We get an early start 0845 and at 0925 we are on the Willamette River. We pass many ships tied to docks for loading and unloading cargo and pass under about 11 bridges, all of which we pass under without difficulty. That’s what I like about Shatoosh; shoal draft and 9 ft. height. We cruise past River Place Marina in downtown Portland at 1045 and head upriver to Staff Jennings and take on 7 gallons of fuel. They are having Dragon Boat races across the river. Our timing here is perfect as they will be closing for the winter season. We
have a lovely cruise upriver checking out all the expensive homes as they cascade down the steep granite walls of the Willamette River. Many homes have float planes in addition to boats tied up to their private docks. As the river winds around numerous rocky outcroppings and islands we pay close attention to the water depths and follow the designated channel. At times you might be in 10 feet and minutes later you are in over 100 feet of water. You begin to get a clearer perspective of how deep this gorge really is. The Willamette River is interesting as it runs from south to north from its origin in southern origin near Springfield. We run into lots of salmon fisherman upriver and the Clackamas River is full of jumping salmon as we arrive at the beautiful new Oregon City docks at 1255 and take an inside tie-up, as the wakes from all the boats make it pretty sloppy. We use our afternoon by pumping up our fenders and adding several new ones port and starboard. I call and leave a message for the lockmaster and apprise him of our intent to lock up in the morning. In the evening Care and I walk a few blocks over to a wonderful restaurant and have a lovely dinner.Days run 22.6 nm
Total 27.8
