Anyone going out on Sat.?

[Gregotis98]

The forecast has changed for Sat. and looks pretty good. Once again I don't know how to post a link to another site, so please look it up and let me know. I might be able to be talked into Newport but more likely Garibaldi due to marginal conditions. It's been a while since I've been out and plus I just bought a diesel and am dieing to pull my boat with it!

[OceanBlue]

Greg: Are you feeling okay or are you just suffering from new truck fever? Drag your boat somewhere, but don't expect to cross the bar.

3 & 10 at Newport, trending worse into Sunday? 4&10 at Tillamook, again trending worse into Sunday?

I'm certainly lacking experience, but that doesn't sound promising.

[corrirod]

Which forecast links are you looking at PM?

Here's what I have:

Today
NW wind 10 kt...becoming W 15 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 3 ft. NW swell 7 ft at 11 seconds. Isolated showers.
Tonight
SW wind 15 kt...becoming S 20 kt after midnight. Wind waves 4 ft. NW swell 6 ft at 11 seconds.
Sat
S wind 20 kt...easing to 15 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 4 ft. NW swell 6 ft at 11 seconds. Slight chance of rain N.
Sat Night
SW wind 15 kt. Wind waves 3 ft. W swell 8 ft...building to 13 ft. Rain developing.

[Gregotis98]

Rod, that's the same forecast I'm seeing. Right now at 2:30 it's 8 and 2 at 8sec. at the Rockpile.
It doesn't look great for Sat. but sure better than the 14' they were calling for earlier in the week. Am I crazy? PLEASE TALK ME OUT OF IT IF I'M BEING STUPID!

[corrirod]

Actually I was thinking about heading over to Garibaldi tomorrow afternoon. I have egg hunts in the morning but was thinking about driving over early afternoon since High Tide is at 3:47 and the next swing is real small. I need to run my boat and you're welcome to come or if you want to bring your boat also let me know.

Are you going to the Tunaholic meeting tonight? If not call me on my cell: 503-351-0001

[Orca]

The 3:30 forecast I see shows:

Fri night - 12' combined
Sat - 12' combined
Sat night - 15' combined
Sun - 15' combined
Sun night - 15' combined

http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/Portland/afd?PDXCWFPQR


...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR ROUGH COLUMBIA BAR...

.TONIGHT...SW WIND 15 KT...BECOMING S 20 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND
WAVES 4 FT. NW SWELL 8 FT AT 11 SECONDS.
.SAT...S WIND 20 KT...EASING TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND
WAVES 4 FT. NW SWELL 8 FT AT 11 SECONDS. CHANCE OF RAIN N.
.SAT NIGHT...S WIND 15 KT. WIND WAVES 3 FT. W SWELL 12 FT AT 13
SECONDS. CHANCE OF RAIN.
.SUN...SW WIND 10 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT. W SWELL 13 FT. RAIN.
.SUN NIGHT...W WIND 10 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT. W SWELL 13 FT.
SCATTERED SHOWERS.

[SouthCoastStu]

Is the Ocean going to be that much better here on the South Coast? I just got this forecast for Florence to Cape Arago. It's out of the Medford office, would that make a difference?

COASTAL WATERS FORECAST
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
330 PM PDT FRI APR 18 2003

COASTAL WATERS FROM FLORENCE TO POINT ST. GEORGE CALIFORNIA AND
WESTWARD 60 NM.

SYNOPSIS
HIGH PRESSURE WILL REMAIN OVER THE COASTAL WATERS
THROUGH SATURDAY. A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE COASTAL WATERS
ON SUNDAY. WEAK HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD BACK ACROSS THE AREA LATE
MONDAY AND TUESDAY. A COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE WATERS TUESDAY
NIGHT.

PZZ350-353-370-373-190430-
CAPE ARAGO TO FLORENCE, OR 20 TO 60 NM-
CAPE ARAGO TO FLORENCE, OR WESTWARD 20 NM-
CAPE BLANCO TO CAPE ARAGO, OR 20 TO 60 NM-
CAPE BLANCO TO CAPE ARAGO, OR WESTWARD 20 NM-
330 PM PDT FRI APR 18 2003

TONIGHT
SW WIND 5 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT. NW SWELL 7 FT AT 10
SECONDS.

SAT
W WIND 5 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT. NW SWELL 6 FT AT 11 SECONDS.

SAT NIGHT
W WIND 10 KT...BECOMING S 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND
WAVES 2 FT. NW SWELL 8 FT AT 11 SECONDS...BUILDING TO 12 FT AT 15
SECONDS. CHANCE OF RAIN.

SUN
S WIND 10 KT...VEERING TO W IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2
FT. NW SWELL 13 FT. SHOWERS.

SUN NIGHT
W WIND 5 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 12 FT.
SHOWERS.

6 and 2 at 11 seconds is within my comfort range, plus I've heard from about 6 different sources that all the commercials are down here slaying the 'nooks. The sky is clear and sunny right now......

[Mello-Yello]

DB,
I think they all get it from the same source. I checked marineweather.com and they're saying the same thing. I'll be wheeling into Charleston around 6:45am Saturday. Planning on dropping some pots in the bay and heading out to deep water. Of course if they're wrong, my plans will change.

I'll probably head a little south once I'm out there. Will be focusing on salmon, if it's slow, we'll be around Simpson Reef or just south of there bottom fishing.

I'll be monitoring VHF Channel 16. Watch for the Yellow Wooldridge if you're out there!

MY

[Mello-Yello]

I was wrong. Here's what marineweather has;

Forecast as of 8:52 PM PDT on April 18, 2003
Cape Arago To Florence, Or 20 To 60 Nm-
Cape Arago To Florence, Or Westward 20 Nm-
Cape Blanco To Cape Arago, Or 20 To 60 Nm-
Cape Blanco To Cape Arago, Or Westward 20 Nm-

Small Craft Advisory conditions expected Saturday night

Tonight
N wind 10 kt becoming variable at 5 kt. Wind waves 2 ft. NW swell 7 ft at 10 seconds.

Sat
NW wind 5 kt. Wind waves 1 ft. NW swell 6 ft at 11 seconds.

Sat Night
W wind 10 kt...becoming S 15 kt after midnight. Wind waves 2 ft. NW swell 8 ft at 11 seconds...building to 12 ft at 15 seconds. Chance of rain.

Guess I better get some sleep...

[fish assassin]

PM - right you are!! I'm going to go to Dopey Bay this afternoon and plug
in the boat to charge the batteries ... on Saturday I will go back to the
boat to unplug it! I have ZERO illusions about my chances of *safely* crossing
ANY bar this weekend ... except the one where I get a glass of Single Malt
Scotch!!

[El Shaddai]

For the record out of Newport..........the ocean was great...nary a wind wave to be found.....bar was flat both ways.....

Salmon alert! I spoke with an ODFW officer and a very knowledgable skipper....both said the salmon were moving up and in (from Heceta).....some are at the north end of the pile all ready...now they just need to come up a bit!

[corrirod]

Barview was the same. Beautiful afternoon. I didn't even launch until about 2:30pm today, dropped the traps and went down to Three Arch. Engine wasn't running very good so decided to test the water for salmonids. Fishing 145 ft. of water, down 70 ft. with the downriggers and had 1 takedown. Fished for salmon for 2 1/2 hours, switched to bottom fish and had no luck. Did lose a few but I had forgotten the "Plastic Jesus" so I was having trouble finding the old goto spots. Anyway, came back in to be disappointed with only 3 keeper crabs.

Also, another lesson learned on the return trip across the bar during the ebb, I asked the Coasties for a status report on the bar because it looked pretty bad. The voice on the radio said unrestricted to all craft, 2-4 swell at the jetty tips. B.S.! I crept up about a mile outside the jetties and managed to get myself committed into a roller coaster ride! That is the worse bar crossing I've ever made! I couldn't see anything. I had a wave in front of me that was twice the height of my boat and another one crawling up behind me just as big! I could've killed that guy on the radio. I couldn't see a damn thing. I came thru the jaws at about a 100 MPH, which was spooky enough until the wave in front of me crashed down about 50 yds into the mouth and waves were coming from every direction. That's the first time I ever had doubts about turning the boat over.

Another lesson learned the hard way, if it looks bad, it probably is bad. I should've just turned out to sea for another couple hours till the tide finished but I over committed instead. Except for the sloppy return it was a beautiful day though.

[ 04-19-2003, 11:40 PM: Message edited by: corrirod ]

[Mr. Fisherman]

:shocked:
Glad you made it back o.k. Rod.
Did you give your report back to the Coasties?

My Grandpa always told me that the weather man's words were pretty good when you couldn't stick yer head outside and look fer yerself, it sounds like that advice might have came in handy in this case. Trust what you see.....

[SouthCoastStu]

MY-
Did you locate any Salmon out there yesterday?

My report:

No sturg, but they're in there. We saw a ~5 footer stick his head out of the water next to the boat. Just took us to long to find the "spot" (where the old channel comes back in).

Then out ~7 miles, 50 fathoms looking for salmon. Only thing we found were 7 small glass floats. I'm going to hide them like easter eggs this morning for the boys :smile: . A bunch of the commercials we're steam'n South farther than we cared to go.

Then over to the Glass House. Kinda slow, so up to Simpson reef. Ended up keeping 3 Lings (small), 9 Blacks (very good grade) and 1 Caby (26 inch) for two poles.

I'd been told that the Coos bar is never a problem except on the very biggest tide changes. When we came across (around 5 pm) it was rip'n with good sized standing waves. The change was only from a 7.5' to a 2.1'. No problem, but rougher than I expected. MY, how was your crossing in the morning going from a 9.7' to a -1.5'?

[Mello-Yello]

DB, did you fish sturgeon around that bridge that's under construction? I'd like to try that, is the channel getting there pretty easy to find? I know at low tide half the bay is high and dry, would hate to get stuck out there. I'd have to eat oysters till the tide came back in.

You must have come right by us at Simpson Reef. We were there for a couple hours, headed back in around 1:30. (see my post "update")

When we were heading out a little after 7am, the bar looked pretty nasty. The charters and commercials were rocking and rolling pretty good. There was an advisory in place limited to 20' and over. We were 20', but weren't up to the challenge. We ferried around the N. jetty for about an hour and the current was ripping out. My speedo showed around 3mph to hold our place against the flows. The Coast Guard stopped by in their inflatable...twin 150's, jumping the waves. I had to ask my buddy, "Why don't we buy a boat like that?"

Our trip back across in early afternoon was no problem at all, running about 20 mph.

Fish and chips for dinner tonight!

[SouthCoastStu]

MY-
I tried to e-mail you but I think there's something wrong with my ISP's server :depressed: .

Anyways, to answer your question, no we weren't by the bridge thats under construction. I think that's Hayes inlet. The first place we tried was were Hayes inlet comes into the bay, but got crabbed. It didn't look to me like you could get through up to Hayes inlet on the low tide, but I'm not sure. Next we went up to the "triangle", right above the NB bridge, again crabs. By the time we got to the next spot (right across from the NB boat ramp), the tide had really slowed down. I might go next Saturday afternoon, or the following Saturday morning. Your welcome to join me if I end up going. My home e-mail is smitchell@leapmail.net

I was looking for a bright yellow bannana boat, but we must have just missed ya (I have a Blue topped Stryker). The bitter sweet highlight of the trip for me was a triple of nice Blacks, I was sure it was a really nice Ling :grin:

PS: Saw a lot of people fishing for Perch around the pilings in the bay.

[CrazyFish]

Rod,

Sounds like the conditions were better than expected, :grin: I should have gone. I changed my plans at the last miniute and went springer fishing up here.

[corrirod]

Crazyfish,

Yeah, it was really nice out there. I was under the same thought as Diamondback, thinking the high-to-low swing was going to be small enough to keep the waves down at the bar but I was wrong.

Unfortunately the boat didn't run very good so I'm going to have to try and get it fixed quick before Hali season opens. Life as a boat owner I guess!

[Orca]

Dang weather man!

[Mr. Fisherman]

Diamondback, nice score on the floats. I am hoping to find at least one of those during my boating life.
Thanks for all the reports.
It won't be long now till we see posts of fish along with these reports...
Here Tuna Tuna Tuna....

[fish assassin]

OK, shows you how much *I* know!! I didn't think that Saturday was going to
be a go. It was. I got down to the boat on Friday evening and was suprised
at how nice the ocean was at Depoe Bay. I went down Saturday morning and left
the dock at "half past dark". Ran out to 55 fathoms and started putting gear
down and by 7:30 had my first fish! Ended up with four fish for five bites. All
feeders with a dressed weight of about 11.5 lbs (average).

The most interesting part was that at 65 fathoms (about eight miles off shore)
the water temps were in the range of 56-58 degrees and the water was a pretty blue!
If I had had my tuna gear with me I might have been tempted to throw out a couple
of jigs!!

I also found one of the small glass balls out there. Suprised that I could
even see it out there it was so small! :grin:

-assAssin-

[corrirod]

FA, the water was even Tuna Blue at Three Arch rocks and I thought my temp gauge was broke because it was reading 54-55 degrees.

[Miss B Haven]

Huh? So I should put my Tuna feathers back in the boat? I should fire it up and head west?

You guys didn't see any black helicopters flying around did you? :grin:

SST charts sure don't reflect that kind of temps. Local Pheno no man? Maybe a sunken Nuke in the area? :shocked:

[fish assassin]

I don't know Mel, but the water *was* blue and the temps were up there!
Biggest problem I had with that is that the Chinook don't bite well in that
warm of water. Only got four on Saturday ...

Oh, and no black helicopter THIS time ...
-assAssin-

[ 04-21-2003, 09:56 AM: Message edited by: fish assassin ]

[Pilar]

So, Rod, crossing Garibaldi Bar on the Ebb is not a pleasant experience?

Can you expound on the persistent line of big waves rolling in from the NW, the crossed up breakers at the jaws, pucker factor and underwear change? For some of our less experienced readers ........ I'm not beating on you Rod but it sounds like you got off easy.

I advise anyone who will listen not to do that on purpose for anything but a very minimal (<4ft) tide and flat ocean. Avoid the ebb on most bars but especially the Columbia river and Tillamook bay bar.

[Miss B Haven]

Just guessing but I don't think the CG mans the tower all the time in the "off" season and often does not have a boat out. If that's the case I don't know how they guess at bar conditions but obviousley don't have first hand info. :depressed:

I've had that pucker factor at the T-bar. It was my first rough bar crossing in the 24 bayliner (affectionatly known as the big white pig after that). I was used to a little cork boat (15 foot Starcraft with an 85 on it) that would easily surf/plane on the backside of the rollers and just ride em in at 12-15 knots (how fast do those rollers move?)
The first time I tried THAT in ugly bar conditions in the Bayliner my buddy almost jumped overboard. He didn't want to go down with the boat when I broached it! When I tried to goose it and get up on the backside the boat settled on the stern and the wave behind caught me. In about a millisecond I was flying down the face of that wave looking to do the submarine thing (Dive, Dive, Dive) [img]graemlins/dork.gif[/img] . Managed to get it backed off and keep it straight and let that wave go ahead without me! [img]graemlins/stupid.gif[/img]
It was a good lesson though, in a big heavy boat just let those swells roll right under you. Take it slow and easy 7-8 knots to maintain good steerage and that's it. :smile: Drogues are on my list too!

[Popeye]

Miss B.... :whattaya goin ta do with the drogues? I've got a couple, but can't think of what they'd do for ya on the bar?

[Miss B Haven]

Popeye- I have no personal experiance using them, but have a bud who swears by them.
My understanding is:
Drogues will keep the boat from broaching (or at least help) in an ugly following sea. You can keep some power on and still go slow without the stern getting pulled around (or surfing down the face) and ending up sideways. They add stability and let the seas roll under the boat without tossing it around. Wouldn't want to have them out in traffic but if it's that ugly you probably won't have much company! :grin:
They gotta be real drogues though, not just drift socks and they are not cheap! :depressed: Also not something you plan on ever using. Just one step from a lifesuit or EPIRB.

They sure won't help you climb the face of that 200 foot rogue wave in that Swordfish boat though Popeye! :shocked:

This might be a good question for our Coast Guard rep. Ken- you out there?

[ 04-21-2003, 11:41 AM: Message edited by: Miss B Haven ]

[corrirod]

My bar crossing experience analysis:

Problem #1: I allowed the Coast Guard information to take precedence over my own judgement.

Problem #2: I over committed myself and left myself no options of escape.

Problem #3: I forgot the plastic Jesus that I took out of the boat.

Mel is correct, they had nobody in the tower as I went by. I know this because I was using hand gestures on my deck towards the tower and no arrests were made.

Here is the thought process involved:

1. Picked up the crab traps south of the jetty and noticed large waves going over the tips. Also noted large breakers due west of the tips out to the 2nd set of buoys.

2. Called the Coast Guard expecting the bar to be closed. Report was "unrestricted access to all size vessels", "2-4 ft. swell at the mouth and tips".

3. In my mind I was thinking, "o.k., there were some large breakers at the tips on my way out of the mouth but the center channel was fine, perhaps what I'm seeing is just the tips breaking."

4. I note that the waves are moving in a NE direction hitting the mouth at a 25-30 degree SW angle.

5. I proceed out into the bar channel analyzing the wave pattern so as to avoid a sneaker and make my approach.
-----Note to self, mistake made by not turning on the Radar to use as a guide.

6. After watching the swells go by and slowly making my way into the channel I start to pick up speed as I see a hole. The swell I started on overtakes me and I proceed down the backside only to see the wave behind is huge and coming fast.

7. By the time I had punched the throttle I was surfing the large wave and this was the last time I saw the jetty and pointed the boat in the right direction. The wave in front of me was building also.

8. I finally powered myself into the trough and from that point on I couldn't see a thing. It was all I could do to keep up with the waves. I kid you not, both waves were double as high as my boat. I actually had to bend forward just to be able to see the top of the wave thru the front windshield. At this point I was just waiting to see the tip of the south jetty come thru the wave in front of me.

9. After what seemed like an eternity riding in this trough I finally watched both tips go by on either side of me and I was almost dead center in the channel.(Again, had I the plastic jesus, or thought to turn the Radar on, I'd have had a clue where I was at) Then the wave in front of me buckled from curling over on itself. I quickly looked behind me to see that the second wave was starting to curl so I gunned it and blasted over the reminants of the curl from the wave in front of me.

10. It's this next part of the entrance that worried me the most. After going over the front wave I notice the water was all screwed up, meaning there were 4-6 ft. waves all jumbled up going every direction. I knew I couldn't slow down or the wave behind me would land in the boat so I just punched it and smashed the boat thru all the other waves, some of which I hit completely sideways and wrongways which made me think I was going to turn her over.

11. That area was only 30-40 yds long and after that everything calmed down again. The wave behind me made a huge boom as it smashed against the opposing current.


Most important lesson learned:

Trust your judgement foremost. I should've left the area for a couple hours and came across during low slack.

That or I should've just thrown the immersion suit on and let the wave catch me so I could get a new boat! :tongue: :grin:

[Miss B Haven]

Rod- I hope your wife doesn't read this, you'll get grounded! :shocked: Of course- she probably already knows unless you tossed your shorts out on the way home! :grin:

[ 04-21-2003, 12:01 PM: Message edited by: Miss B Haven ]

[corrirod]

That's a great point Mel and I need to remember to check that before each trip.

[Pilar]

Mel is correct, they had nobody in the tower as I went by. I know this because I was using hand gestures on my deck towards the tower and no arrests were made.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helv">Rod I love your sense of humor!!! Were these gestures the same as some I saw the Russians using in the North Atlantic?

We watched in amazement as a Russian destroyer (Krivak class) tried to collide with the aircraft carrier Independence as it cut through a NATO exercise ship formation near Norway. The Russian crew lined the main deck and mooned the aircraft carrier as they went by them.

That periscope video was the featured short film in the crews mess for the rest of the cruise.

[Ken, USCG FV Safety]

Sounds hairy. I've not been across the TB bar in anything smaller than a 47-ft CG MLB. And that still gets my attention.

Concerning calling the local Coast Guard Station about conditions on the bar... when you get the report, make sure that you ask what time it was observed, and whether from a boat onscene, or from the tower. The CG may have had a boat at the bar only once or twice during the day, so it's important to know how recent the info is.

If you have concerns, ask whether the tower is being manned at the time, or ask if they can send someone to the tower to watch (they'll probably need a little time to make that happen, so you might have to wait outside a bit). Or, ask if they will have a boat coming out in the near future that you could wait for. Worst case, request an escort.

Regarding visibility and navigation... a prudent mariner will always use every source of information available to him to insure he knows his position. Use the radar, use the GPS, use the range lights, use your compass. Although the driver may be busy keeping an eye on the waves, put someone else's eyes on the compass... have him tell you if the boat gets off track (besides, nobody else really needs to watch the waves and get all panicky, do they?).

Sorry to hear that the bar report was so out of whack. If there's a next time, I strongly urge you to back on the radio with the Station, and let them know what you know.

[corrirod]

Thanks Ken. I'm very unfamiliar with what can be requested of the Coast Guard and your post helps out alot. What is asking too much? I don't want to be a pest but I also don't want to get killed either. What is the proper protocol to use? What conditions should be present before asking for assistance? I think that would be great information for others on the board. I know it could've helped me Saturday! :grin: :shocked:

Now that you mention the frequency of the Coast Guard observations, I do remember seeing a Coast Guard inflatable coming in as I was going out but that was about an hour before High Tide. The conditions on the way out were 2-4 ft. so I have to wonder if that's when they made their last observation. Kind of scary though to think they are posting at a relatively "easy time" during the tide vs. during an ebb when the bar typically gets rough. Perhaps they were under the same inclination that the bar should be fine due to the small exchange?

I really appreciate you evaluating my immersion suit at the TA meeting on Friday. I'm going to open another topic to state the tips you had given me and I hope you'll be able to add to it again. You are an asset to this board and I hope you'll continue to point us in the right direction. [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

[Miss B Haven]

I'd be pretty surprised to hear that the Coast Guard did not give a time when they gave the report. I'm so used to it I don't know if I would miss it if they didn't. It seems to go like this: "the unofficial bar report for the CR bar at 0630 is .....yada, yada, yada...".
I'm also used to the CG telling you if they have no info. and when the next boat/watch will be available. (this is usually when some bozo calls them up on the VHF at 5 am in Sept. They are very polite when they let the guys know that it's dark outside and they can't see the bar either [img]graemlins/stupid.gif[/img] ).
And Rod - I don't think the coast guard minds any resonable request. They will let you know if that is beyond their scope or capability. They are there to serve and protect. Asking for info to ensure your safety should please them (even if they can't fulfill the request). :smile:
I've heard a boat call them to come and remove a seasick person off board. Apparently they were tired of cleaning up! Seriousley- I'm sure either the sick person or the skipper thought the person was at risk or they wouldn't have asked. The CG took quite a while to respond but came back and said they thought the risk/reward was to high. They recommended making best speed to the nearest port! :grin:

[Mello-Yello]

I've got a silly question for Ken too, or maybe someone else can answer it.

Is there a proper way to hail the Coast Guard? Granted, if you're in a big boat with a bonified "name", you can introduce yourself by the boat's name. What do you say if you're in a boat with no official name?

"Break, break for the Coast Guard, this is....ummmm......Steve.....ummm.....Mello..um...Ye llo?.....ummmm, the yellow boat bobbing around just outside the bar. I wanna come in. K?

:blush:

[corrirod]

Not sure if this is the correct procedure but this is how I hailed them. I just use part of my boat registration number, OR 98. I don't think it really matters, it's more so you can tell when they are talking to you.

"Coast Guard station "---------"(Tillamook,Yaquina,etc.), Coast Guard station ---------, this is OR 98, repeat OR 98, requesting Bar status for Barview Jetty, do you copy?"

They will respond in reverse order, "OR 98, OR 98, this is Coast Guard Station Tillamook......." Then they'll ask you to switch to another channel. You repeat back to them "Copy that Coast Guard, switching to channel 22 over."

Switch to 22 and the Coast Guard will hail you again and ask how they can help.

[Miss B Haven]

Mello - You don't have to be a big boat to have a name! And you don't have to have it lettered on the boat to have a name. Just pick one (you can get some help here on the board if you have the guts-hehehe) :grin: YOu can use your registration number- that's "proper" too (used to have to have a VHF liscence number- but no more)
But:
I've heard a lot of guys call the coast guard and not give a name at all. The coast guard will just say (after switching to 22) "vessel calling Coast Guard for a bar report, this is coast guard"

Maybe not proper, but the CG doesn't seem to mind. I can't remember anyone ever hailing them and saying "Coast Guard, Coast Guard, this is Milton James Dunkenmeir the Third"! Billy Bob might work though, Mello Yellow would work, they'll just think it's your boat name. :grin:

If you are in trouble - they will want a detailed descrip of your boat (and other info). The size, shape and color are more important than a name for locating you from afar.

[Miss B Haven]

One thing more about this. The river levels have a dramatic impact on the bar at Tillamook (or any bar that has a significant river system- Dopey Bay folks can proly ignore this!) Even though the swing may have been forecast to be fairly small, the amount of water coming down those 5 rivers really affects the speed of the current. Not something the tide books help you with! [img]graemlins/berry.gif[/img]