"cape" = A cape is a pointed
piece of land adjacent to water on three sides and that sticks out
into a sea, ocean, lake, or river.
Cape Disappointment is a headland located at the extreme southwestern
corner of Washington State on the north side of the Columbia River
bar. The point of the cape is located on the Pacific Ocean in Pacific
County approximately two miles (3.2 km) southwest of the town of
Ilwaco. It was named in 1788 by British fur trader John Meares who
was sailing south from Nootka in search of trade. After a storm,
he turned his ship around just north of the Cape and therefore just
missed the discovery of the Columbia River.
The Cape is one of the places
of the United States of America with the largest number of hours
of fog, 2552 hours (equivalent to 106 days). Cape Disappointment
State Park is located on the cape, as is the Cape Disappointment
Lighthouse. United States Coast Guard Station Cape Disappointment
is situated on the river nearby the state park. The station crewmembers
perform 300–400 calls for assistance every year. -wiki
Completed in 1856, the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse guides
sailors into the mouth of the Columbia River from the south. The
century-old North Head Lighthouse, completed in 1898, guides mariners
approaching from the north. Both lighthouses were taken under the
jurisdiction of the U.S. Coast Guard in 1939. Cape Disappointment
is the oldest functioning lighthouse on the west coast.
Nearby, the Columbia Bar (one of the most dangerous river bars in
the world) is a system of bars and shoals at the mouth of the Columbia
River between the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington. Here the
river's current dissipates into the Pacific Ocean, often as large
standing waves. The waves are partially caused by the deposition
of sediment as the river slows as well as mixing with ocean waves.
The waves, wind, and current wreak havoc with vessels of all sizes.
The Columbia current varies from 4 to 7 knots westward and therefore
into the predominantly westerly winds and ocean swells, creating
significant surface conditions.
Unlike other major rivers,
the current is focused "like a firehose" without the benefit
of a river delta. Conditions can change from calm and serene to
life-threatening breaking waves in as little as five minutes due
to changes of direction of wind and ocean swell.
Since 1792, approximately
2,000 large ships have sunk in and around the Columbia Bar. The nearby
United States Coast Guard station at Cape Disappointment, Washington
is renowned for operating in some of the roughest sea conditions
in the world and is also home to the National Motor Lifeboat School.
It is the only school for rough weather and surf rescue operation
in the United States and is respected internationally as a center
of excellence for heavy boat operations. -wiki |