Perhaps you should get behind the wheel of one of them tugs. I have a good friend who works for one of those tug companies and runs the columbia in that area all the time. They're in a situation where they can't back off the throttle. They're like a monster sailboat, if they back off the throttle in the winds you were talking about they'd end up right on the shore. Perhaps it was the winds that was pushing him your way. Think about this, you're going downriver and have to go faster than the current to steer, and you have a wind gust right in your face, one little wrong turn makes for big mistakes.
Thank goodness you didn't get hit, but always pay special attention to the tug and ship traffic because they do have the right to run right over the top of you, regardless of the conditions.
Keith