Congratulations to Riva

Riva, a Portland Yacht Club based boat and perennial Oregon Offshore racer took line honors at the Swiftsure today for the Cape Flattery Heavy division. Great work guys!

Swiftsure Race Tracker

Many of the Oregon Offshore boats you followed are also racing in the Swiftsure, which starts tomorrow morning. You can track the boats here Swiftsure Tracker. Oregon boats racing include past Swiftsure winners Anam Cara and Wy'East.

Our Appologies to Passepartout

Somehow when the preliminary results were posted yesterday afternoon, Passepartout was left off the list of racers.  Below are the revised results.

2012 Oregon Offshore Preliminary Results as of 9:03 on May 14, 2012

2012 Oregon Offshore - May 10, 2012 at 1300

Start: Start 1, Finishes: Finish time, Distance: 192

Fleet	Boat	SailNo	PHRF	Finish	Elapsed	Corrected	Penalties	Rank
A	Kotuku	28077	81	56:51:58	2:8:51:58	2:4:32:46		1
A	Time Bandit	USA50	54	56:35:58	2:8:35:58	2:5:43:10		2
A	Riva	46960	45	56:30:46	2:8:30:46	2:6:06:46		3
A	Anam Cara	79093	42	56:43:46	2:8:43:46	2:6:29:22		4
A	Kinetic	74373	27	56:35:28	2:8:35:28	2:7:09:04		5
A	Free Bowl of Soup	519	45		66:51:06	2:16:27:06		6
Cruising	Waiola	40		87:01:48	3:15:01:48	3:15:01:48	38 hours added for motor use	7
A	Velocity	28642	75		DNF			8
B	Siren	134	96		DNF			8
B	Rattler	105	105		DNF			8
B	California Girl	6853	129		DNF			8
B	Rya	79109	135		DNF			8
B	Cool Change	23723	144		DNF			8
B	Passepartout	47724	115		DNF			8
C	Katzenjammer	59553	147		DNF			8
C	Aja	79106	150		DNF			8
C	Wy"East	141	153	6:39:25	DNF			8
C	Kokopelli	57138	159	6:39:45	DNF			8
C	Freewind	8299	177	0:18:19	DNF			8

Passepartout was left off the list of racers.  Below are the revised results.

Here are the results as announced this afternoon

2012 Oregon Offshore Preliminary Results as of 13:29 on May 13, 2012

2012 Oregon Offshore - May 10, 2012 at 1300

Start: Start 1, Finishes: Finish time, Distance: 192

Fleet	Boat	SailNo	PHRF	Finish	Elapsed	Corrected	Penalties	Rank
A	Kotuku	28077	81	56:51:58	2:8:51:58	2:4:32:46		1
A	Time Bandit	USA50	54	56:35:58	2:8:35:58	2:5:43:10		2
A	Riva	46960	45	56:30:46	2:8:30:46	2:6:06:46		3
A	Anam Cara	79093	42	56:43:46	2:8:43:46	2:6:29:22		4
A	Kinetic	74373	27	56:35:28	2:8:35:28	2:7:09:04		5
A	Free Bowl of Soup	519	45		66:51:06	2:16:27:06		6
Cruising	Waiola	40		87:01:48	3:15:01:48	3:15:01:48	38 hours added for motor use	7
A	Velocity	28642	75		DNF			8
B	Siren	134	96		DNF			8
B	Rattler	105	105		DNF			8
B	California Girl	6853	129		DNF			8
B	Rya	79109	135		DNF			8
B	Cool Change	23723	144		DNF			8
C	Katzenjammer	59553	147		DNF			8
C	Aja	79106	150		DNF			8
C	Wy"East	141	153	6:39:25	DNF			8
C	Kokopelli	57138	159	6:39:45	DNF			8
C	Freewind	8299	177	0:18:19	DNF			8

Siren and California Girl

Siren called this morning to tell us that they intended to keep racing until 10:00 am and then head to Port Angeles. They are not expected to make it to the finish by the 10:00 am deadline. Although we have not heard from California Girl, from their position and speed, we do not expect them to make it to the finish within the time, either.

Velocity has retired

As we were finishing Free Bowl of Soup, we got a call from Tom Keffer on  Velocity. He said they did not expect to finish within the time and were retiring.

Free Bowl of Soup crosses the finish

Free Bowl of Soup ghosted across the finish line just before 9:00 am this morning. She watched as Kotuku headed home.

Two more boats have retired

At about 3:00 am this morning, Kokopelli retired from racing. Sill 15 miles from Race Rocks, Wy'East has also retired. This means that no C fleet boats were able to complete the race this year.

Freewind has retired

I just confirmed with Skipper Richard Hudson that Freewind retired from racing at about 10:00 am this morning. They have been motoring since then. They are expected to arrive in Victoria in about an hour.

Busy 21 minutes at the finish line

Anam Cara

Kinetic

So, we wait all weekend for a boat to finish and in the past 21 minutes, five of the A fleet boats finished. First across the line was Riva. Five minutes later, Kinetic finished with Time Bandit about 30 seconds behind her. Kinetic passed Time Bandit just inside the Odgen Point breakwater. Less than 10 minutes, Anam Cara crossed the line, followed about 8 minutes later by Kotuku.

While we were finishing these boats, we also heard from Passepartout. They are bypassing Victoria and motoring home. Rya is about 30-45 minutes out, also under power. Passepartout and Rya met up and Passepartout crew member Anna Campagna jumped ship to Rya. We expect to see them here shortly.

Riva's report

Scott Campbell just called. He says Riva is between 15 and 45 minutes from finishing - looks like Riva, Time Bandit and Anam Cara are bringing the wind.

Reports from Kinetic, Katzenjammer, Riva and Anam Cara

Ok, RC is back from dinner where we had a number of calls giving us updates.

Kinetic went through Race Rocks at about 7:15 pm. At 8:05 pm, David called to tell us he was about one hour out in very light and fluky air. At 9:05 pm, he called to tell us he is now anchored. We can see him just over the Ogden Point Breakwater. He plans to let us know when he pulls up the anchor and starts heading to the finish line.

Katzenjammer called to let us know they were dropping out of the race and motoring in. They said they may drop some crew off in Pt. Angeles before coming into Victoria (those who have to work on Monday). If they do not stop, they expect to get to Victoria around 3:00 pm. We will miss them at the party.

Riva called at 8:24 pm to let us know that he had passed through Race Rocks. He said they had their spinnaker up, but were counting on the current to move them since there was no wind.

Anam Cara called to let us know that they had just passed through Race Rocks at 9:03 pm. Tom said that he could see Riva about a mile away.

Report From Rya

Just spoke with Andy McCann. Rya is now under power and heading to Victoria. They hope to arrive by about 10pm or so. Rya was hit with a 15' wave over the bow Thursday night. The bimini (front and back) was damaged. The water coming into the cockpit filled it, destroying their navigation computer. The cockpit did not drain quickly enough, and there was so much water that it went into the salon destroying their other computer. All the crew was fine. They decided to continue racing and did so until about 10 am today. The light air and not wanting to spend the night navigating the Straits without their nav system or radar convinced them that it would be prudent to start motoring in.

First to finish (but not for line honors)

Waoli was the first boat to cross the finish line this afternoon. She crossed at 15:01:48. Since she motored most of the way, she does not qualify for line honors.

More Information on Aja

Part of Aja's crew has come up to Victoria and brought us up to date on what happened with her. At about 4 pm on Thursday, they  were sailing on port tack when they heard a loud bang. They looked around and could not find what caused the noise. They continued sailing in about 10 foot seas until Mike went down to the head. He discovered water pouring into the head compartment. Further examination showed that the bulkhead was opening and closing, letting a lot of water in each time....and the head was on the windward side of the boat. He then discovered that the chain plate was no longer attached and was moving up and down. The skipper and crew immediately decided to stop racing and take appropriate measures to secure the boat and rig. They then turned around and went back to Astoria. They were all rather frustrated that they didn't make it up here by sailboat. We are glad to hear that a few of the crew came up anyway (something about Mother's Day trips to Victoria...).

Report from Wy'East

I just spoke with Frank Colistro on Wy'East. They are enjoying bright sunshine and about 10 knots of wind. He said the first night was pretty rough and cold (around 40 degrees) but after that it has been pretty nice.

A few boats have withdrawn

We heard from Passepartout and Cool Change. Both tired of bobbing around without any wind and have withdrawn from the race. They have turned on their engines and are heading to Victoria. They are expected to get here in the wee hours. I am told that Freewind has also dropped out and turned on their engines, but RC has not yet heard from them.

Waoli

Waoli started motoring at 10 pm Thursday night. They just called to let us know that they are about an hour away from the finish. When they came through Race Rocks, they stopped motoring and put up their sails. It is a lovely day here in Victoria, but at Ogden Point right now there is very little wind, just a few ripples on the water.

Our first arrival from Astoria

This one is definitely a member of the cruising class.

8 Bells for Stuart Sinclair

It is with a heavy heart that we must bid farewell to Stuart Sinclair, who passed away Thursday morning. Stuart was at the helm of his Olsen 30, Off Like A Prom Dress, doing pre-race maneuvers before a Wednesday night race in Astoria when he collapsed. His crew returned to the dock after calling the Coast Guard. Emergency crews met them at the dock. Stuart was Life Flighted to Portland, where he passed away on Thursday morning. Stuart has been a great supporter of the Oregon Offshore and was scheduled to go out with our start committee on Thursday. Stuart was well known in the sailing community and has helped many a sailor learn about racing and become better sailors. He has also helped build the Olsen 30 fleet in Astoria. Our sympathy goes out to his wife, Tara, their family and his crew.

Well, we though Passepartout had it figured out...

Turns out that Passepartout's tracker is still not reporting regularly. Hopefully they will eventually figure it out. Until then, their location could be several hours old. You can check when a boat last reported by clicking on the boat and going to the details tab.

Passepartout and Kokopelli

For those wondering about Passepartout and Kokopelli, you will notice that they have figured out that their trackers needed to be reset. They are now showing on the race tracker (and it looks like both are doing pretty well).

Waiola under power

We were wondering how Waiola was doing so well....until Herb called to let us know he has been motoring since about 10:00pm last night. They plan to continue motoring until the corner, then watch the fleet make the turn. Wind where they are now is extremely light and they have 5' swells. Last night was a miserable one and contributed to the decision to turn on the iron jenny.

Rattler has retired

We heard from Rattler this morning. They have retired and are now safely in Gray's Harbor. They said that it was a pretty miserable night with 10' confused seas. Everything was completely wet. Several crew members had been shivering for 12 hours and all were wet and very tired. They decided to drop out before someone got hurt. The boat and all aboard are fine and trying to dry out. They will make a decision today about their next step. They still plan to race Swiftsure, so they will likely start motoring up, hopefully in time for Sunday's BBQ.

UPDATE to Resetting a SPOT tracker

Since we've had a few boats with issues with this new technology - here's a short set of instructions on how to reset them when they stop doing their job...To turn the SPOTS off then on they have to hold the button in for about 3 seconds. So, hold the power button in 3 secs until all green lights stop flashing. Then to reset, hold the power button in 3-4 seconds until that button flashes green. Then hold the footprint button in for 3-4 or more seconds until it flashes green. The GPS light will show green when it has satellites which is usually all the time. Repeat this every 24 hours to reset. .

Kokopelli is not where the tracker shows her

Via voicemail at 5:41 pm, we heard that Kokopelli is having problems with their SPOT tracker. They are still in the race, but not where it shows them. They say that they are near California Girl and racing hard.

Aja has withdrawn

Aja left us a message at 3:57pm this afternoon. They have a separated chain plate and a cracked deck. All on board are fine. They have withdrawn and returned to Astoria.

Passepartout

I noticed a comment asking about Passepartout. They accidentally took their tracker out of tracking mode just before the race. Although we asked the start folks to try to reach them, apparently they were not able to do so. All boats have been directed to reset their units every 24 hours.  We hope that they do so sooner rather than later, but there is no way for us to communicate this to them at this point. To our knowledge, they are still out there racing.

2 pm Start is on

The bar is open and the start is on for 2 pm. Go racers.

Race postponed

The race has been postponed to 1400 hours as we wait to see if the Coast Guard will open the bar.

Bar closed

The start will likely be delayed this afternoon. The bar is currently closed to boats under 50 feet due to the conditions outside. The waves are 12 to 15 feet. We will update as soon as we hear more.

The Race Tracker is Live

The race tracker is now live here on the blog. It will show boats and become active on Thursday morning when boats start turning on their SPOT trackers as they head out for the start. Just follow the link at the top of the left column.

Start Time Set

Boats this year don't have to get up at O'dark thirty to start the race. Due to a very strong ebb tide in the morning, the start time for the race this year will be a civilized 1300.

Rumors, Rumors

Just wanted to let everyone know that information from the SPOT trackers will be available here on the blog so everyone can watch the racers' progression during the race. We are still in the process of getting everything set up and properly linked. Once that is done, we will post an announcement.

Crew List Reminder

Skippers, just a reminder that you will need to have your crew list turned in no later than the Skipper's Meeting on Wednesday. There is link to the form with the Race Documents on the left of the blog. You can turn them in electronically by e-mailing them to me offshore@burns-law.com before Wednesday at noon or give the RC the paper form at the meeting.

Skipper's Meeting Info

Race time is getting close. The mandatory Skippers' meeting will be held at the Astoria Events Center, 894 Commercial St., Astoria, OR  97103 on Wednesday, May 9, 2012. Doors open at 1800 and the no-host bar will be open. The meeting will start at 1930. Someone from your boat MUST attend this meeting.

As a reminder we are not doing a dinner this year, so dinner is on your own. There are some wonderful restaurants in Astoria, here's a link to UrbanSpoon's reviews of Astoria restaurants UrbanSpoon Astoria

Video footage request

Ryan Barnes has asked boats doing this year's race to make some video footage that he could use for a video he is working on about the Offshore. Of course, we'd love to share your video footage here on the blog too.  Get those cell phones and GoPro cams to work!

Great Kick-Off Last Night

We had a great Kick-off party last night. It was fun to see everyone and meet some new boat owners. We did have several folks looking for rides. If you are looking for a ride, or need another crew member, check our our google group - Oregon Offshore Google Group . You can post crew or boat wanted notices on this group.

Ryan Barnes appears on 750 AM The Game

Ryan Barnes recounted his Whale of a Tail with Brian Berger on 750 AM The Game, a local sports radio station this afternoon. You can hear Ryan and Brian here Ryan's radio interview with Bryan Berger. For those new to the offshore, Ryan and his Father Jerry Barnes owned L'Orca, an ironically named sailboat that was hit by a breaching whale near the beginning of the 2011 Oregon Offshore.

Rendezvous had dropped out

Rendezvous has notified us that they are not going to be ready for the race, so they have dropped out of the race for this year.

Kick-off Party Tonight

Don't forget the Offshore Kickoff tonight at Kells Irish Restaurant and Pub, 112 SW Second Avenue, Portland. The party starts at 1800 hours in the upstairs banquet room. you can buy t-shirts and raffle tickets and sign up for the post-race BBQ. We have some great raffle prizes from some of our sponsors.

One more boat

The Offshore fleet has added one more boat. Passepartout, skippered by Pete Shainin is a Stevens 47. She is a veteran of this race.

A report from one of the survivors of the tragedy in San Francisco

Bryan Chong, one of the three survivors of the Farralon Island race tragedy has written a first person account of what happened and what went wrong. Every offshore racer should read this - and discuss it with the rest of their crew.  Bryan Chong's account

The fleet reaches 19 boats

Yesterday was the deadline for entries for the race. We have some new boats joining the fleet and some boats that are new to this race. We are delighted to see all the boats doing this race for the first time.

Timm and Victoria Lessley's Cal 40, California Girl will be doing the race again. California Girl is a veteran Oregon Offshore racer and has done a number of Pacific Cups to Hawaii..

Timm and Victoria's other boat, Freewind, a Cal 9.2 was recently purchased by Canadian Richard Hudson. He has entered her in the race. This makes Freewind the second Canadian boat in the fleet.

Kotuku, a Farr 1220 hailing from Seattle has joined the fleet. She is skippered by Graeme Esarey. She is a new boat to our race as well.

A perenial racer, Cool Change is back again. She is a C & C 38 skippered by Frank Noragon. Frank and his crew always seem to be having the best time in this race, even when conditions are miserable.

Phillip Owens' Beneteau Oceanus 36 is also joining the fleet. Phillip has been crew on other Offshore boats, but this is his first time as a skipper.

Crew Lists

It just came to my attention that the crew list form was inadvertently left out of the 2012 race packet. I have added it to the race documents on the left side of this page. Skippers might find it easier to get this document completed and submitted before the Skipper's Meeting in Astoria.

The Entry Deadline Fast Approaches

If you are still planning to enter the 2012 Oregon Offshore, you are almost out of time. The entry deadline is Monday, April 23, 2012. Complete entries must be at Schooner Creek by that time. To have a complete entry, all fees and deposits must be paid in full and all your entry paper work must be turned in. (Crew lists do not need to be turned in until the Skipper's Meeting on May 9 in Astoria).

Check Your Passports!!!!

Just a reminder to everyone doing the race - you need a current  passport. This is an international race and you enter into Canada at the end of the race unless you dip the line and turn around to go back to the US without stopping. but if you don't stop, you'll miss all the fun!  The deadline to get an expedited passport or passport renewal is now. The "expedited" passport processing takes 2-3 weeks. It is already way too late to use the regular process, which takes 6 to 8 weeks.

If you wait much longer, it will take a drive to Seattle to get a new or renewed passport. If you've had your passport for a while, be sure to check the expiration date, they expire in 10 years.

Three more boats join the fleet

Tom Kelly's J122 Anam Cara has joined the fleet. Anam Cara was the first to finish and overall winner of last year's Cape Flattery Swiftsure Race.

The C&C 34 Katzenjammer, skippered by Jim Calnon has entered.

Perennial favorite Time Bandit, a J120 skippered by Bob Brunius has joined the fleet.

Peregrine has withdrawn from the race.

Steve Smolinske's Catalina 38 Peregrine has had to withdraw from the race. We'll miss these guys.  Maybe next year!

Timm Lessley on preparation for your trip North

Eric Rouzee discussing cruising up North

Jack Becker speaking at the Going North seminar

This morning we have a well attended seminar giving everyone great information about boat preparation and tactics.

Kinetic joins the fleet

We now have an international slate of entries. Welcome to Kinetic, a Beneteau First 47.7. She hails from Vancouver, BC. Her skipper is David Sutcliffe. David brings a crew that includes Vern Burkhardt, the Chair for the Swiftsure. David is the Event Chair for the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club's Vic-Maui race,

Marine Drive partially closed on Saturday morning

If you are planning to go to Portland Yact Club for the Going North Seminar tomorrow morning at 0900 hours and are coming from the East, be aware that Marine Drive is closed from about 223rd Ave to 33rd Ave. due to a race on the road. NE 33rd Ave. will be open, so you can get to Marine Drive from NE 33rd.

Going North Seminar This Saturday

Offshore participants and anyone else planning to take their boat North this year should join CYC and PYC at our Going North seminar this Saturday, April 7 at Portland Yacht Club. The seminar runs from 9:00 am to 11:30 am.  Those attending the seminar are also invited to buy lunch at PYC and check out their new chef's creations.

Corrected Skipper for Free Bowl of Soup

The correct skipper for Free Bowl of Soup is Eric Hopper. Doug Schenk and Matt Davis are partners in the boat with him.

Discounted hotel available in Astoria pre-race

We now have a group rate for the Holiday Inn Express, 204 West Marine Dr.,  in Astoria http://www.astoriahie.com/ has set up a group rate of $119 for Wednesday night for Oregon Offshore racers and supporters. This hotel is within walking distance of the West Basin.Just use Corinthian Yacht Club when making your reservation. Their reservation number is 888-898-6222.

The Offshore Fleet is up to 11 boats

A number of entries have arrived over the past week or so. The fleet is shaping up to be a good one this year. The latest entries are:

Riva, Scott Cambell's J146,
Free Bowl of Soup, Davis Schenk's J105,
Peregrine, Steve Smolinske's Catalina 38,
Aja, Rich Elstrom's Ericson 35-2,
Kokopelli, Eric Collins' Santa Cruz 27 and
Siren, Carl Sirois' Beneateau First 36.7

Looking to forward to seeing everyone at the finish!

The Entry Deadline Remains Unchanged

Despite the changes to the date for the offshore kickoff party, the race entry deadline remains unchanged as April 23 2012.

Kick-Off Party has a NEW DATE!!!

Due to a conflict with the Leukemia Cup kickoff, the Oregon Offshore's kickoff has been moved one week. It is now scheduled for April 30. 2012, 1800 hours at Kell's Irish Pub and Restaurant, 112 SW Second Ave., Portland, the same location as last year.  This means that the Kick-Off part will be too late to turn in your entries for the race.

First Amendment to Notice of Race

The First Amendment to the Notice of Race has been posted. The changes include removal of the Canadian chart for Race Rocks, which is no longer published. (So if you have one, it's a collector's item. I heard Frank was considering auctioning his.)  We have also expanded on the life raft requirements. We will allow rafts to be certified under the manufacturer's requirements, rather than the ones imposed by the PIYA rules. You will need to have proof of the manufacturer's recommendations when you are inspected if your raft is certified under a timeline other than the one required by PIYA. 

More entries roll in

We are now up to five entries for the 2012 Offshore. The latest entries are:
Rya,a Hylas 49 skippered by Andy McCann of Portland, Rattler, an Olson 30 skippered by Michael Campbell of Astoria and Waiola, a Beneteau 40 skippered by Herb Florer of Cannon Beach.  Welcome to all the new entrants!

Correction

Entry 2 Velocity is a J42.

West Maine Night - Discounts!!!

Entry #2 has arrive

Thomas Keffer from Hood River has entered Velocity, his J142. Velocity has a rating of 75. Welcome Tom.

Thanks to Schooner Creek

Our thanks to Schooner Creek Boatworks for their sponsorship of the Oregon Offshore. Schooner Creek is the builder of Rage, the holder of the record for the fastest finish in the Oregon Offshore.

Race Packets now available

Race entry packets for the 2012 Oregon Offshore are now available on line. Just follow the link to the left of this posting for a full entry packet.

First Entry Received

Our first entry is in - Frank Colistro has entered Wy'East. Wy'East is a Cascade 36 and a long time Offshore veteran.