St. Helens Sailing Club

What a way to start the annual SHSC Summer Cruise. We had 12 boats and and 1 drive in arrive at Batwater Station for the opening weekend of the cruise. I am sorry that more of you cold not make it. Hopefully next year we will have an even bigger turnout. Batwater was everything it was promised to be and more. Karin opened up her river house (new name to be determined) for us to use for cooking, eating and just hanging out. It is a beautiful place and offered all the amenitites we needed. I have several photos attached and lots more on file due to An Ders great talent in documenting the event through photos. I may have her load them all into photo bucket nad then send out a link. She has more then 300 photos. From Batwater many boats went to Cathlamet for several days of more fun and from there the fleet scattered. We look forward to seeing everyone at the next event and an even bigger Summer cruise next year. We have already put our reservation in for use of Batwater next year as it is becoming a favorite for many clubs. RCYC has a number of boats check it out and they plan to cruise their as well next year. I guess the secret is out. Enjoy the photos and see you on the water soon. Herb Olson Cruise Director SHSC

The first to arrive on friday

Inside the river house

Hi to all my fellow SHSC members,
We between 15 and 18 boats coming for the opening weekend of the summer cruise. Watch your email for the latest edition of the Newsletter coming from Mari. There will more detailed info about the Batwater weekend including the Theme for the party saturday night. There will also be a chart for the entrance into Bradbury Slough and tide tables for both Longview and Cathlamet as it is inbetween those sites. I look forward to seeing you all there and know we will have a great time.
Herb Olson
Cruise Director

BATWATER STATION 

Welcome to the SHSC Summer Cruise.  This year we are doing something different.  For the first time we are going to Batwater Station for Saturday and Sunday nights.  We would like as many boats as possible to join in for the opening weekend of the cruise for this special destination. If you can not sail your boat there you can still join us by driving there and camping or sleeping on a friends boat.

 If your boat has a place to sleep and the ability to carry a cooler of food then thats all you need for a visit to Batwater. You don’t even need to sleep on your boat as they have an area for camping so bring your tent.   They have showers, restrooms, a complete cooking facility including outdoor propane and wood fired grills. The dock is 320’ long and has water and power.   For a complete list of the amenities please visit their website – www.batwater.com   Please consider joining the cruise even if you have never gone in the past.  This is a great way to visit the lower Columbia no matter what size boat you have.  It takes about 4 hours to reach Batwater depending on wind and current. It is on the Oregon shore, behind Crimms Island. Plan to motor at least part of the trip as the wind goes light past Kalama and until you reach Longview.

320 feet with water and power

Ignore the charts – there is a channel into Bradbury Slough. I will send out details to all who plan to attend.

The cruise officially starts Saturday, July 27.   Some of us head out on Friday and spend the night at Martins Island before continuing on to Batwater on Saturday.  For those who can spend more time we wil travel to Cathlamet on Monday for two or three nights.  Remember the channel markers have been pulled due to silting and no dredging.  Please consider going around Puget Island and approaching Cathlamet from the lower end.  Those spending one week on the cruise will then work their way back upstream with possible stops at Gull Island, Batwater, Walker Island, Rainier and Martins before returning to Saint Helens.  For those boats spending the full two weeks stops at Astoria and Ilwaco are on the list of stopovers.

Please RSVP to me ASAP if you are planning on going for the opening weekend.  I need a count as this will determine the cost at Batwater.  We would like to see at least 12 boats for the weekend.  More boats equals less $ per boat and we can have exclusive use of the facility.  herb@kingpac.com     503-341-7466

Have you ever thought about racing but been worried that those wild looking starts would be too much for you?  Fear not!  This year, the first series of SHSC races will use a reverse start format.  We’ll take your handicap into account and give you your very own start time.  No more ducking boats big and small – your only goal will be to start at the right time and then beat everyone else to the finish.

We hope you come out and join us!

Oh and if you don’t have a rating – no worries there either.  We can get one for you.  Just send Race Captain Rick your boat details and your best argument for a big number and he’ll work something out. 🙂