Capsized dragon boat paddlers ask Multnomah County to address wake violations

PORTLAND, Ore. ( KOIN ) — More than a dozen dragon boat paddlers addressed the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 1 to call for safer waterways after speedboats caused three different dragon boats to capsize and two more to fill with water on the Willamette River in a single week.

The boating accidents happened on July 20 and July 25. Local representatives with the dragon boating organizations Wasabi USA, the Portland-Kaohsiung Sister City Association and DragonSports USA sent a joint letter to the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners on July 26 in response to the boating accidents.

“On July 20, one wake boat towing a wake surfer produced a series of four consecutive wakes big and strong enough to swamp three Wasabi Paddling Club dragon boats with 66 paddlers,” the letter reads. “Two of the boats capsized, ejecting 44 paddlers into the river. The third boat, with 22 paddlers swamped knee-deep, managed to limp back to shore at Poet’s Beach. On July 25, another wake boat capsized a dragon boat with 22 paddlers.”

Salem resident Robin Allen, who travels to Portland to paddle with Wasabi Paddling Club , told county commissioners that she was a paddler on two of the capsized dragon boats.

“[The July 25 capsizing] was really scary because those waves [were] huge,” Allen said. “There’s no way we could have gotten out of that. There was just no way. [The boaters] sped by laughing. They didn’t care. They didn’t stop… One of our paddlers hit their head and went under. We didn’t even know it because we were overboard. It’s really dangerous.”

Catherine Suchowij, a legally blind member of Visually Impaired Paddlers and the Wasabi Paddling Club, told county commissioners that wakes from a speeding boat also swamped an all-ages dragon boat carrying blind paddlers and people with special needs, including people who are unable to speak.

“That is absolutely terrifying,” Suchowij said. “The utter disregard that the wake boat had. The [dragon boat] coach had shouted at them to ‘slow down,’ ‘this is a no tow zone.’ They kept going, they laughed, and when we ended up in the water. They did not even so much as stop and turn around, which I believe should be proper etiquette.”

The paddlers asked the county to step-up the enforcement on local waterway regulations to provide safer boating conditions for all residents.

“We are not asking to abolish wakeboarding,” Suchowij said. “But there are designated areas and they need to be enforced and respected for the safety and enjoyment of all.”

In May of 2021, new boating rules were imposed for the Lower Willamette River in an effort to improve safety and reduce river congestion. There rules included:

A slow “no-wake zone” extension from the Holgate Channel past the tip of Ross Island including the Ross Island Lagoon that’s in effect year-round.

A seasonal “pass-through zone” where towed water sports are prohibited from May 1 through September 30 from the Hawthorne Bridge to Waverly Marina.

Boaters within 100 feet of docks or other structures in the water must travel at a slow, “no-wake” speed from Waverly Marina at river mile 17, upstream to Willamette Falls at river mile 26.7, year-round. Towing inflatables and wakeboarding is still allowed outside of 200 feet from docks and other structures in the water.

Dragon boaters at Thursday’s meeting were focused on improving the enforcement of existing “no-wake zones” on the Willamette River rather than implementing new regulations. The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office told KOIN 6 News that protecting the safety of everyone using the Columbia, Sandy, and Willamette Rivers in Multnomah County is one of the agency’s top concerns. The sheriff’s office said that it shares this responsibility with local, state, and federal agencies.

“The Sheriff’s Office River Patrol Unit consists of eight deputies, a sergeant, lieutenant, and captain,” the MCSO said. “The unit patrols 110-miles of waterway across the county. During the hours of 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., there is one boat available for calls for service and any request for high-visibility patrol.”

The sheriff’s office said that it is working to provide water safety training to dragon boaters and the River Patrol Unit to improve water safety. The River Patrol Unit is also working with the Oregon State Marine Board to better educate the public on local boating regulations and has increased its presence near the Riverplace Marina.

“A MCSO boat has been present for the dragon boater’s morning and evening practices when there isn’t an active call for service,” the MCSO said. “[The River Patrol Unit] is working with our partner agencies to hold a high-visibility and enforcement mission on the Willamette River between Waverley Country Club and the Hawthorne Bridge.”

District 3 Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards requested a personal follow-up with the dragon boat paddlers following the public comments portion of Thursday’s meeting.

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