We're only a few weeks into our peak practice schedule where we have 8 boats in the water and we're already having some serious issues challenging the maintenance schedule for our boats. If we are going to continue to have enough boats in the water for teams to use, we need EVERYONE to take better care of our boats and to report maintenance issues to board@dragonsports.org immediately.​ Failure to do so is a violation of the Team Rental Terms.

While we recommend that everyone review all of the Team Rental Terms as well as our Safety Rules & Guidelines, we wanted to highlight two issues that have surfaced in the past week.

When you return to the dock, please remember to put the boat fenders out before reaching the dock and then approach the dock slowly and carefully. Please refer to the diagram below for proper boat parking (yes, this is a 6-boat diagram, the other two go to the left when we have 8 in the water). 

Once you've got that maneuver down, don’t forget to tie up the boats properly to dock cleats using a cleat hitch (no more than one per cleat), like this:

NOT this:

Please also be sure to lock the boats when you are done, unless another team is on the dock and waiting to take your boat out (same goes for the lockers). If a lock is broken or missing, please email board@dragonsports.org immediately.

This one is for the tillers, and we know you've heard this before, but another till mount was broken last week.

As far as we know, there are really only two causes (other than normal wear and tear) for the breakage: 1) hitting another object, or 2) backing up the boat and leaving the till in the water.

In the photo above, the till bracket on the right is pretty severely bent. This has all the hallmarks of a tiller backing up the boat and trying to use the till as a rudder, rather than using sweeps, to correct the boat’s course. It’s very easy to lose control of the till in this situation. Typically one of two things will happen: 1) the till blade will be caught by the water and swept away from the boat, twisting the till bracket and putting quite a bit of stress on the till, along with potentially pushing the tiller out of the boat; or 2) the till will be caught by the water and swept downward, pushing the top of the till bracket backward until it bends, or the till mount breaks, or both.

The till bracket on the left in the photo isn’t bent, which would indicate that the breakage in this case was more likely from a direct impact, rather than till-induced.

If a till mount is broken or if there are any other issues with the till (we also heard a rope wrapped on a till came undone this past week), please email board@dragonsports.org immediately.

The manager of the RiverPlace Hotel has communicated to us that the bathroom use from the dragon boat teams is getting a little difficult for them to manage... and this is in advance of the Rose Festival teams starting practices. Please understand the extra traffic takes a toll on the hotel's paper products and requires additional services to keep the restrooms clean and stocked for their guests.

Please be respectful of our hotel neighbors!

Please know that you may still continue to use the hotel restrooms in urgent situations or when patronizing the RiverPlace restaurant and bar, but that there are public restrooms at the south end of the RiverPlace walk which we should otherwise use.

​Thank you!

TriMet has planned a large fireworks show off the Tilikum Crossing Bridge at 9 p.m. on Saturday, August 22. The fireworks show will be shot off both sides of the bridge walkway and river traffic will be impacted during the show.

Please visit the Catch the Orange website for more information.

DragonSports has received an urgent request from those working on the Transient Boat Issue to get letters to City and County elected officials now, as budget planning is underway, to make sure that adequate funds are allocated to address this issue in the coming year. 

There is a sample letter below. You may use it as is, modify it as noted, or send one of your own. Once finalized, email it to:

mayorcharliehales@portlandoregon.gov,
nick@portlandoregon.gov,
Amanda@portlandoregon.gov,
novick@portlandoregon.gov,
dan@portlandoregon.gov,
mult.chair@multco.us,
district1@multco.us,
district2@multco.us,
district3@multco.us,
district4@multco.us

Thank you!

Re: Transient Boat Issues

Dear City and County Officials,

I am writing in regard to the Transient Boat Task Force that has been assembled to address the derelict boat problem and lawlessness issues of some of the live aboard community in Portland and throughout the state.

[Optional to insert personal experience here. Note what you do on the water - paddler, fisherman, boater and what you have seen in terms of behavior, distressed boats, junk, safety concerns.]

Parks Security and River Patrol, both part of the Task Force, have put in numerous hours to come up with an executable plan for dealing with the crime and the derelict vessels. I support the efforts and hard work of the Parks Security and the River Patrol and would like to see city and county officials do the same.

I am asking you, an elected official, to allocate additional funding and/or personnel in the upcoming budget to aid the efforts of Parks Security and River Patrol and to set new policies and/or support legislation which would prevent the issues from continuing. There is much work to be done to keep this ever expanding problem in check and the work cannot be done without additional personnel, funding and/or equipment and new policies.

It is important to me, as a citizen, that priority be given to keeping our rivers, docks and waterfront safe and free from lawlessness. Live aboard boaters should be made to follow the same rules as the rest of the boating public.

Please respond and let me know what you will do to support Parks Security and River Patrol. Thank you.

Sincerely,
[Sign your name here, include any affiliations you think are important - paddling club, boating group, etc.]

One of our DragonSports members in an Assistant Scoutmaster with Boy Scout Troop 618 located in Beaverton, OR and is currently working with Eagle Scout potential Nick Boggs on his Eagle Project to replace the current DragonSports lockers. He's got great designs to eliminate theft, protect from weather damage, and improve usability for DragonSports members.

Nick has done an outstanding job of fundraising for his project, including asking many of you at the September race already, but he still needs help to reach his goal. At your remaining practices and holiday parties this month, please pass the hat and send what you can collect towards his goal. Individual contributions are also welcome.

Checks may be made payable to "Troop 618" and mailed to
Boy Scout Troop 618
6558 SW 88th Ave.
Portland OR 97223

Donations are needed in the next week, but latecomers through the end of the year will be welcome!

Announcements have been sent out to team contacts and captains already, but we wanted to make sure everyone knew that the scheduling meeting we typically hold in early December has been pushed out to January. We are working with the larger teams and the City on a plan to make sure there are enough boats for everyone during peak practices times.

The few teams that practice through the winter may maintain their current schedules for now.

Revenue totals from 2014, including volunteer points, are still being calculated and will be sent to interested parties soon. Our scheduling rules are currently under review, but for reference, are posted below:

1. Teams must be current in their accounts with DSUSA or have made arrangements for payment of outstanding balances with the treasurer.
2. Teams are ranked in order of highest to lowest revenue based on boat rentals, registration in the Portland Race, and volunteer service points.
3. Volunteer service is valued at $5 for each point. Each point roughly corresponds to one hour of volunteer service.
4. The team with the highest revenue is allowed to choose practice days and times followed by all other teams in descending order.
5. Teams may pick up to two boats for one hour each per practice time during peak practice times; teams may also pick up to two boats for up to two hours on the weekends and during non-peak practice times.
6. High School Teams that receive grants from DSUSA will receive credit for practices scheduled using grant funds (max. $1500) in addition to actual revenue received/points accrued in determining their revenue rankings.

We've gotten to the darker cooler portion of the year, and water temperatures have dropped enough that PFDs are again required to be worn on DragonSports outrigger canoes at all times.

As a reminder the DragonSports Safety Rules & Guidelines permit the use of inflatable waist PFDs (please ensure that they are in working order) on the OCs only. Vest-type PFDs are required on the dragon boats.

As always, in fall, winter and spring, weather can be unpredicable. Please exercise caution and good judgment when going out on the water.  

We have also made some changes to the launcher on the dock.  It now has rollers to make the process require a little less muscle, but you need to pay attention to what you are doing to keep the canoe on track as you pull it up the ramp.

Please email Andrew if you have any questions.

The advisory for the Willamette River toxic algae bloom was lifted late last week. The DragonSports Board has been looking carefully at conditions in the RiverPlace Marina and while it appears that some patches of algae remain, we are going to permit teams to resume practices as scheduled starting Monday, October 6th at their own risk. 

The Oregon Health Authority news release can be found here. Information about algae blooms can found here.

If you have any questions, please contact board@dragonsports.org.

Word on the street is that new samples were taken this week and there should be results before the weekend. The Oregon Health Authority has advised DragonSports, however, that toxic conditions may persist in the Ross Island Lagoon and RiverPlace Marina and that even if the samples come back clear, we should wait until next week at the earliest before allowing practices.

The DragonSports Board is considering this advice and will send out a further update once we hear the results. There will be no practices this weekend, even if they do come back clear today or tomorrow.