Some Depoe Bay Info

I picked this off various sites on the web.  Hope it helps those new to the area have a safe and uneventful day at Depoe.

Announce on 80 your intentions to depart..."yellow kayak" etc. outbound depoe bay.. A six second horn blast is in order as it is a blind corner. Listen on 80 and for horn blasts before you depart under the bridge. Proceed directly to the buoys. On the way in broadcast on 80 ...inbound depoe bay...and remember the horn blast again. Often times a nice lady will come back on 80 with a description of the hole ..."all clear" for instance.

Out of the OSMB Booklet.
Entrance
The entrance should not be attempted at night or in rough weather without consulting local fishers. Boats over 50 feet should not enter the bay without checking with the harbormaster and the Coast Guard.

All vessels are required to sound one prolonged (four to six seconds) blast when departing or entering Depoe Bay

On a building north of the entrance channel, a Rough Bar Warning Light is positioned 25 feet above the water displaying two flashing yellow lights. When lights are flashing, check with Depoe Bay Coast Guard on VHF channel 16 for crossing restrictions. When visibility is less than one nautical mile, the Coast Guard activates its fog signal. The horn then sounds for 2 seconds, once every 30 seconds.

There is no "right of way" in the hole in Depoe Bay under normal circumstances. There could be the argument made for the boat coming in as being the less manueverable due to swell pushing so that would make them the stand on vessel, but in this very unique location the reality is that whichever boat can't manuever ends up being the stand on. A 47 foot vessel in the hole has fewer options than a 22' vessel.

Also- The USCG usually announces that they are entering/departing, and blasts their horn for the required 4-6 seconds as dictated by the rules of the road. Local practice with Ch 80 is THE definitive way to eliminate most entry and exit issues.

Thanks Pelagic!  That is some great information.
So, should we be bringing air horns with us to signal entry and exit?

-Spot-

All vessels are required to sound one prolonged (four to six seconds) blast when departing or entering Depoe Bay

From my limited experience at Depoe Bay, I have noticed that not all craft provide this warning. If at all possible, it should not be depended on as the sole method you use to determine whether a craft is coming in or out of the hole. This is a good reason to be going through the hole with someone that has a VHF if you do not have one yourself. There is the possibility of rec boats that go through the Depoe Bay harbor that do not understand the communication system at all and do not even provide a call on VHF of their intentions. The last time I was there, I noticed a mis-communication regarding traffic through the hole. Luckily, it didn't result in an accident, but it was obvious.

With that in mind it is very important that you move through the channel as quickly as possible and try to stay out of the middle of the channel. You don't want to be too close to the edge for the obvious reason that the surge through the channel can rudely introduce you to the rocks, but there is enough room in that channel for a kayaker and a boat to pass each other safely. You'll just want to make sure that you are near one side and paying close attention to what's going on around you. I would also suggest that if a group of kayakers are going through the channel (which will probably happen often on tourney day) they are all on the same side and are passing through in a single file manner.

Again, I've had limited experience with this area and am not pretending to be an expert on this harbor, these are just some things that I've noticed and ideas that make sense to me. I think through a good discussion about this we might be able to come up with a standard operating procedure so we're organized on tourney day with regards to safety. It will most likely be a pretty busy place that day and it's a small harbor.

Well put, very valid advise!   Not a huge margin for error at Depoe and a little planning is all it takes to keep the odds in your favor

Dumb question, but would a rescue whistle suffice in place of a horn?    I really don't want to buy another piece of equipment if I don't have to. 

Dumb question, but would a rescue whistle suffice in place of a horn?    I really don't want to buy another piece of equipment if I don't have to. 

I didn't really want to spend any more money then i had to also, but i'd rather be safer then sorry over a 10 dollar item, I'm gonna get one.

On that note....here's a few more questions.

1.) What would be a reasonable number of yaks through the hole at a time? 
Say one has the horn, and probably a VHF, and a few others don't and plan to commute through the hole together as one unit.

2.) Once through the hole (ocean side), are we fishing outside the bouy line, or inside the bay itself?  I've never seen any boats, or yaks between the North/South reefs and land before, so just wondering?

3.) Beingst that there are a fare amount of folks that have never fished out of Depoe Bay, and probably some that have never fished the salt, what kind of "salty leadership" support could these folks see from NWKA to get them in and out of there safely?

2.) Once through the hole (ocean side), are we fishing outside the bouy line, or inside the bay itself?  I've never seen any boats, or yaks between the North/South reefs and land before, so just wondering?

that just means you and I haven't been in Depoe at the same time...

Thanks for the heads up PP.  You provided some great info I know I forget about.

I thought it would have been cool if a Shot Gun start could have been organized.  It would have atleast looked cool from above!

This is an image on the OSMB coastal boating guide website for Depoe Bay. Thought it might be helpful for people to see this and get a good understanding of where the channel between the hole and the bouy is.

http://www.oregon.gov/OSMB/library/docs/CoastalBoating/DepoeBay.pdf?ga=t

An old thread from Depoe Bay Dan

Here's the original ifish post

http://www.ifish.net/board/showthread.php?t=23492

Is it a ramp fee or a launch fee at Depoe Bay? If you don't use the ramp do you still have to pony up the fee?

That's a good question.
The more I have thought about this, the more I have decided that the $2 or whatever the fee is for the use of the parking lot, docks, fish cleaning house and whatever else people use in that area in addition to the ramp. I have made up my mind that from here on out I'm going to pay it because I'm sure the funds go to the improvement/upkeep of everything there, not just the maintenance of the actual ramp itself. This is just my personal opinion though. I'm sure the Harbormaster would be able to provide a formal answer to that question.

Speaking of Harbormaster, is there some kind of heads up we need to provide to them as a group putting on a tournament or has this base already been covered?

That's a good question.
The more I have thought about this, the more I have decided that the $2 or whatever the fee is for the use of the parking lot, docks, fish cleaning house and whatever else people use in that area in addition to the ramp. I have made up my mind that from here on out I'm going to pay it because I'm sure the funds go to the improvement/upkeep of everything there, not just the maintenance of the actual ramp itself. This is just my personal opinion though. I'm sure the Harbormaster would be able to provide a formal answer to that question.

If Oregon is anything like Washington then your assumption is correct.  If you are using the facility, even if only for parking, you are required to pay the launch fee.

Speaking of Harbormaster, is there some kind of heads up we need to provide to them as a group putting on a tournament or has this base already covered?

I believe someone did give them a heads up last year that we were coming... or maybe it was the Coast Guard that was informed.  I think they were the ones that strongly urged our putting the kaibosh on the tourney last year due to the swells.  Speaking of which, has anyone seen any advance sea state forecasts for the tourney?

..... has anyone seen any advance sea state forecasts for the tourney?

It's waaaaaay too early for any of the models to be usefull yet.  Even the swells coming from Tahiti or Asia will have come and gone long before contest time.

If it helps, June is historically the flattest month of the year.  That's not to say that big swells never come in June (just look at the ocean this week) but they're the exception. 

-Spot-