We have arrived in Newport, Oregon. We did our 2nd overnight sail, this one was not nearly as spectacular as the first one as it was cloudy and there wasn't that beautiful moon or the wondrous stars to gaze at. On the 2:00 A.M. to 4:00 A.M. shift I got out my walkman ( I have not graduated to an MP3 player yet) and boogied to the Rankin Family and the Gumboots as Cat's-Paw IV did her own boogie in the Pacific swell. We got see the lights of various towns on the Oregon coast as we sailed past. It was a safe passage and the wind vane worked like a charm, all you have to do on watch is keep an eye out for other boats, and make sure the vane is steering the boat the way you want, adjusting as necessary.
We left Astoria at 6:30 A.M. on a Saturday and the Columbia River entrance was just saturated with small and large fishing boats. We had to slalom our way through them in the fog, you have to have steady nerves I tell ya. The fog cleared up once we had sailed over the bar, once again crossing was not a problem. We lost another boat hook as Barry was attempting to lower the windvane while underway (not an easy task). I guess that and the pair of clipon sunglasses I lost the other day is this month's sacrifice to the sea god.

A bridge over the Yaquina River in Newport Oregon

We had the crew of two other Bluewater Cruising boats come over and help us dock once we arrived, 2 Pieces of Eight and Willawaw. We are going to have dinner with them tonight. They are leaving in the morning but we will stay tomorrow and leave on Tuesday morning, depending on the weather. It was great to see them, they have been here for a day already so could give us the scoop on what we should see and where to catch the bus. It will be nice to exchange stories with them tonight.