Messages

16

Downwind and Racing / Re: Nuking in the gorge

« on: August 02, 2017, 01:02:59 PM »

Historically it's the best month for wind, but not lately.

I know it's historically true that there are more windy days in August, but I'd like to know what months have the most 30+ or 40+ days. Lots of good 20-25 kt thermal days in August, but it seems most of the epic days are late April to middle of June with the big frontal passages. Time to learn to kite or foil I guess. I wish the coast wasn't a three hour drive. Surf looks decent the next couple of days. Am I whining enough yet? 
JP

17

Downwind and Racing / Re: Nuking in the gorge

« on: August 02, 2017, 10:40:33 AM »

Impeccable timing. It's been flat as a board. I'm cleaning my shop. Yuk.

And now we're getting the extra bonus forest fire smoke. August is always a mixed bag it seems.

18

SUP General / Re: How did you learn to swim?

« on: July 30, 2017, 09:42:29 PM »

Took lessons at the Lewis and Clark College pool from this guy in the late 60's. You wouldn't know it from watching me swim though
I guess 5 Olympic gold medals didn't get you much back then.

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19

Downwind and Racing / Re: Sunova Faast 14

« on: July 27, 2017, 05:55:34 PM »

Did a downwinder today with a guy on a rented 14X27" Faast (I think it was 27"). I was on my newly repaired Chinese F16 for the first time in a long while. When we hit the water I expected to pull ahead of him. I didn't expect him to pull away from me and keep doing so. I was having some trouble getting used to the F16 again, and I fell a couple of times, punching it into swells. But still, he steadily pulled away and out of sight. Decent day, but not rocking. I did a 1:28. He did 1:10. I've NEVER done a 1:10 and he does it on a rented board his first time out with it.

I haven't paddled with the guy before, people tell me he's fast, but not elite-level fast.

I need to try one of those. Fortunately, they don't have LiftSup handles.

Hah, PB, I just found out you paddled with my friend Kelly. He's a phenomenal athlete and back in the day before serious health problems, was one of the best windsurfers in the Gorge. He was also a collegiate Nordic ski champion if I remember correctly.
If he wasn't paddling with a goretex sock around his aorta and a femoral artery graft in his leg he would have put even more time into you. And he had a heart attack last year. Still one of the faster over 55 paddlers in the Gorge.
Oh, and the Sunova was his favorite board of all the ones he's demo'd this summer. He's usually kicking my ass on an old Amundson TRX.
JP

That's a relief to hear. He kicked my ass pretty comprehensively. I should know better when it comes to guys I don't know in the Gorge. I always find out later they're the Seven-time world champion this, or the three-time Olympic that.

Yeah, funny how that is. His brother Sam moved to Maui years ago and his wife Tammi is a multi time Masters windsurfing champion. You might know them.
Kelly and I did a noon run today and it was pretty awful. In some places we were catching glassy bumps. Huge holes and only a couple long rides. Even Wells wasn't that great. I gave up chasing Kelly at Split Rock and clocked a 1:26. He did 1:19.
I talked to one of the fast kids on the beach and asked how fast they went. About 1:05. Jeez.

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20

Downwind and Racing / Re: Sunova Faast 14

« on: July 27, 2017, 02:34:42 PM »

Did a downwinder today with a guy on a rented 14X27" Faast (I think it was 27"). I was on my newly repaired Chinese F16 for the first time in a long while. When we hit the water I expected to pull ahead of him. I didn't expect him to pull away from me and keep doing so. I was having some trouble getting used to the F16 again, and I fell a couple of times, punching it into swells. But still, he steadily pulled away and out of sight. Decent day, but not rocking. I did a 1:28. He did 1:10. I've NEVER done a 1:10 and he does it on a rented board his first time out with it.

I haven't paddled with the guy before, people tell me he's fast, but not elite-level fast.

I need to try one of those. Fortunately, they don't have LiftSup handles.

Hah, PB, I just found out you paddled with my friend Kelly. He's a phenomenal athlete and back in the day before serious health problems, was one of the best windsurfers in the Gorge. He was also a collegiate Nordic ski champion if I remember correctly.
If he wasn't paddling with a goretex sock around his aorta and a femoral artery graft in his leg he would have put even more time into you. And he had a heart attack last year. Still one of the faster over 55 paddlers in the Gorge.
Oh, and the Sunova was his favorite board of all the ones he's demo'd this summer. He's usually kicking my ass on an old Amundson TRX.
JP

21

Gear Talk / Re: Downwind fin advice for V1 Bullet 14?

« on: July 24, 2017, 02:13:52 PM »

People that come from a surfing or windsurfing background tend to be a little obsessed by fins, mainly because they compliment a style. You can use your favorite fin in two somewhat different boards and still like it, but a fin you hate won't work for you no matter what you put it in. And one person's fave is another person's trash.

I never thought of it that way PB, but it makes sense. Coming from a windsurfing/wave sailing background, I've hated every deep blade fin I've ever paddled because they just don't turn how I expect them to. Of course, I don't paddle flat water unless it's to take my dog for a spin. Maybe those big ugly fins are good for that

22

Gear Talk / Re: Downwind fin advice for V1 Bullet 14?

« on: July 23, 2017, 11:42:33 PM »

Currently have the stock 9" dagger style. Use is smaller closer frequency.... not big open swell.  I'm curious if anyone has come across a worthy alternative?

For small short period swell it's hard to beat the SIC 7.0 on a Bullet. I've had that fin in the V2 and the V3 the last several years and it turns great and doesn't collect weeds. The key in short swell is getting the angle early before you get to the trough and carrying your speed to connect the next bumps. That's hard to do if your board is tracking straight. I think the stability of bigger fins is overrated for downwinding and can actually cause balance problems when you can't keep the board turning under you.
I was doing a run with Lopez a few weeks ago and he uses the same tiny fin that Connor was using last time I saw him in the Gorge , just a short fat nub basically. Obviously ridiculously talented individuals, but it's working for them.
A few years ago Covesurfer turned me on to using pretty small traditional windsurfing fins in our old 2011 Javelins. That transformed those boards for downwinding into something pretty fun, despite the lack of any rail to speak of on those boards. My 2 cents.
JP

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23

Downwind and Racing / Re: Nuking in the gorge

« on: July 14, 2017, 08:40:33 PM »

BTW, you can't miss me either, I'm always with neon yellow dorky outfit so if you see a bumblebee
like weirdo approaching you, please don't try to beat me with the paddle.

I am always with HI-vis orange so like a construction worker dipped in anti-rust paint.
Weido unite and we should paddle together as a fashion statement....

Agree. We should also do fin testing party while on the subject of weirdos. Here in the gorge
preferably

Hey Burchas, welcome to the Gorge. I met you in Maui when my son and I were doing a Maliko with JR. I'll look for you tomorrow. Maybe a double if it's good.

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24

SUP General / Re: SUP Fatality in Santa Barbara

« on: July 10, 2017, 01:17:52 PM »

Talldude==beats the shit out of having your gear merrily blow away from you on the Oregon Coast about a mile or so out. Cold, sharky, very lonely. Long afternoon. I was very happy to stand up on sand.

Hah, that reminds me of a big day back in the 90's wave sailing at South jetty in Florence. It was packed, all the parking full, tons of people in the water, probably logo high surf. A pile of broken masts on the beach. Oh, the good old days.
Anyway, sitting on the beach and watching the chaos, we saw a guy get pounded inside, but in the super strong rip near the Jetty. He loses his gear and it immediately starts it's own trip to China and disappears out of sight. No way he could catch it. He drags his sorry ass out of the water, having said goodbye to a couple thousand dollars worth of gear.
An hour or two later someone spotted his gear, complete with broken mast, nearing the inside, but about 1/4 mile south headed northbound toward the jetty. A very good demonstration of the circular path of that particular rip.

It was always particularly terrifying to be sailing in the cold inky dark Pacific, thinking you weren't that far outside the break, only to look back and see that you're probably farther out than you're equipped to swim, especially on those odd days when it was both foggy and windy. Creepy.




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25

SUP General / Re: SUP Fatality in Santa Barbara

« on: July 10, 2017, 11:49:52 AM »

On a somewhat related note, the local guy who runs a photography business from his high powered inflatable boat in the Gorge has turned into the default rescue guy apparently. It's mostly unprepared kiter's that get in trouble and he finds them floating in the river with damaged gear or under powered. Apparently he rescues several a day on average, costing him his time and money and is rarely compensated. Yesterday we saw him drop a young lady off at the Event Site who had launched her kite at Viento for a downwinder the same time we did. She was on a 5 or 6 m2 kite if I remember correctly. Apparently that doesn't work so well in 10 knots of wind, which is about what it was at the end of the run.
Anyway, paddlers are not alone at being ignorant or unprepared for all or even some of the eventualities of putting yourself out in big water. At least in the old days of windsurfing you could always de-rig and prone paddle in if it all went to shit.
JP

26

Downwind and Racing / Re: Balance is a weird thing

« on: July 05, 2017, 02:39:45 AM »

I can relate Bill, but going the other direction in width. My old Bullet 14 V2 was very stable, but on occasion I'd get pitched off, probably once a run on average. It always felt a little too buoyant and corky for my weight. My 14 V3 is significantly tippier and lower volume, but also lighter, faster, and much more responsive. I almost can't fall off of it. Even on the big days, I only fall once every three or four runs on that board. I think Area 10 nailed it in that a more responsive board is easier to keep under you when it gets sporty.
I've had a ton of times when I think I'm going swimming and the the board is always right where I need it. With the super pulled in tail it's effortless to turn before getting to the trough. The extra speed definitely helps stability as well. I experienced a similar thing downwinding my old 2011 Javelin tippy canoe. That thing was super tippy, but also very forgiving because there were no rails to catch. You could slip and slide it up the river very predictably.


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27

Gear Talk / Re: $299 Costco Wave Storm Update.

« on: July 01, 2017, 09:56:38 PM »

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10154831211137058&id=81269622057

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28

Gear Talk / Re: Longboard style SUP recommendation

« on: June 26, 2017, 12:13:36 PM »

Congrats on the new board. I've been riding an 8'4" x 31" ST for a couple years now and it's been a great board. It takes a little getting used to catching waves, but once you get it going it is super fast and stays planed up forever. I remember when I first got it it felt really tippy, but now it feels like an aircraft carrier compared to my 29" wide Starboard Pro. It's really good in chop. The only limitation I've found for me is on steep overhead surf it's a little wide (31") for my 170 lbs to lever around.
I got it with the carbon rails and the custom travel bag and it's been a great travel board. Beaten the crap out of it and it's still water tight. Enjoy!
JP

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29

Gear Talk / Re: $299 Costco Wave Storm Update.

« on: June 23, 2017, 11:30:39 PM »

I looked one of the new ones over pretty carefully at the Event Center in Hood River. It's pretty nice. I like the rails, I like the bottom, I like the general shape. Looks like they either paid a good shaper or copied the right board.

Flat water today at the EC--not a breath of wind, so I took the grandsons down to paddle. Ran into a lady who worked for our agency almost from the beginning--super talent, hard driver, very smart. She bought a vacation place here in Hood River. She, her husband, and two kids were out paddling SUPs and the youngest was on a Costco Taquito. He needed some work on his stroke, but he was flying around like a waterbug. Impressive that the board worked so well for him. I've never seen a beginner kid do a banked turn in flatwater. He was leaning in, getting up on a rail, and turning hard and tight. Must be just how short and curved the board is. It was pretty startling.

Was in Costco in Maui today and Taquitio's were $79 with a paddle. Regular 8' Wavestorm was $114.
Speaking of Wavestorm's, the best surfer I saw at Thousand Peaks today was about a 15yr old kid absolutely tearing it up on one in pretty marginal conditions.

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30

Downwind and Racing / Re: Brutal Downwinder

« on: June 14, 2017, 12:40:21 PM »

Arlington yesterday. Photo poached from Russel P.

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