Sailing in Oregon vs. Pacific Northwest: Why Not Do Both?

Sailors all seem to have their own home cruising grounds. But that doesn’t stop them from exploring farther afield, or, we should say, farther asea. Phil Lewis from Portland, Oregon, did just that when he and a boatload of friends, decided to charter a boat in the Caribbean. Phil says the contrast between the Pacific NW and the Caribbean is “almost too good to describe.” But he did give us a little insight, including a photo of the day they all decided to read their onboard copy of Latitude 38.

Most days, Phil sails his 1969 Cal 34 Soufflé out of the Rose City Yacht Club in Portland, Oregon, on the Columbia River. In February this year, he changed course and planned a sailing trip in somewhat warmer climes. “This was the first charter that I had put together myself,” Phil tells us. “We went through Globe Sailor to find a suitable boat and the location we wanted. We ended up with a 52-ft Beneteau, which we sailed from Grenada to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and back.”

“Our itinerary was St. George’s–Tyrrel Bay, Carriacou–Chatham Bay, Union Island–Admiralty Bay, Bequia–Kingstown, St. Vincent–Canuoan–Tobago Cays–Clifton, Union Island–Flamingo Bay, Grenada–St. George’s. Weather and seas could not have been better. Every day saw warm winds around 20 knots off the beam, and flat seas. Every day found us making about seven knots for as long as we wanted, which was usually about six–seven hours, and all on one tack. So different from my home waters.

“I think among the seven of us there might be different opinions as to the best place we visited. Every place we anchored or tied to a mooring ball was almost too beautiful to believe. The most mind-blowing was probably Tobago Cays, where the boat boy put us in what had to be the best location. But I think our best time was at Chatham Bay, partying at Vanessa’s, a place that every cruiser in the area must visit.

“In hindsight,” he adds, “what made the trip such a success was the right combination of people, a big enough boat, and chartering for longer than a single week (our charter was for nine days). And there was the fact that we were in the Windward Islands, which are more varied and open than the BVI, allowing for more actual sailing.”

Sounds idyllic. Sometimes we wonder why we don’t all just go sail in the Caribbean full-time. Then we remember. “Oh yeah, we have a job and family and …” But also, we tend to like where we are, otherwise we would have moved eons ago, right? Maybe. Our point here is that despite the beauty and warmth of the Caribbean, Phil loves sailing his own boat, Soufflé, which he’s owned for 25 years, in his own home waters.

“Soufflé lives at Rose City Yacht Club in Portland, Oregon, on the mighty Columbia River. Most of our sailing involves cruising up the river and into the Gorge, and down to Astoria. And, most every year, I take her over the bar and up the coast to Victoria, BC, as part of the Pacific NW Offshore Race, née Oregon Offshore Race. Generally, the trip up the coast (and often the return trip as well) is a mixture of rain, lumpy seas, crab pots threatening to snag rudders and props, and wind coming from the wrong direction, plus sleep deprivation, and being cold, wet and mildly seasick. And, of course, there is the bar crossing. For some reason, many find that unpleasant and prompting vows to never do it again, but approaching Victoria makes it all worth it. I figure it might be like childbirth, where the product causes one to forget the preceding pain.”

“When we first got her, she was basically a blank slate and with a name we could not abide,” Phil shares. “As boaters know, finding the right name for a boat is a delicate matter, so it took a while to find something more suitable. Her current (and forever) name was inspired when I was watching Julia Child with our then-young sons. Julia announced that she was going to show how to make a soufflé, a term she explained comes from the French word soufflé, meaning “breath of air.” Given that my wife is French, and we like good food and wordplay, it was immediately clear what the boat should be named. And though we have cooked a lot of great meals on board, we have yet to prepare a soufflé on Soufflé, though this might be the year we do. More important, the boat’s name has proved to be a good fit.”

Phil, let us know when Soufflé’s soufflé is ready. We’ll do dishes.