Meganuking in the Gorge

[PonoBill]

The free shuttles for the Gorge Paddle Champs race are running all week in the gorge, looks like the race will be Thursday. Yesterday was OK up top (Viento to Mitchell Point) crapola in the middle, and decent from wells to the Event Center. This morning the house was shaking in the wind, so that sounded good. I hit the shuttle at 11:30, in the water by noon. The race organizers were warning people that conditions were big, they said "if you can't do Maui to Molokai, you can't do this" calling it 8 out of 10. Really it wasn't THAT big, just kind of standard Gorge seriously nuking, 40 gusting to 45. But Mitchel Point was wicked. Lots of carnage going on, a few people in the water trying to remount in the whitewater, one OC1 way up on the rocks (no idea how it got up there, it was 90 percent out of the water) and lots of people trying to find a safer path around the Mitchell Corner, further out. Of course, if you go too far out it gets bigger, the best way to get through that Maelstrom is just hit it hard and power through, ride every bump and push for the next one. I got through clean and scored the big slab drop that's about 100 feet off the wall. Max fun. I went on my 17V1, and it was great, though I punched the nose a little in quite a few bumps and had to spend a lot of time standing on the rudder turntable.

I only saw one other SUP in the water, and he was way over on the Washington side. He launched a little before me, but I think I passed him at Wells while he was playing in the Megabumps at the Hatchery.

The middle section (Mitchell Point to Split Rock) was roaring and I could stay in bumps, flat out, for probably 90 percent of the time. The Wells Express was a little bit of a letdown, though I had my only fall of the day when someone blew past me on a foil and yelled "hey Bill". I think it was Chase but I'm not sure. I could hear his foils whining up behind me and turned to look at the wrong moment.

Went to Solstice for some food and started to seize up. I didn't think I went that hard, but I had ab, hand and foot cramps sitting at the bar eating a meatball sub and a gallon of water. I had planned to do a second run since it seemed pretty easy but decided to call it good since tomorrow is likely the race, and it's longer--14 miles of downwind. I talked to two canoe friends who went from Stevenson (the full course) and they said the biggest, longest bumps were Stevenson to Drano Lake.  Wahoo.

I'm kind of tired and sore, so I think one is a good call.

[Jacko]

Haha that was me on the foil, so much fun it was crazy!! I did a run on my Sup first and then just had to do a full run on the foil to wake the legs up.

[laszlo]

The Washington side was fun this afternoon!

[PonoBill]

Haha that was me on the foil, so much fun it was crazy!! I did a run on my Sup first and then just had to do a full run on the foil to wake the legs up.

Curse you Red Baron!!! I felt like Snoopy getting his doghouse/Sopwith Camel shot full of holes.

[Badger]

I would love to see some pictures.

[JEG]

I heard its nuking, its all over the net but can we have some pics please 

[PonoBill]

Crazy today. They did the race today because it was most likely to be nuts. It was. I had a blast except for driving my board onto a sandbar a mile or so out of Home Valley. So that's wy everyone was swinging hard left. Dunderhead went straight. I only caught a corner of it, but I had to hop off and crawl the board out of the mud. Turns out I crawl pretty fast.

[laszlo]

Well, today lived up to the name of this thread. And right now as I write this, at 5:30 in the afternoon, it is getting windier! Washington side run from Drano lake was off the charts. Huge swell from tunnel 5 on. We started at the same time as an young Aussey foiler. He was not yet an expert but he did OK, although we caught up to him at some point, after which he passed us for good.

The number of neophyte foilers practicing at the Hatchery might start to become a problem. Today there were at least ten, all at the same time! Sooner or later there will be collisions with windsurfers. Downwind paddlers have had that risk for a while now, but we go through pretty fast and then we are gone. On the other hand all the people doing laps on their foils, back and forth, right in the middle of the busiest high performance windsurf spot in the Gorge......maybe not the best idea.

[TallDude]

The number of neophyte foilers practicing at the Hatchery might start to become a problem. Today there were at least ten, all at the same time! Sooner or later there will be collisions with windsurfers. Downwind paddlers have had that risk for a while now, but we go through pretty fast and then we are gone. On the other hand all the people doing laps on their foils, back and forth, right in the middle of the busiest high performance windsurf spot in the Gorge......maybe not the best idea.

Blade runners.... Stay away from the crazy guy with the shiny razor sharp mast.....

[PonoBill]

Yup it was a good one today, I fell six times and still did 1:18.

I was planning on going over to the Hatchery to work on foiling after my run, but the Washington side looked like someone kicked over a beehive. Foilers and kites everywhere. Usually when it gets seriously nuking the windsurfers thin out, and the kiters disappear or get blown to Boise, but not today.

[yugi]

DW foiling, pono?

[PonoBill]

I'm trying. so far it's been nothing but work. I did my run on my Bullet 17. I won't be doing any long runs until I can actually get up reliably on the wind swells. So far I've gotten the foil up twice after about 300 tries. Or so it seems. Exhausting.

[yugi]

Sounds like great cross training!

[laszlo]

Regarding the situation at the Hatch there has been a discussion going on at the iWindsurf Northwest forum. Here is one response from my old friend Bart Vervloet, who is currently the director of the CGWA(Columbia Gorge Windsurfing Association):

"Don't read between the lines Eric, it is Coast Guard rules for inland waterways. I didn't say they couldn't be there, but if they cause a collision (only possible if they are paddling among sailing craft) they will be mostly to blame. If they can maneuver it won't be a problem as long as they can avoid collision. Is collision a likely possibility on a windy day in the corridor? You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that if you want to get hit by a car, play on the highway. The odds are high at the Hatch, or Swell City, low almost anywhere else. Cheers, Bart"

[PonoBill]

That's a rational statement, though a misquote of the navigation rules. Stated in the simplest form, the most maneuverable craft has to avoid. A windsurfer under sail is far more maneuverable than a foil. But no one in their right mind wants to raise this to the level of government attention of any kind.

The issue will take care of itself shortly. The newbs like me are there because it's the easiest place to get up when you suck. There aren't hordes of people taking up downwind foiling. To most people it looks like a lot of work--that's because it is. Once the current crop of nutballs either get it, or give up, they'll be using the rest of the river and the windsurfers can go back to complaining about SUPs downwinding through.

The simple reality is that some windsurfers don't like to give way. They consider the river to be their playground, exclusively. There are the variety that will do anything necessary to avoid you. The type that consider you an impediment to their fun, but give way, and the assholes. The more windsurfers in that beehive on a given day. the more assholes. I keep my head on a swivel when I'm in swell city or the hatch, regardless of what craft I'm on--windsurfer, downwind board, surfboard, or foil.