Hello Mike:
I live in Florence and used to sail in Newport 2 or 3 times a year. We have an Ericson 23 that we would trailer up to Yaquina Bay for their Memorial Day and Columbus Day regattas. They were a lot of fun and the folks were great hosts.
The bay is a good place to learn in a lot of respects. Usually light winds in the morning building to heavy in the late afternoon. The water, however is very cold, so be very careful about capsizing. You will learn a lot about tides and currants that will serve you well if and when you travel or charter in the San Juans.
Respect the bar, especially on strong ebb tides with large swells. Never go out into the ocean without consulting the tide book and checking the swell. The NOAA buoy on Stonewall Bank is a good reference. See
National Weather Service - NWS Portland .
Anyway, I grew up sailing on Woahink Lake here in Florence, and last year we bought a Catalina 470 that we keep up in Poulsbo, WA. You can learn an awful lot there in Newport and then graduate to bigger and better things.
Tom