Is Bingen Marina good for intermediates?

[nada]

Given what you've said about your wife's comfort level, Stevenson is the call.

I've been sailing 30 years but my wife learned how to sail in the Gorge - not for the faint of heart - so I've seen all the beginner nightmares up close. The carnage at event site generally looks like the opening moments of "Saving Private Ryan" and that bouncing wind from the jetty doesn't help with skill development.

Bingen is great and close for you, but if she gets in trouble there is a narrow window in either direction for getting back. You want here comfy and confident because if she gets in trouble you'll pay on the ride home. Trust me.

Rowena's not bad, but super gusty and the chop can be harsh. Dougs is good on a mellow day for reasons posted above, but can be intimidating if it picks up and the swell starts pumping....she doesn't want to be on the OR side when that happens, but you already know that.

Surprisingly, Swell can also be great on a 20ish day and its right down the hill. If she gets blown past the point, she just has to get back to the WA side and ride the eddy back to the launch; if she winds up downwind, she can put in at the West beach or Cheap.

Which brings us to Stevenson. Big grassy rigging area with windbreak, changing room (ladies like that), toilets nearby, big flat rock stairs to the water, a flat inside section without a shadow, pretty steady wind, and a mile reach of flat water with minimal current. Mellow social scene of friendly regulars, lots of couples of varying abilities, not much of a carry, and more slalom boards that you will see East of here. She only has to sail 1/2way out and it will be plenty of room to conquer that back strap!

My wife is working on her jibes now but has everything else down and I've seen her in up to 40 knots and overhead sets and not freaking out. We spent a ton of time at Stevenson working all the basics out and then I started dragging her to places with more swell and bigger winds. It's a sport filled with plateaus and frustration, but the drive will be worth it to get her over the hump.

[scorpionfish]

I have seen a person and their gear get swept under the log boom that is west of the launch. That was a long time ago, though. And the current was outrageous at the time.That was scary.