The Portland Spirit didn't have the right of way when its captain forced rowers to evade the vessel's path during a Willamette River race last month, a Coast Guard official said Tuesday.

Capt. Lowell Gillespie Jr. could have waited for the rowers to pass, crossed behind them or, if they weren't so close, continued in front of them, said U.S. Coast Guard marine investigator Travis Nolen. Gillespie maintained the vessel's course and speed, Nolen said, and the rowers changed their course to avoid a collision.

Company President Dan Yates on Monday said Gillespie "made a very poor decision" in the Oct. 29 encounter near the Marquam Bridge and that he was suspending Gillespie for 90 days. That decision is independent of the Coast Guard investigation, which is ongoing.

Gillespie was previously disciplined for running into other boats during a huge traffic jam on the Willamette that forced the shutdown of the Red Bull Flugtag competition in 2015.

Nolen said "there's still a lot to be determined" in the recent case.

A spokesman with the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office, based on initial and limited information, Monday morning said the dinner cruise boat had the right of way. He later deferred questions to the Coast Guard because of its marine expertise.

The encounter happened as Gillespie was returning with an empty ship from the Salmon Springs dock at downtown Portland's Tom McCall Waterfront Park to its eastside dock at Caruthers Landing, Yates said. The rowers — part of the Portland Fall Classic race — were on the river past the event's permitted time, according to Nolen.

He said organizers didn't request a Coast Guard extension of their permit, which lasted until 2:30 p.m. The incident happened more than an hour later.

However, the "Permit for Marine Event" the Coast Guard issued on Aug. 28 to Portland Fall Classic does not include an event time.

Regardless, Portland Fall Classic organizers should have known the planned ending time for their event, said Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Laura Springer, pointing to a "Notice to Mariners" the Coast Guard issued five days before the Classic, listing the 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. event window.

Those Notice to Mariners times were taken from the event application, Springer said Tuesday. "We don't invent times for events," she said.

Furthermore, event organizers should have contacted the Coast Guard by phone when it became clear the event would run past its planned ending time, Springer said. In response to that information, the Coast Guard would have broadcast information to mariners about the new time frame.

"Event sponsors telling us the time of their event is very, very important because it lets us notify the public if the event is going long," Springer said. "We rely on event sponsors for providing good information so we can get information out to the public."

This was the 11th year for the Portland Fall Classic, held annually on the Willamette River except one, when it was moved to Vancouver Lake because of construction of the Tillicum Crossing bridge. About 1,400 people from 20 to 25 rowing clubs participated this year, with high school, college and adult teams represented, said Peter Edwards of Station L Rowing Club, an event co-host with the Rose City Rowing Club.

Edwards filled out the Coast Guard application in August and said Tuesday he did not recall the projected event times he listed.

He acknowledged, however, the Portland Fall Classic ran at least an hour longer than expected – a common occurrence, he said, with large regatta events. And he said he was unaware of the procedure to contact the Coast Guard to say the event was running late.

About 15 volunteer patrol boats were on the water when the close-call incident occurred about 3:35 p.m., Edwards said, but no boats from the Coast Guard or Multnomah County Sheriff's Office were present as they have been at some previous Portland Fall Classics.

Edwards did not see the near collision.

"I heard scattered radio chatter (from volunteer patrol boats) that the Portland Spirit was out in the race course," he said.

Edwards declined to comment on the incident, noting the Coast Guard investigation.

"They are an authority on the matter," he said. "Whatever they decide would be appropriate. If they have any recommendations for us, I would hear them enthusiastically."

Nolen said the Coast Guard will look into ways to improve marine event communications between organizers and other mariners.

American Waterways Inc. owns and operates the Portland Spirit, Willamette Star and other vessels.

— Jim Ryan

jryan@oregonian.com

503-221-8005; @Jimryan015

Lynne Terry of The Oregonian/OregonLive staff contributed to this report