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| Mount Hood as viewed while sailing under the Hood River Bridge. |
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| The Sin Fin. Summer 2008. Well's Island, Oregon. |
To give a sense of scale, the dinghy, "Patch", is 7 feet long. At 27 feet, the Sin Fin is about the smallest sailboat anyone sane would take in open ocean.
We're presently anchored off of Well's Island, in one of the few calm backwaters on this stretch of the Columbia river. A two minute dinghy ride takes us into the town of Hood River. This summer it's been a great place to call home, except for when a train goes by or when the typical strong Westerly winds blow out of the East and run us aground.
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A 27 foot sailboat cruises at a lazy 6-7 knots due to its maximum hull speed. To make things look professional, I refer you to figure 4.
The following chart serves as a reminder not to scuffle with bigger, faster, motorized ships with guns and authority.
We can't even outrun a measly FRIGATE, let alone a COASTGUARD CUTTER. It looks like we'll have to keep our wits about us when inevitable conflicts of seafaring interest arise.***
The initial crew has been selected.
Likes to go Big
Naish Kites Team Rider
Kiteboard Instructor
Sushi Chef
"Experienced Sailor"
Big Red Irish Dude
Type 1 Diabetic
Open Minded
Winning Smile
His uncle owns a boatyard.
Position: Dinghy Captain/Nightwatchman/Chef
MAX MOGREN:Snowkite Expeditionist
Aspiring Wavekiter
F-One/Bay Area Kite Surf Rider
Kiteboard Instructor
Bartender
Backcountry Ski Bum
"Experienced Sailor"
Acquisitionist
Motivated
Good Hair
POSITION: Admiral/DayWatchman/Bottle-Opener
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The first stretches of the trip have been mapped out.
We plan on leaving Hood River within the next 15 days. When everything feels right and the weather looks good, we're gone. Hopefully we get a good easterly flow. With that and the current we can make the ~60 miles to Portland in a day.
In Portland we'll haul out to paint the hull and put 5 more bolts into the keel. Hopefully the boatyard is willing to work with our tight schedule.
After that, we'll drift downstream to Astoria, famous for it's fishing and as the town where The Goonies was filmed.
If we make it through the treacherous Columbia River Bar and out into the Pacific, our plan is to hightail it to Newport for beers at the Rogue Brewery. The North Pacific off the Oregon Coast is know for being treacherous so we've got it all mapped out and are waiting for the right weather window.
The short term destination is kiteboarding mecca La Ventana, Baja California, Mexico. The long term destination is the fjords of Patagonian Chile.
Oregon. California. Baja. Mainland Mexico. Guatemala. El Salvador. Honduras. Nicaragua. Costa Rica. Panama. Columbia. Ecuador. Peru. And the ridiculously long coast of Chile.
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If by some freak twist of fate the Sin Fin doesn't sink, I'll eventually find myself setting up shop on the sweet, desolate shores are Patagonia.
Here is a random, awesome Patagonia picture.
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| South Patagonian Ice Cap with Cerro Torre and Cerro Fitz Roy in the distance. |
Personally, I think we'll run into insurmountable problems before we make it WAY south. The boat is small and old.
There's no money backing it.
Getting this thing in the water broke the bank, so to speak.
Regardless, we're going to kite where no one has kited before. We're going to explore, make lots of friends, have a great time, and come back with stories.
Whatever happens, it's gonna be an adventure.
As long as we don't lose life or limb, it'll be worth it.
Ciao! Suerte!