Flat in the Gorge

[PonoBill]

Odd for August, usually it nukes all month. Should be a little tommorrow.

I was dinking around and found this video of Lazlo from last year. It's pretty interesting. As usual the swells look tiny, but Lazlo paddles about twenty strokes in eight minutes and is traveling at what looks like jetski velocity.



That's Rod Parmenter catching up to him with his paddle waving around in the air. Long damned glides in the gorge. Lazlo has this whole reading the water thing down pat. Yes, I know, his stroke kind of sucks, but don't give him any tips. He's too damn fast as it is.

For anyone that wonders why we're so hooked on downwinding the borge, the last minute is your answer. One solid 48 second glide.

[Gramps]

That sure looks like fun.  I'm sure it's a lot harder than Lazlo makes it look.

[laszlo]

Wow, Bill, thanks for the props. I had thought recently that I haven't had as good a run as that one all this year.

[PonoBill]

I don't think any of us have. It's been a little soft this year. We're due for some wind, but it's not going to be this week, though I'm going to go today on the shuttle.

It's a cool video.

[covesurfer]

I remember when Laszlo started riding the F16. I recall one day, late in the afternoon, paddling like hell just to almost keep even with him and he was doing what he did in the video, barely paddling and just hauling. I remember thinking how he was going to be handing it to everybody on that board!

Our wind is back over here. Signing up for the 1pm shuttle. Yesterday was a lot of work but still lots of fun bumps. Today should be a little more push. Hope you guys have fun, sure enjoyed paddling the Gorge. So glad the wind was good all week prior to the race. The Gorge is unreal. So much fun to downwind there, it is truly world class. Already looking forward to visiting again next summer.

[PonoBill]

Today was one of those days. Spindrift on the water.

[laszlo]

Finally, after a lean couple of weeks, I scored an awesome run, similar to the one in the video. In fact I almost took out the old Gopro today, but as usual I was in too much of a rush to bother with it. Too bad, it would have been a nice bookend to the first video, almost exactly one year later.

I did my default run, which I can do with the generous assistance of my better half, who doesn't have to drive me very far. Drano Lake to the White Salmon bridge, all on the Washington side. Today was the ideal day for it. I actually prefer this run to Viento, today it was filled in from the moment I entered the Columbia, all the way to the White Salmon sandbar.  Swell City and the Hatchery were big, and not at all crowded.

[PonoBill]

Naturally I was at the coast, freezing in small waves. Now I'm back and it looks like a lake.

[ValleyGirl]

Nice video! I'm on the forum looking for GoPro advice and saw that.  Amazingly long glides.

[laszlo]

Had a nice surprise today. No wind was predicted, but in the afternoon it started looking good. Did the Washington side, Drano Lake to White Salmon bridge run, and it was excellent. I got lucky with the timing and went during the strongest wind, 3:45 to 5.

[covesurfer]

Nice Laszlo! Every west wind day this time of year is a bonus and you never know when you will get the last one while the water is still warm enough to make it enjoyable.

We got a surprise wind day over here as well today. Thought it would be light and took my OC1; ended up paddling a 10 mile downwinder in the windiest conditions I've had so far in my boat. Solid mid 20's to mid 30's with great swell. Big fun! If I'd known it would crank, I would have taken the F16!

Glad you are getting out there, even into the Fall! That is awesome! Keep those reports coming.