The gentlest of breezes, the bluest of skies, incredible balmy weather, where could we be? Welcome to Portland, Oregon. Today this place is known as Portland, however in 1845 it had a fifty-fifty chance of being known as Boston, Oregon. At that time Francis W. Pettygrove and A. L. Lovejoy called heads or tails as one of the men tossed a shiny copper coin into the air, caught it in mid rotation and slapped it onto the back of his hand.

The city of Portland is well known for a diversity of landmarks, events and people. Pictured above is a beast we found moored next to our ship the Sea Bird. The beautifully painted creature is a dragon boat. Annual dragon boat races are held here on the Willamette River during Portland's Rose Festival. The Willamette is the largest river entirely in the state of Oregon. The name of the river was said to come from an Indian word "Wal-lamt." Controversy over the spelling of the name ranged from Willamette to Wallamette to Wallamet.

On Wednesday, April 2, 1806 the Corps of Discovery worked its way east on the Columbia River and was told by local Indians of a river that fed into the Columbia from the south. They called this river "Mult-no-mâh." Captain Clark ventured up this river with a party of seven men and one of the "perogues," he hired one of the "Cashhook" Indians, for the price of a "birning" glass to pilot him to the entrance of the Multnomah river. The creative spellings are quoted from the journal of Captain Clark.

The names, the spellings, the labels we put on the places are not always the most important part of the experience. Taking the time to sit back and soak up the warmth of a balmy spring day amongst calm waters and whispered breezes may be enough for a memorable experience. Welcome aboard the Sea Bird, we plan to give you many such reflective moments.