An arial view of Newport Oregon


Well we did a few more firsts.
We did a 24 hr run. We crossed the Columbian Bar and we are now in Newport Oregon. It looks like we will be here for about 3 days. Another ugly storm is brewing. The one we waited out in Gray’s Harbor brought many fishing boats into the harbour.
The trip across the Columbia River was no big deal. We were out enough not to be effected by the currents.

It took us 22 hrs but I was surprise at how quick the time went. We saw a couple of humpback whales in the distance and one going the same direction as us in front of our boat. It lifted its large fluke and splashed it about 500 ft away.

We saw 3 ocean sunfish, which we have been told are rare. The ocean sunfish or Mola is the heaviest known bony fish in the world. It resembles a fish head with a tail, and its main body is flattened laterally. Sunfish can be as tall as they are long when their dorsal and ventral fins are extended. Ken thought it was a shark at first until we saw one floating right beside the boat. They are a light grey in colour.

We arrived at 0400 hr in the morning coming in the fog and dark.

Newport is a quaint City with free transportation for the tourists. We made the trip to Walmart and the grocery store and checked out the old part of town.

Newport was officially founded on July 4, 1866. Soon after, it became a popular travel destination.. Resorts soon followed, paving the way for Newport's incorporation in 1882 and establishing the community as a premier tourist destination along the Oregon Coast.Newport's subsequent development centered around three distinct areas: The Bayfront, Nye Beach and the Highway 101 Corridor. Paige and Rick took us to Nye Beach for dinner. A very beautiful beach indeed.

We plan to depart tomorrow morning and head to Coos Bay, Oregon. The other sail boat will also be heading out and I am sure we will catch up with them again.