Jewel of the Seas: Astoria, OR Arrival & Departure

On September 20th the Jewel of the Seas made a stop in Astoria Oregon. Originally scheduled for a 9:30am arrival the Jewel crossed the Columbia River Bar at 7:30am and made her way through the fog up the Columbia River eventually arriving in Astoria an hour early at 8:30am. This allowed for US Customs agents to come onboard the ship and process every passenger before allowing them to go ashore. This meant that once in LA it was no longer necessary to pass through customs on departure. Along with the natural scenery of Astoria the area was filled with Sea Lions and seagulls that provided entertainment to the ship all day long. At 6pm the Jewel then departed Astoria stirring up a chaotic whirlwind of birds on her way out. As she crossed the bar a second time she was met with rougher seas and weather conditions than in the morning. As a result instead of airlifting the pilot off the ship the Coast Guard was forced to send a boat out to retrieve him in the rough seas. 8 Night Pacific Coastal Sailing on 9/18/15 Day 1: Vancouver, BC Day 2: Victoria, BC Day 3: Astoria, OR Day 4: At Sea Day 5: San Francisco, CA Day 6: San Francisco, CA Day 7: Monterey, CA Day 8: Santa Barbara, CA Day 9: San Pedro (Los Angeles), CA