It's On In The Gorge

[PonoBill]

I should have figured out a way to do a downwinder today--I missed the shuttle by about twenty minutes. Would have gotten Diane to drive me but she'd be lecturing me about Doctor this, Doctor that for the whole way. I wouldn't have strained the shoulder any, the wind was hitting 40 plus on my wanky little wind gauge. Temira said 30 but it was a lot toastier. The hatchery looked like death and destruction. There was somebody banging out forward loops one after the other. He hit three in a row in about 50 yards. Never seen anyone do that before.

Tomorrow it's going to still be good, though not quite as toasty as today. I'm hitting the shuttle.

[JP4]

Got in a mellow Summer thermal Viento run this afternoon.  I didn't see anyone else out until I returned for my car at 5pm. 

Since it was pretty light today (12-25mph according to the Event Site gauge), I took the opportunity to take Covesurfer's advice and try my 2011 Javelin (the white one).

Wow, that thing was perfect today!  I've been padding the Imagine Connector (27") mostly this year, and while that board is a real hoot when it's blowing hard, it's not exactly fast sub-planing and can be difficult to "connect" swell without a good push from the wind, at least for my intermediate skills.

The Jav just kept rollin' for me and I only got tossed off four times, so I'm pretty stoked to try it in a little more wind.  Interesting side note, I would say the Jav is not much more tippy than the connector, which surprised me.  So I guess paddling the Connector was good training for downwinding the Javelin.

Thanks for talking me out of selling the Jav Gregg!

JP

[covesurfer]

I took the opportunity to take Covesurfer's advice and try my 2011 Javelin (the white one).

Wow, that thing was perfect today! 

Thanks for talking me out of selling the Jav Gregg!

JP

Yes. You're welcome, hahaha! The thing that is really gonna surprise you, in a good way, is how much fun the Javelin is when it's honking. I was afraid to ride it in big Gorge wind, not because I thought I'd die, but because I thought I'd ruin a potentially great run on a board that I'd fall off of every 100 yards.

But, it's not like that. Once you figure out how to actually surf it, it is a really fun board to ride and it actually is more stable in bigger conditions because you are consistently moving pretty fast. When you catch swells, it is a blast. Because it has almost no, wait, NO rocker, when you step way back on it, the thing comes up out of the water like an ironing board. So, if you kind of moderate your trimming, and you don't go clear back on that narrow, pinched little tail, you'll be happier.

Have fun, riding that board in big conditions is an absolute hoot and people will be awed that you can do it. But the secret is, it actually performs great when it's screaming.

In the open ocean, I am afraid to try it, because I'm concerned I won't be able to handle it when the side chop and mixed up stuff hits me. If I come visit, maybe we can take the Connector and the Jav on a few Viento's??? I know you have the world's best roof rack Wassup.

[JP4]

Hah, the ironing board!  Good description.  Yes I was really surprised how well it surfs and how responsive it was despite the non existent rails.  Actually got it going down the line really good a few times.  I'd be out there again today, but cooked myself with a double season yesterday and a Knebal Springs MTB Ride this morning.  Resting up for Big Thursday!

[cnski]

First Viento run ever today woohoo!! A couple windsurfer friends from back in the day were on the shuttle too. That was cool. Where was Bill :-/? Riding in the van felt like I was at summer camp. SUP Summer Camp. Or we were off for court mandated, roadside trash pick with our bright colored jerseys on. Anyway I rode the Connector 29 and frankly couldn't connect jack!! At the end some regulars said it was a tough run. A real slog. The wind really died for a good portion of it. But I was able to catch several rides. Pretty cool. The board is quite stable at 240 lbs but I was not fast. I think it took me 3 hours. I can tell it would be fun in high winds. But can't help wonder how a 16 footer would handle. At least I got the first one under my belt. Fun to try out some new gear.

[Admin]

Go again today.  The Portland-Dalles Gradient is .20. 

[gorgebob]

Kim and I are planning a run today noonish at Viento. The DC NSP has been one of our favorites.

[PonoBill]

I"m supposed to be on a plane to Boston, but Diane got food poisoning last night, so we pushed it back a day. I'll almost certainly go today. Something good has to come out of being up all night with a very miserable wife. The wind is howling at 8:30. Should be real Gorge conditions by noon. I was going to go yesterday, but it looked pretty light for my first downwinder.

Yup, it's on for sure. I just shot a pic from my front window of the waves breaking on the sandbar. That works.

[PonoBill]

Damn, the wind is down a little from this morning--must be hot in Portland. Still it should be good. I'm going to catch the 1:30 shuttle. I"m going to have to wear a PFD--I tried swimming yesterday--not pretty. More splashing than movement.

[covesurfer]

PB, please post a report for how your run goes!

Boyum went to Oahu today. We've got good Kihei side conditions, Maliko looks decent also but lots of showers around. Had a great run on the s side yesterday, ponds all the way down to Makena. Pretty good south swell made entry and exit rather spirited - you had to move quick to avoid being a set wave casualty.

Missed having you out there to sneak up on and harass! Don't flippin' hurt yourself! Hope Diane feels better.

[PonoBill]

Had a great downwinder, my shoulder got tired but not hurt. Made pretty good time for a fat guy with a bad wing.

[JP4]

PB, was that you in a yellow shirt on what looked like a white SIC about 2:00-2:30?  I think you passed me about Mitchell point.  I was doing the hula trying to be cool like Covesurfer on my old white Javelin.  More bracing than paddling today for me, but still really fun.

[PonoBill]

Fat guy in a yellow shirt? Yup, that was me. Sure was a fun run. I was being careful with my shoulder and trying to stay very smooth. Oddly enough, it was a pretty fast thing to be doing. I thought I'd be trailing in behind everyone, but my time was actually pretty good. I didn't get an exact time, but it was well under two hours.

The bumps were pretty easy to jump on except for right around Mitchell. They were nice sized there, but the swell angle created a wicked rebound wave off the wall. Same with split rock. But it was an perfect run for a weak wing--lots of rides, lots of connections, and not too hard to get into them for the most part. I got in too close at the Wells approach and got some of that shallow water drag. My board likes to round up when that happens, so I was fighting that until I could get back to the middle. But all in all, another frabjious day in the gorge. Off to Boston tomorrow. Have fun while I'm gone and no squabbling.

[JP4]

Yeah, I figured that had to be you, quietly slipping by while I thrashed along.  The Mitchell to Split rock section was especially nice today, not too much cross chop it seemed.  Our speed was quite a bit higher today as well, despite waiting for a buddy for quite a while at Split rock.  It's nice to have the current low and the water and air temp high again.  Good times!
JP

[covesurfer]

Nice, thanks for the reports!

Bill:::Kathy is coming over in early August if you're back. She'll be in Portland but she's going to want to come up and get in a run or 2. If you're around, you should take her. She bought JR's old 17 x 23" board and, of course, she's fast as hell on it. Rode it to Molokai Saturday and smoked it! Under 4 hours and finished with Talia. Not bad at all. She's probably one of about a half dozen people on the planet that have the skill to make that board work well. I'll make sure to give her your number.

Looked windy in the Gorge today! I got a Maliko in with R-squared, decent but not screaming. Tropical storm Walli is coming to Maui in time to probably ruin this weekend's Maliko race. Enjoy boiz!