Oregon
Columbia River · Newport · Coos Bay
Destinations (5)
Marinas (4)
Anchorages (7)
Articles (5)Destination Guides
Detailed cruising guides for Oregon
Astoria & the Columbia River Bar
The first or last harbour on a Pacific Coast passage and the pivot point of every Oregon coast cruise. Astoria sits eight nautical miles upriver from one of the most consequential bar crossings in North America. The town earns the trip on its own.
Newport, Oregon Cruising Guide
The mid-Oregon-coast harbour with the most reliable bar entrance south of the Columbia and the most complete cruising services between San Francisco and Astoria. The natural rest stop on a Pacific Coast passage and a destination worth two days for the museum, the brewpub, and the working waterfront.
Brookings & the Chetco River
The southernmost Oregon port — six miles from the California border. Mildest climate on the Oregon coast (the *Banana Belt*), one of the more forgiving entrance bars, and the natural waypoint between the Oregon coast and Northern California.
Coos Bay & Charleston Cruising Guide
The largest natural harbour on the Oregon coast and the only port of refuge between Newport and the California border with full cruising facilities. Charleston Marina is well-protected, genuinely welcoming to transients, and the staging point for Sunset Bay — the finest small-boat anchorage on the southern Oregon coast.
Oregon Coast Cruising Guide
325 nautical miles of Pacific coast between the Columbia River and the California border — six bar entrances, three reliable cruising harbours, persistent summer fog, and a working set of weather windows. The passage most Pacific Coast cruisers either skip or remember for the rest of their cruising lives.
Marinas
Moorage, fuel and services in Oregon
Port of Astoria West Basin Marina
Astoria, OR
The main transient marina in Astoria, located on the downtown waterfront adjacent to the Columbia River Maritime Museum. Full-service facility with fuel, pump-out, and walking-distance access to the historic district, restaurants, and provisioning. The starting or ending point for most Columbia River bar crossings.
Charleston Marina
Charleston, OR
The cruising hub of southern Oregon — a full-service marina in the fishing village of Charleston, on the south side of Coos Bay. The largest harbor on the Oregon coast, Charleston Marina offers excellent protection, a boatyard with travel lift, chandlery, and close access to Cape Arago State Park and some of the Oregon coast's best anchorages. A mandatory stop for southbound passage-makers.
Port of Newport South Beach Marina
Newport, OR
The primary cruising marina on the Oregon coast — well-protected inside Yaquina Bay, with full services including a boatyard, chandlery, and the excellent Oregon Coast Aquarium a short walk away. Newport is the midpoint harbor for Pacific Coast passage-makers and offers the best facilities between Astoria and Coos Bay.
Port of Ilwaco
Ilwaco, WA
A well-protected fishing harbor on the Washington side of the Columbia River mouth, immediately north of the river bar. Ilwaco offers a sheltered staging point before or after a bar crossing, with solid facilities and a genuine working-waterfront atmosphere. Fort Canby State Park and the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center are walking distance from the docks.
Featured Anchorages
Sheltered places to drop the hook in Oregon
Latest Articles
Guides, tips and stories from Oregon
How to Cross the Columbia River Bar
The Coast Guard runs its only Motor Lifeboat School at Cape Disappointment because the Columbia River Bar produces conditions that don't reliably exist anywhere else. Here is what you need to know before you cross it.
Portland to the Pacific: Sailing the Columbia River to the Ocean
Few sailors think to sail out of Portland — but the Columbia River is 100 navigable miles from the city to the sea, ending at one of the more consequential bar crossings in North America. The working version of the Portland-to-Pacific passage.
Sailing the Oregon Coast: A Bar-by-Bar Guide to the Toughest Stretch on the Pacific
The Oregon coast has no inside passage, no easy anchorages, and a bar crossing at every harbour entrance. Also: dramatic scenery, whale migrations close to shore, and the working satisfaction of completing one of the more demanding stretches on the Pacific Coast. The honest version of how to approach it.