Beacon Background: The North Head Lighthouse
This article was originally published in the November 2021 issue of 48° North North Head is a perfect example of an iconic lighthouse. Rugged and isolated setting? Check. White tower overlooking an endless expanse of ocean?…
Sneaking Out: A Quick Overnight Cruise on the Columbia
Come late August, it dawned on my wife that we’d never managed to go on vacation this year. I’d been on a solo weeklong cruise, but Kate hadn’t spent a night away from home since 2019. Our college-age son had moved back…
Second Growth Wilderness on the Columbia
From the August 2020 issue of 48° North Shantyboat legend, Harlan Hubbard, once wrote of yearning to settle down in "some backcountry beyond the road's end, long ago abandoned or passed over by the expanding world, a…
Discovering The Gorge
The Birth of Small Boat Racing at Cascade Locks From the August 2020 issue of 48° North After a day of sailing or weekend of racing at the Columbia River Gorge, more than a few enthusiastic sailors have come off the water…
Photo Essay: On the Water Under Covid
Editor's Note: The article below characterizes one boater's choices and observations. It references the reality that some individuals are not complying with social distancing guidelines as closely as others. Both 48° North…
Surf training with the USCG Motor Lifeboat School
The brave men and women of the United States Coast Guard have been conducting their Motor Lifeboat School in the turbulent waters of the Columbia River bar and, as Pacific Northwest sailors can imagine, the seas have been a…
