Oregon Offshore Race

[LCBrandt]

Any folks considering doing the Oregon Offshore this year?

For those not familiar with it, the Oregon Offshore starts just outside the Columbia River Bar and finishes at the entrance to Victoria, Canada harbor (harbour, to you Canucks). Besides being a great race in itself - or so I am told - it is considered to be a prepositioning and prep race for Oregon boats interested in doing the Swiftsure, the Vic-Maui, or the Van Isle 360 (circumnavigating Vancouver Island), all of which start out of Victoria.

[Nimue]

The guy who runs Schooner Creek boatyard (in Portland) has done this race on his Cat 36 before. Good dude, took good care of my boat when shipping it up to Vancouver. Too long of a delivery for me to consider it (maybe when my kid is bigger).

In all seriousness, that is one of the worst stretches of coast I can think of, you'd need your boat to be well prepped for this race and I'm not so sure a Catalina 36 would be my first choice. In fact, I'm sure it would not be.

[LCBrandt]

I think you're describing Eric Rouzee, who owns a Catalina 36, but apparently is not a member of the C36IA. (I'll have to talk to him about that.)

About offshore Washington, if you're weather knowledgeable it is "relatively easy" to undertake the trip in the right seasons of the year. Of course, with the Oregon Offshore Race you must take the weather that you get on race weekend...they have never cancelled the race due to weather in 34 years of holding the OOR. Come hell or high water, you're going in the weather you find on race day, I presume. Though with the USCG's new policy of closing the Columbia Bar when it is dangerous, I am not sure the race could be held if everyone is held inside the Bar by the Coasties.

I haven't done the OOR, but I have made the trip in my C36 at least a half dozen times, plus other trips in others' boats as well. I do it now generally twice a year as a matter of course, because I prefer cruising up in your neighborhood compared to the Columbia River, but I prefer the Oregon tax environment compared to Washington state. (Note: 2009 was an exception due to my late start...I only had the trip up, not back. See my essay in JibSheet.)

According to the OOR website, the smallest boat ever to do the race was a Wavelength 24.

Here's a link to the OOR homepage... http://www.cycportland.com/OOR%20Home.htm