Day 12 - Tillimook Bay to Newport, Oregon
We woke up early this morning in the hopes that the bar would be open. Our prayers were answered - not only was it open but it was only restricted for boats less than 20' - that is almost as good as it gets around here.
So, we left our moorage at 7:15AM and were across the bar by 8:00 AM. Had to dodge about a hundred small boats that were fishing between the jetties over the bar - I have no idea why this would be a good place to catch fish. With the number of fishing boats present, the fish don't stand a chance!
The problem with trying to harbour hop down this coast is that in order to time the bar crossings for a flood or slack current (depending on what works best for the particular entry), you have to be able to maintain a certain speed if you are to get from one place to another during daylight hours. We are loath to try an entry into one of these tricky bars at night - heck; we are scared of them during the day for that matter. The result is that we are really just a motor vessel for all intents and purposes. Today we had to maintain at least 6.5 knots to be able to leave Tillimook bay at daybreak and get to Newport by 6 PM. With the light NW winds we are encountering, this means using the engine all the way. I guess we are just wimpy sailors after all.
Today's passage was almost letter perfect (other than the lack of sailing). We had only about 7 foot swells and 1 or 2 foot wind-waves - pretty smooth for open ocean. We still rock and roll a lot, but you get used to it. Susanne had no problems today at all, and the conditions were not that much different from the previous passage, so we are not sure why she got so sick that time - most probably just nerves. When the day started out it looked as if it could have gone either way, but in the afternoon it actually became clear and sunny, if still a little cool.
The only minor problem we had today was with the engine. Several times it just lost RPMs, then picked up again each time, without any change to the throttle. "Ah ha", I exclaimed. I remembered reading about boats having this problem. With all the extremely rough conditions we have encountered over the last couple of weeks, most likely the sediment at the bottom of the fuel tank has gotten stirred up and the fuel filter is clogging up.
We launched the genoa and shut down the engine for about 15 minutes and I proceeded to replace the fuel filter on the primary Racor unit. We have basically 3 fuel filters on this boat, two identical Racors and the original Isuzu fuel filter on the engine itself, all in a series. I replaced the first filter in the sequence on the assumption that it was the most likely one to be affected first. Indeed, it did not look too good when I took it out. Believe it or not, this is the first time I have ever replaced a fuel filter on this, or the old, engine. I suppose that does seem a little silly in retrospect and I suppose I should have replaced all the filters before we started on this quest. Hey, nobody is perfect! The good news is that that did seem to clear up the problem.
When we arrived in Newport, Oregon, the bar was open for all traffic and we were able to get in quite easily. On the way in, we passed under highway 101 via a bridge built in 1936. Passing beneath a bridge was another first for us. Almost immediately we turned right into the Newport Marina and found a spot to tie up. We will have to register in the morning as they are closed for the day now.Found a brew-pub attached to the marina and had a really nice meal before hitting the sack pretty early again. Tomorrow we will explore Newport, the largest town on the Oregon coast. Seems as if it could have a lot to offer and may require a few days.
{GMST}44|37.4337|N|124|3.1412|W|Newport, Oregon, USA|Newport, Oregon, USA{GEND}
{GMST}45|29.33|N|123|58.5|W|Cape Meares|Cape Meares{GEND}
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