This is (finally) a continuation of my cruising notes when we returned Emerald Sea from her winter berthing in Coos Bay, Oregon to Safe Harbor Marina Bay. This entry follows the one from June I wrote when we were still out to sea. Long since arrived here, I finally thought perhaps you may enjoy some additional notes on the other stops we made heading south.
The leg from Coos Bay to Brookings Oregon was a pleasant one. While the Oregon Coast is notorious for huge waves and hazardous bar crossings, we experienced none of these and had a very pleasant segment. It seems the commercial fishing fleet in Oregon is bigger than the one in California with many more and frequent encounters with them (which is why I normally like to sail 40 miles offshore – far enough out as to not to have to interact with fishing boats and their apparatus). None of them have their AIS on for fear of giving away favorite fishing locations to competitors, so you must rely on watching the blip on the radar to determine range and position, and when they come into view it is at first difficult to tell their orientation. We study day marks or lights in our ASA classes at Tradewinds, but I have never been able to tell where these are on the fishing boats. Their stern deck lights are so bright it is impossible to discern either at day or night.
On the way down we also sailed past a weather buoy and got a decent photo. This is weather buoy 46015 and I am happy to say it was reporting wind, wave, and temperature readings perfectly in line with what we were experiencing.
We arrived at Brookings, Oregon Harbor at exactly midnight. Having the benefit of Starlink we were able to get the on the internet to see the marina chart and locate the transient dock as nobody was answering on the telephone or radio. We found ourselves a comfortable spot on the side tie and slept several hours. In the morning I walked to the Marina Office and registered. Some of you may know that as a resident of Oregon, the home port for Emerald Sea is actually Brookings. I chided the clerk about having been on the waiting list for a slip for the previous six years and without missing a beat she replied that most people never ever get one. So, at least it was nice to visit our home port for at least a few days…. Upon returning to the boat at nearly 10AM, the person who was supposed to be on the night shift suddenly discovered our presence and became keenly interested in our status. I assured him we had paid for 3 nights and he radioed the front desk to make sure. Never saw another marina employee again over the remaining three days there.
While in Brookings we took in some wonderful seafood restaurants, spent a weekend day browsing the farmers market, and walked our legs off. The stores are far away from the marina but the restaurants and fresh seafood is close – there is always a fishing boat or two with a sign out selling their recent catch. A great town and great and accommodating marina to visit (apparently as long as your stay is short).
Next up: Brookings to Crescent City – we get the eBikes out and ride on the beach for miles and miles.