Not very neighborly

So we were only away from Webfoot for less than a week - five days to be exact - and someone hit our raised outboard and broke a big chunk off our propeller. There is even blue paint on the prop! We just had the prop at the shop to get serviced. Now we have to buy a whole new one. 

Why would someone hit a boat that hard and not leave a note? I'm quite disappointed by my fellow sailors.

We struck Gold!

Well not really, but we harvested our first golden potatoes! Back in March we planted our potatoes in a garbage can. I had nearly forgotten about them, since they are off in a corner of our yard but Captain C apparently has been paying attention. This morning he pulled out our first homegrown potatoes!

July 4th Downtown Blues Fest

The past few years we spent the 4th in the San Juan Islands. This year we went to the islands earlier in the year and spent the 4th right here in Portland. From our marina on the Columbia we headed down river and then up the Willamette to downtown Portland. To get there we had to go under a total of TEN bridges! No wonder Portland is sometimes called the Bridgetown! We were able to clear 8 of the 10 bridges no problem, but the two railroad bridges had to be raised or swung to let us through. 

Steel Bridge opening

Here is a good article  (you can change the state to be more appropriate for you) on how to travel through bridges. The article states that "Bridge tenders can sometimes be a little cranky" and we found this to be true. Apparently we weren't fast enough for our bridge tender when we were waiting for the swing bridge to open ALL the way. 

When we arrived downtown the festivities were already in full swing and boats were everywhere! We found ourselves a little spot on the outskirts and BBQ-ed our all American meal: ribs, potatoes and corn! During dinner there was a lot of excitement as a boat nearly sank. Lucky for them, the Cost Guard Auxiliary and the fire department had brought their big pumps and were already on site. After spectacular fire works we anchored behind Ross Island for a very restful night.

Hope everyone had a happy Fourth!

Boat is sinking (note the audio portion)

Life on the River

I spent my formative years living within a few miles of the ocean in San Diego. In the summer we went to the beach to cool off. Now I live in Portland, Oregon which is a few hours from the ocean. It has been a tough adjustment period and after nearly five years here, there are a few things I still haven't gotten used to. 

There is an inordinate number of fountains in  downtown Portland. I've always thought of fountains as mostly decorative with the occasional nut jumping into the fountain. Not so here. Fountains are a major attraction and it is where one goes in the summer time to cool off (and it's not just for the kids). This one seemed particularly fun as it even has it's own tide cycle and empties and refills every 15-20 minutes.

If you want to go to the beach don't expect to do any surfing. While we have "beaches" we don't have any waves. And unless you want to sit with huge crowds of people on a tiny stretch of beach you'll need a boat to get to the many islands that dot the Columbia near Portland. Our favorite beach is on Sand Island in the Columbia River Gorge.

The Columbia River Gorge

The Beach on Sand Island
(this beach will be much much wider in the summer after the river levels have dropped)

Sand Island Aerial Image

Our Summer Home

We finally did it! Rather than having to spend 3-4 hours setting up before going sailing we got a slip in a local marina! This summer we will be able to head down to the boat after work and go for a sail - just like all the other people we always envy on those perfect summer evenings. Of course this means we will not be traveling as far as usual but since we will be busy working in the field there will be less time for long outings anyway. We had originally planned a long trip to Desolation Sound for this summer but work schedules and non-sailing vacation plans threw a wrench into those plans. 

After launching the boat on Friday and spending the night at our swanky new marina we went for a bit if a weekend sail up the river to Government Island. Since there was no wind we tried our luck at fishing but it turns out we are rather unlucky in that respect. I swear, there are NO fish in this river! It seems summer still has not reached us and on Sunday we got rained out. 

We had gotten so used to having the boat safely in the driveway we checked the lines ten times before leaving the marina. Monday after work we went right back to check on her and even went for a quick sail.

Panorama of our marina

Marina on a sunny day

Our dock

Webfoot in her new slip

Motoring up the mighty Columbia

View of our house from the river

View from Bartlett Landing (free public dock) on Government Island

Rainy Sunday on the river

Swift current after the wettest June on record!

Sandy Beach Dock (free public dock) on Government Island

I tested out our new party decorations

All tucked in