Press Release Date: Oct. 9, 2007
Contact: USCG Public Affairs
206-220-7237
BM1 Aaron Bretz
360-268-0121

WEATHER OR NOT TO GO?
Transiting the Pacific Northwest Coastline takes careful planning
and preparation
story by: Petty Officer First Class Aaron Bretz, Coast Guard Station
Grays Harbor
Photo Available

GRAYS HARBOR, Ore. - The mast of a sailboat being overcome by weather
conditions rises above the waves like the arm of a swimmer in need of
rescue during an autumn 2005 storm at sea. The boat was taken in tow
across the Grays Harbor Bar by the Coast Guard at the beginning of the
storm that produced 50 knot sustained winds and seas in excess of 20
feet. This storm system was well forecast by the National Weather
Service as early as 5 days prior to this. When asked why the vessel
made the transit, the operator responded that he was unaware of how
bad the conditions would be. (Official Coast Guard Photo by Station
Grays Harbor.)

SEATTLE - Imagine you've been underway transiting your sailboat south
from Puget Sound to a destination along the southern Washington Coast,
or even the Oregon or California Coast. The weather has deteriorated,
and you've been underway for about 18 hours. You and the passengers on
your boat are fatigued, and all you want to do is pull in to the
nearest port. You contact the Coast Guard station there, only to be
told that due to hazardous conditions, you will not be permitted to
cross the bar. The first questions that come to your mind may be,
"What am I supposed to do now?", or "How did this happen?" This
scenario is played out time and time again at bars up and down the
Washington and Oregon Coasts.

Most of the bars on the coast of Washington and Oregon are regulated
bars. This means that the Coast Guard routinely restricts recreational
and uninspected commercial passenger vessel traffic when rough bar
conditions exist. The bar restrictions are put in place by the Coast
Guard stations operating under a federal law that established
regulated boating areas in the vicinity of nearly all of the navigable
bars on the Washington and Oregon Coast. This law was passed after
many recreational boaters lost their lives, or needed to be rescued by
the Coast Guard because of rough bar conditions.

River bars are inherently dangerous due to the combination of shallow
water, incoming swells from the ocean, and tidal currents all coming
together in the same location. When these factors are combined with
even a mild storm system, the result can be extremely dangerous.
Boaters on a long transit often get so fatigued and overwhelmed by the
conditions they encounter during the transit, that they have
difficulty understanding that no matter how bad the conditions seem to
be in the open ocean, they are often much worse on the bar. Pulling
into a port on the Pacific Coast in the Northwest is generally not as
simple as ducking into a harbor along Puget Sound. Prior to reaching
the safety of the harbor, the river bar must first be navigated, and
rough bar conditions combined with unfamiliarity of the local area can
be a deadly combination. Bar restrictions are put in place in order to
try and prevent boaters from making poor and dangerous decisions.

Several times in recent weeks, sailboats have departed Puget Sound and
rounded Cape Flattery only to encounter weather that was worse than
what they had bargained for. As they hammered their way south along
the coast, they became tired and weary and decided to pull into Grays
Harbor, only to find that bar conditions were hazardous, and the
vessels were not permitted to cross the Grays Harbor Bar. Their only
options were to remain several miles outside the entrance to Grays
Harbor and await favorable conditions, or to continue south to try the
same plan at the Columbia River. This situation is not unique to these
two bars, and it remains to be the case further south down the Oregon
Coast.

The good news is that most of these cases are avoidable, if only the
boaters had employed several steps in planning their trips:



Read and heed the weather forecast for the area you will be transiting
through, including bar forecasts (if available) for any ports that you
may need to pull into. Amazingly enough this seems to be the most
overlooked step for boaters who transit along the coast in the Pacific
Northwest. Remember that the forecasts are divided into zones. Simply
because the conditions in Puget Sound aren't hazardous does not mean
the same for the open ocean or the bars along the Pacific Coast.
Plan your trip around the weather rather than when you can get
vacation time, or when you can afford to leave your business for a
couple weeks. The weather waits for no one, and must play a major role
in deciding when to leave for a trip on the ocean.
If you have never made a trip down the Northwest Coast, do not attempt
the journey without someone who is very experienced. Do not attempt
the trip without other people on board who can operate your boat while
you rest. If you are forced to wait for bar conditions to improve, you
will need to rest in order to be able to operate safely.
Plan on a longer trip than is minimally necessary i.e. carry plenty of
food and water, and a full load of fuel. This gives you some leeway to
wait for favorable conditions. You can hit port under conditions that
you feel comfortable with, rather than being forced to cross a bar in
conditions that are worse than you had planned on.
Winter months in general should be avoided, as the weather is often
worse than in the summer months. Many boaters transit during the
spring and fall in order to enjoy the summer months in one of their
favorite ports. Making a trip in the early spring or in the late fall
should be considered as a last resort, and you should pay the utmost
attention to the weather forecasts.
Contact the Coast Guard prior to leaving for information on bar
conditions and weather forecasts. Always call the Coast Guard (channel
16 VHF-FM) if you plan on crossing a bar, no matter what the weather
conditions are. If you plan on crossing a bar that is out of radio
range, contact the nearest Coast Guard unit for a phone number of the
Coast Guard unit where you are planning to go. Call them and let them
know of your intentions.
Make sure that your vessel is in compliance with all safety gear
requirements, whether they are state or federal.
If you ignore these steps, you may find yourself in a dangerous
situation. You can also expect to meet a Coast Guard Boarding Team
upon arrival to port and the possibility of being cited for negligent
or gross negligent operations with maximum penalties of up to $5000. A
trip up or down the Washington and Oregon Coast can be a beautiful and
exciting experience. It can also turn into a dangerous or deadly trip
in the blink of an eye. Listed below are some helpful links for
weather:



http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/zone/west/sewmz.htm

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/zone/usamz.htm

http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/maps/Northwest.shtml