Disclosure

• Employment: the author, Russell Guy Morgan, works as a captain for a local cruise operator on the Columbia River in the Tri-Cities. When this site mentions river cruises, keep that relationship in mind.
• No affiliate links, ads or sponsored content appear on this site today. If that ever changes, for example a referral arrangement with a local business, it will be disclosed here and next to the link itself, in line with the U.S. FTC's guidance on endorsements.
• Related site: the author also runs Tri-Cities Boating School, which plans to offer paid on-water instruction.
• Not official: this site isn't affiliated with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Coast Guard, the National Safe Boating Council or any state agency. Official notices, charts and the lockmaster's instructions always take priority over anything written here.

Last updated November 12, 2026.