Author Topic: It's On In The Gorge  (Read 82789 times)

PonoBill

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Re: It's On In The Gorge
« Reply #105 on: May 24, 2015, 06:01:49 PM »
Today was nuts. 30-37 according to Temira in the good spots, strong current, very crossed up in places but there were always big swells to catch. I fell four times and they were all pretty much unavoidable for me. Buried the board with water past my knees several times. Surprisingly, those weren't the falls. They were straightforward face plant smacks into the back of a swell. Steep drops.

The big swells at Mitchell were right up there with the best days, I've seen bigger wind--it's a lot different on a 45+ day, but not really bigger swells. It's the combination of wind and current that forms the most challenging drops, and today the current was screaming. For some reason they're filling the lake behind Bonneville, so we had mucho flow.

The wells express was like getting on a very fast people mover. I didn't paddle for most of the sandbar. Just push into as swell with my feet and trim with the rudder to stay in. Hundred yards at a time. It's a spooky place.

Admin and Chan went. Chan was on my 11'11" SIC board and was smoking. I need to have her try the 12'2". It's five inches narrower, but I don't think she needs any width. Little boards are SO much fun in these steep waves.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

JP4

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Re: It's On In The Gorge
« Reply #106 on: May 24, 2015, 06:25:16 PM »
Unfortuately, for a variety of reasons, I wasn't able to get on the river the last couple of days, but I did drop my wife in the water for a little surf on her North Pacific nose rider.  Dropped her at the west end of the Hook on the new concrete ramp and she paddled down to work the shore pound by the road entrance to the Hook (what used to be Western Power).  After the wind backed off, she paddled down to the Event Site and got a few little ones there.  Crazy with all the less than skilled kiters and geriatric windsurfers down there though.  Best not to surf there on a holiday weekend I think  :o
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covesurfer

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Re: It's On In The Gorge
« Reply #107 on: May 24, 2015, 06:44:24 PM »
^^^^ Only in the Gorge. 160 miles upriver from the ocean and you can surf, kite, windsurf and downwind paddle. What a place. Pretty damn awesome on a raging, windy summer day. Look at the sand blowing off the spit, it's nuking out in the mid river.  Love that photo. I remember walking by that spot a lot and thinking, look at these sets, you could actually SURF out there!

JP4

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Re: It's On In The Gorge
« Reply #108 on: May 24, 2015, 06:50:11 PM »
Yeah, actually, Cory has been surfing that spot for years, long before the Event Site became surfable with the sand build up.  I walked the dogs on the spit yesterday and had to stay right on the windward edge to avoid being sandblasted!  I'm thinking the west side of the bridge might be needing paint soon :-\
JP

bbarry

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Re: It's On In The Gorge
« Reply #109 on: May 24, 2015, 07:59:16 PM »
I tested my SIC 14 XPro on the Viento yesterday and today.  Family commitments meant I had to be done a bit on the early side and finished around 1pm yesterday and noon today.   The 14XP does surprisingly well in these conditions, the  Swell City graph showed average around 25 and gusts around 35 when I came through today.    Stayed dry on the runs both days and the XP had a Bullet V2 type playful feel about it.  Loved the shallows just W of Wells Island where the waves were breaking like true ocean waves.    Very odd to see lines of white water as you were coming up on it.

This board has great DW performance for something that is billed as a flatwater only board. 

SUPcheat

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Re: It's On In The Gorge
« Reply #110 on: May 24, 2015, 08:49:44 PM »
I guess this is fresh water river rather than salt water.  How does that affect board performance etc.?
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Me: 6'1"@230 lbs 68 years old

PonoBill

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Re: It's On In The Gorge
« Reply #111 on: May 24, 2015, 09:25:00 PM »
The board feels about the same, but when you fall in at high speed you go down about eight or so feet and don't come back up. Something to remember when you're down there waiting for buoyancy to happen.

I turned around in the middle of the river today to look back and see where Admin and Chan were, and got blasted by water like someone had a hose in my face. It's different here. A good Viento run is a lot more intense than a southside maui run, but very different from a Maliko. Doesn't have the nutty big drops, but it has mid-sized, one after another so you can't really catch your breath or regain your composure. You have to just charge the whole way. Different skill set. I'm surprised sometimes that we can actually do this.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

laszlo

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Re: It's On In The Gorge
« Reply #112 on: May 24, 2015, 09:29:28 PM »
Well I had an interesting session today. I had previously made a commitment to a non essential business meeting today, 90 miles away. On my way out of town I was looking at the swell and the wind and regretting ever making any plans that interfered with my water sports obsessions. It was obvious that I was not a happy camper. About thirty miles away, my wife said why don't we cancel this meeting and you can go back and meet your friends to do a downwinder. Yes! I turned around and headed back to Hood River. But it seems everyone had already left, or was leaving on the shuttle, before I could get back to my house on the Washington side, and get my truck with all the boards on it and get back to the usual meeting spots.

I went with plan B. My neighbor in Underwood has been talking about doing SUP downwinders for a while, and last night had said that he has a new SIC 14 Bullet that he wants to try out. I called him and said let's go now. He was up for it, so we organized a North shore (Washington) run, Drano Lake to White Salmon River. Right in front of Swell City and the Hatchery, the biggest swell on the river, by far. He is an experienced windsurfer, kiter and kayaker, but new to SUP.  No problem I said, I'll watch out for you.

It turned into one of the most intense runs so far this year! At the time we passed Swell City (5pm) the wind according to iWindsurf was gusting to 44 and averaging 34!!!! Smoke on the water! He did great by the way, although he did have to knee paddle part of the way, and I did wait for him several times, to make sure he was OK. Hopefully this didn't turn him off, he says he wants to go again. So now I will have a new shuttle partner, right next door. Sweet.

SUPcheat

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Re: It's On In The Gorge
« Reply #113 on: May 24, 2015, 11:34:51 PM »
I thought the smoke was the huge whirlpool you ride down that winds you up in Australia.
2013 Fanatic Prowave LTD 9'3"x30.5x@134L
Sunova Speeed 8'10"x29.12@131L
Sunova Flow 8'7"x30.25"@121L
Carbon 9.3x32@163L Hammer
Me: 6'1"@230 lbs 68 years old

PonoBill

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Re: It's On In The Gorge
« Reply #114 on: May 25, 2015, 06:22:13 AM »
Some of the kitesurfers looked like they might wind up in Idaho. A little jump, the right gust, and you make like Dorothy. We're not in Kansas anymore.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

Off-Shore

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Re: It's On In The Gorge
« Reply #115 on: May 25, 2015, 06:27:54 AM »
I just want to say I really enjoy reading all the banter on what's happening at the gorge, and having never been there, I went online to see if I could find any recent vids... This is what came up first. Great to be able to get an on-board perspective, albeit in black and white..

https://youtu.be/_AHowVz_bUE
« Last Edit: May 25, 2015, 06:52:11 AM by Off-Shore »
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PonoBill

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Re: It's On In The Gorge
« Reply #116 on: May 25, 2015, 07:52:03 AM »
Nice, but a very light day. I'll try to remember to get some video today, it's nuking already at 7:50AM. This is what it was like yesterday:



You can see what I mean when I say on days like that it never lets up, you have to charge 100 percent all the time or you're in the water. Finish one drop and the next one starts, whether you want it or not.
« Last Edit: May 25, 2015, 07:59:55 AM by PonoBill »
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

JP4

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Re: It's On In The Gorge
« Reply #117 on: May 25, 2015, 04:53:07 PM »
What a fun day! I finally got back on the water for a great lunch time run.  The wind backed off from the last couple days, but so did the current, so the glides were long, frequent, and easy to connect. Actually had my fastest run of the year without even paddling much.  Thanks to Rod for showing this dumbass where to stand on my LE - WAY better, thanks Rod!
Today reminded me a lot of August runs, with the exception of the cooler temperatures.  We had clear skies and a steady wind right down the pipe that got just a little stronger past Split Rock.
The Wells express is unreal right now.  At one point I had my board pointed almost straight at the Hatchery for 15-20 seconds hard on a rail riding at the tail , going down the line - super fun!  I fell in screwing around in that area and, unlike my usual position, was pretty far out towards the channel and away from the pilings.  Bounce on my ass off the bottom in about two feet of water.  Crazy, considering the water is up considerably from a few days ago. 
I'm really starting to love the LE after finally getting it dialed in.  I can't make it go as fast as the fast guys, but I'm inching closer and starting to get the surfing figured out on it.
Good times!
JP 8)

laszlo

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Re: It's On In The Gorge
« Reply #118 on: May 25, 2015, 05:56:37 PM »
I thought I would add some photos to illustrate the different parts of the Columbia, in the area where we do our downwinders. The first picture shows the area between Swell City and the Hatchery, with the Washington side at the bottom.  Towards the top of that pic, near Oregon, is the Wells express, a shallow part of the river with very groomed, smaller but beautifully lined up swell. The lower part shows the much bigger swell in the deep channel on the Washington side. The second picture of the barge is just for a sense of scale!

PonoBill

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Re: It's On In The Gorge
« Reply #119 on: May 25, 2015, 07:19:01 PM »
Cool shot Lazlo, love the barge shot. The little things zipping in the water looking like water striders are windsurfers.

Nice run today. I didn't get rolling until late--doing financial stuff, so I called Big Winds and got on the shuttle. Turns out the rest of their shuttle customers bailed, so I got a solo ride to Viento. I was going to use my 11'11", but the wind looked light so I did the Bullet 17. Shouldn't have worried. Mitchell Point was crazy, then it got a little light and draggy, but Wells was insane. Probably 40kph easily. I did the length of the sandbar on the rudder pulley, just hanging on, using my paddle as a drag to steer. Fast up the side of Wells too, but then it died.

When I got in I took one look at the waves in the Event Center and ran for my 11'11". Surf's up, Cowabunga. I did about a half hour surf session, catching some tasty waves. What fun.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

 


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