. You see very few pleasure boats upriver for those reasons. The locks are not to be taken lightly. You need to research the lock routine carefully, bring extra fenders, and be prepare for strong wind and turbulence. One windy day near Cascade Locks we had green water over the bow, bilge pump running, super scary.

I would suggest having the boat delivered to Rocky Point Marina. They have a good sling, and about 1/2 hr from Portland by car. The trip I would suggest is first go upriver on the Columbia to Beacon Rock, stay at the public dock, then back down, go up the Willamette to Portland, to Riverplace Marina, then further to Lake Oswego public dock. Then back down the columbia all the way to Astoria. Along the way there are numerous places to stay, better services and better weather.
Nice spots are:
Sand Island public dock
St. helens public dock
Coon Island public dock On Multnomah channel
Martins Slough
Kalama
Cathlamet
Walker Island
Astoria West basin
Ilwaco
If you are anchoring types there many spots along the way to tuck in and drop a hook overnight. During late summer when the mighty Columbia is low, the river actually changes direction as the tide comes in even though you are many miles upriver. Be careful to read the current before entering marinas (don'task how I know....)
You are welcome to contact us directly if you want more info.
dpiano@hevanet.com

 

[M/V Miss Kendy]

Hi Jeff, we reside in Kennewick and we cruise between here and Lewiston on the Snake River. The Snake River is vastly different than the Columbia (less current, better scenery and less crowded IMO). There is alot of state parks and places to overnight along with 3 high lift locks (100' vertical lift) at the dams along the route. We know alot of people that have done the trip between here and portland and say it's at very enjoyable cruise is the weathere cooperates.

 

[Lenny and Louise]

Hey Jeff,

We live in Vancouver, WA, and our boat lives just across the Columbia in Portland. We just got our R31 last October as an upsize to the R25SC we bought in August 2013. We have been down the Snake from Clarkston to Portland. We have been downstream as far as Cathlamet (a charming place), but have not yet made it to Astoria. We agree with dpiano, for the most part.

We were not too happy with Sand Island and vastly prefer St Helens’ public dock. Eat at Dockside Steak and Pasta.

The trip down the Snake was an adventure. We would do it again, but late summer, early fall. Late spring was perhaps too exciting. If you head upstream from Portland, the first dam is Bonneville. Just beyond it is Cascade Locks. There are no longer any locks there, but the old works is a really interesting small museum and the on-site brewery is outstanding. We made it from Cascade Locks to Rocky Point in a day.

Rocky Point is the place to launch and haul your boat if you want to use a sling. (But warn the driver about the steep hill and the RR tracks at the bottom.) If you are launching directly from the trailer to the water, Gleason park ramp is probably your best bet. We are at the Sundance Marina for a variety of reasons, but Salpare is probably nicer: newer, less current. Both are on Hayden Island.

We were at Rocky Point Marina a couple of years. Excellent facility, great staff, pretty channel. The boatyard there is small so management can personally watch every boat. Outstanding craftsmen. Sells Marine is the go-to diesel shop. Rodgers Marine is the place for electronics.

Feel free to PM for more detail.

 

[Hydraulicjump]

Thanks everyone. This is all good advice to be digested before making a decision. The shipper is flexible, which helps.

This is exactly why I love this site. That and the good technical advice.

Will let you know what we decide.

Best

Jeff

 

[REO6205]

Watch out for the wind-surfers around Hood River. My last time through there I discovered they have a new game..."counting coup" with passing boats. They'll sail as close to you as they can, close enough to touch your boat without actually colliding .
I sounded the warning signal and used the loud hailer and what I got in return was a single digit wave from them. Not all the board riders engage in this idiotic game but there are enough to keep you on your toes.
The company I work for contacted the Coast Guard and the Sheriff's Marine Patrol and got basically the same story...they don't have enough people and time to actively patrol and cite the reckless ones.
According to COLREGS Chapter 9 I'm not governed by the usual right of way rules but a Ranger tug might have to do some ducking and dodging.
So, just a note of caution.

 

[Hydraulicjump]

Just refreshing this post from two years ago. Given the resurgence in infections, we are growing more dubious that the Canadian border will open up in late July, so we are into Plan B. The advice in this string was all good but I wanted to give others a chance to chime in. Right now it is looking as though we will have the boat shipped to Portland at the end of July and then shipped home at the end of August. Still, plans are subject to change, as always.

We were wondering if there are any good marinas that take transients on Hayden Island or thereabouts. Or if you all have recommendations for something close-in to Portland that we can stay at. Or someplace you think has nice walking opportunity and is relatively safe. There is an overwhelming amount of information on Active Captain and nothing beats a local perspective.

thanks!

Jeff