Nukin' in the Gorge

[PonoBill]

Surprise, Surprise.

There was some wind up at my shop this morning, rattling the rollup doors. So I called to see if Big Winds was running the shuttle. Answer--no shuttle after labor day. And I thought that was just wearing white. So I started calling around. No go with the usual suspects, but Nikki Gregg told me last week to call her if I was going, so I did, and she wanted to shuttle. I had also told the Big Winds guys to give anyone looking for a shuttle my number so we could work something out. Turned out Bill Worthington wanted to go, so off we went. As soon as I could see the Hatchery I knew we were in for something special.

Blasting.

It was probably 30 MPH at Viento but it was building fast. By the time we got to Mitchell it was probably 35 gusting to 45. Spindrift everywhere. My new Production Bullet 17 was wonderful. I felt so at home on it, I was getting big drops and turning sharply to keep the nose out of the next swell. Zooming across the river.

Over too fast. I would have done a second run but we didn't meet until 2:00 and it was 4:00 by when we got in. the wind was already dieing a little.

[peterwSUPr]

Great story PB, keep them coming.  I love hearing about the Gorge, having windsurfed several hundred days there back in the good old years (late 80s and 90s).  Do you guys come right through the Hatchery on the Washington side where the waves are biggest, or does all the windsurfer traffic keep you over to the Oregon side there? Do the waves on the big days ever get going fast and get hard to catch, or does the extra wind help keep you moving that much faster?

Peter

[PonoBill]

After labor day we start hitting the hatchery more--the crowds thin. I was going to blow through there today, but I was having too much fun in the middle. Not sure how the 17.5' Bullet will like those mast-high pits. But I'll know pretty soon. The swells are always pretty easy to catch--they go against the current.

[headmount]

After labor day we start hitting the hatchery more--the crowds thin. I was going to blow through there today, but I was having too much fun in the middle. Not sure how the 17.5' Bullet will like those mast-high pits. But I'll know pretty soon. The swells are always pretty easy to catch--they go against the current.

The crowds thin and they go to this very hot island in the middle of the lake, you might know it.  Was good here as well today.

[covesurfer]

Yah Bill, I was the one that put Bill Worthington in touch with you. Pretty amusing to help arrange a Gorge shuttle from an island in the middle of the Pacific. Sounds like a killer day in the Gorge!

Maliko was real good too, as HM mentioned. The top was windy with nice rollers, there was a bit of chop coming in from the north and my line to the harbor was a little less smooth than HM's going to the oil tanks. I had a no fall run which I'm always pretty stoked about.

Looking forward to you arriving back here. The longer you're gone, the more time we have to think up ways to harass you when you get back here. Keep the Gorge reports coming! Abbey gets here tomorrow for two weeks. I may buy her a lesson from JR, that might get her hooked.

[PonoBill]

For sure. JR will get her thinking. It's a whole different game the next day. Of course she'll be staring at the water in front of the nose of her board and not listening to you, but you're already used to that with her smartphone.

[laszlo]

Of course, on the first really windy day in weeks, I had a commitment that I couldn't get out of. It's a long story, don't even ask. As I was driving down the hill from my house I stopped at the lookout over the Hatchery and saw head high swells, with very few windsurfers out. All day long I was agonizing about what I was missing.

Bill, I am going to text you my number again, I am here through the end of October (at least until the end of the grape harvest). Other than today I am always available for a run, if the conditions warrant, no need for the shuttle.

[supLaz]

Hey Laszlo,
how is your new custom 14 footer? we hear and see nothing about...

[laszlo]

Hey Laszlo,
how is your new custom 14 footer? we hear and see nothing about...

Hi Laci,

I have been meaning to write about the new board, but I wanted to have some significant time on it, to be able to give an accurate assessment. My first impressions so far are that the board is performing much as I had hoped it would, meaning that it works really well in strong wind and bigger swell. It is quite stable, at 29" wide. The extreme nose rocker fits perfectly in the short period Gorge swell, as I intended it to. Recently there have been new designs, such as the Imagine Connector, that have gone in a completely different direction to deal with pearling, trying to shed the water off the nose after it penetrates the swell in front. I like my solution better, although I haven't tried the other style boards. I feel I can stand closer to the front of the board while paddling to catch swells, without pearling, making it easier to catch glides.

Where I am a little disappointed in the new board is its weight. Being an all carbon board I expected it to be lighter. I haven't weighed it, but it feels closer to 30 pounds than the mid twenties I was hoping for. Because of that, and the shape, it does not feel fast on lighter days. On those days I still prefer to ride my F16. All in all I am happy with the new board as it complements  the larger F16 and together they make a nice Gorge quiver.

[PonoBill]

Looking pretty good already this morning, Lazlo. It's supposed to be lighter--we'll see. PM me you phone number and I'll call you. I need to expand the existing text message group, if you pay attention to text messages I'll add you to the group. I'll be up at my shop working until about 1:00.