Author Topic: Getting into a narrow harbor / harbour entrance after a downwinder - vid  (Read 2524 times)

Off-Shore

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    • HksupaHK SUP and Downwinding
This past week we had a great run on the 11.25 mile / 18km H2O downwind run (Havens Beach, Sag Harbor, to Orient Point, Long Island, USA) which ended in this tricky harbor entry at the end with lots of backwash. A "little" challenging after 2 hours of paddling... I'd be interesting to hear about any challenging end of the run landings..

https://youtu.be/vwx2c9Tm1LQ
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PonoBill

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Re: Getting into a narrow harbor / harbour entrance after a downwinder - vid
« Reply #1 on: December 10, 2017, 08:46:06 PM »
The end of the Maliko run is a harbor entrance at a slight angle, with the infamous Pier One surf break on one side and a rock and coral "razorblades and pincushions" break called Sand Piles if you go past it. I don't think anyone has ever overshot, but I had a conversation with a guy sitting on the beach at the Canoe Hale shaking, near tears who had undershot and gone through Pier One, got seriously worked and wound up against the jetty unable to escape. He told me he thought he was a goner, but the waves let up long enough for him to escape. He was a pretty knowledgeable guy--taught windsurfing in Maui for years. Good surfer. It was his first Maliko and he hadn't had the briefing on making the entrance work.

It's not hard to make it work, but you need to be pointed to the right place for the last half mile (or the last mile is the swell is big and the wind direction is off).  One of the reasons I recommend a guide for a first run.

Viento runs in Hood River have an easy end. If you screw up you land on a big sandbar and do a walk of shame. But no hazard. The run from Blaylock to Arlington is another story. A very tricky harbor entrance with a blocking jetty that has waves smashing off it with spray going fifty feet up. We come into it on a big wave--always. Usually well overhead, and you have to either make a 90-degree turn at speed or pull off a close pass to the jetty and skim in. I'm too chicken for the close pass, so I'm very glad of a rudder.

I don't know how you get out if you don't make the turn. I've been told it's a couple of miles to the next practical exit.

East wind runs to Cascade Locks are also spooky. We run through the old locks--rock walls about 30 feet high, about 50 yards apart, with beaucoup reflected waves and junk. We smoke through that and do a U-turn at the end to the beach. Again, I don't know the ramifications of not making it--I try very hard to nail it. Below all that is Bonneville Dam. I don't care to interact with that at all.
« Last Edit: December 10, 2017, 08:56:43 PM by PonoBill »
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Night Wing

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Re: Getting into a narrow harbor / harbour entrance after a downwinder - vid
« Reply #2 on: December 10, 2017, 09:22:51 PM »
The wave action at the end looked like a washing machine. Tricky indeed, but a nice paddling job through it.

Another interesting video so thanks for sharing it.
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connector14

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Re: Getting into a narrow harbor / harbour entrance after a downwinder - vid
« Reply #3 on: December 10, 2017, 10:31:53 PM »
Nice job guys.  Doing that at the end of a 2 hour session.....I think I would just get down on my knees :P
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JEG

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Re: Getting into a narrow harbor / harbour entrance after a downwinder - vid
« Reply #4 on: December 11, 2017, 12:50:07 PM »
that's a tricky narrow entrance.
wind swell & backwash mix sux, as I remember my 1st dw on the way home into the dock I was greeted by these water elevator and luckily I was on my knees.   

supthecreek

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Re: Getting into a narrow harbor / harbour entrance after a downwinder - vid
« Reply #5 on: December 11, 2017, 12:57:17 PM »
Nice work Offshore.... a ton of refraction must be an unwelcome test after a long DW session.

I couldn't help but picture a busy day in the season:
Trailers backing down the ramp, to shoot the boat off the back.... directly in the path of boats coming in the narrow entrance. Very odd set-up, from a safety standpoint.

supuk

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Re: Getting into a narrow harbor / harbour entrance after a downwinder - vid
« Reply #6 on: December 11, 2017, 03:21:39 PM »
defiantly looks choppy and after a long one I know how it feels, we have a similar problem on one of our runs but a lot larger harbor, it starts to get choppy around half- 1mile away and by the time you get there you can get some mega steep over head double up drops, I very rarely ever go to my knees for safety but I have had to a few time going in there just to be on the safe side.

 


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