Gorge Disappointing Again

[isobars]

Cmon, guy . . . July my ass. We got blown off the map day after day after day after day after day after day out east, starting in late May, and it stayed good. It easily made up for the moderate early spring, and did it in warm water and air.

Anybody who told you the Gorge would lay wind at your doorstep was flat lying.

Mike \m/

[bharrisks]

[bharrisks]

[WMP]

Gorge wind is feast or famine.... always has been, always will be. Check out the 2001-2002 wind archives for the feast. If ya wanna see some really scarry wind, look at Stevenson Halloween 02. And I remember how thankful I was on Thanksgiving 02.... huge all-you-could-eat sailing served in Stevenson.

Gotta be available when the feast comes along.... just dont be a wind snob when the famine strikes. BTW, tomorrow (Thursday)looks like Stevenson might serve up a good meal if you get there by 10 AM.

-- Wind Mountain Pete

[isobars]

Yeah, Im watchin Stevenson closely cause George is optimistic, BUT . . . I hate to say it, but NOAA says the wind wont arrive until after dark Thur night. And since its a 160-mile drive for me -- each way -- I cant just mow my lawn til the trees move and hit the water.

Decisions, decisions! Considering how bad this fall has been and how close winter is, Ill probably gamble on George. But if bharrisk isnt parked at Stevenson with three sails rigged all day, his credibility is lower than sturgeon crap after a barium enema.

You gonna e-mail me if the chimes tinkle tonight, Pete? Ill be outta here by about 4:AM if I go (gotta eat before I sail). mikesvan at charter dot net.

Mike \m/

[isobars]

Re:those eight months can seem like an eternity

Its six if you buy a dry suit and hit thee river by April Fools Day, but the bigger issue is . . . where would we go from Oct to mid April that wouldnt be a let-down? Im retired, have a motor home and enough money, but I aint found the PLACE yet that can earn my money and time in the winter.

Scotty goes to Costa Rica/Arenal for two months, so I oughtta talk to him, but people who LIVE there and sail here in the summer say Arenal is far choppier than Celilo. No, thanks; I got Vantage if I want extreme chop.

The dozens of people I talk to every year about Baja rave about lawn chairs and cervesa FAR more than its WSing, and are content to sit on shore here 22 hours a day even when its warm and windy. No, thanks; I have a comfortable chair at home.

The Caribbean? I can stand on my living room carpet, turn on a fan, hold onto a lamp pole, and PRETEND Im sailing on flat water, all day, every day. No, thanks.

Jericoaracora? I left the SE U.S. to escape the heat. You CANT escape it in Jeri; even the waters hot. No, thanks.

North Africa, off the Sahara? Yeah . . . right!

Guess Ill stick to the plan I formulated before I moved here: put sailing as absolute top, ONLY, priority until the water drops below 46 degrees in Nov or so, then fugheddaboutit til it tops 46 again in Mar-Apr. In the winter I may take a trip, but primarily its for doing all the To-Do crap and projects that piled up the other 8 months; I never get caught up by the time I hit the water again next spring. And the snows always . . . er, usually . . . there if I get interested. (OTOH, this winter is forecast to be a little warmer than normal.)

Oh, well, theres always some part that cries for surgery in the winter. Maybe Ill get my other shoulder fixed NEXT November. (I avoided hand surgery one winter by letting the screaming bones fuse themselves rather than having the doc do it. No joke. Simpler, cheaper, less down time, and I didt have to learn to wipe left-handed.)

Mike \m/

[isobars]

2003: 17 days on the river before Memorial Day, on sails under 6.0 -- for my 245-pound expert, working, family-man bud who keeps the detailed log. And that time of the year we dont sail in the rain, or even under heavy clouds often.

You can sit in the rain forest and whine, or ya can drive into the desert and rip, but YCWSSOYA.

Well, actually, ya CAN WSSOYA, and I do it often, but thats a another story.

Mike \m/

[WMP]

NOAA sucks... dont even consider what NOAA says cuz NOAA dont knowa. OTOH, wind chimes only tell me whats gong on up here at 1,000 ft. on the BACK side of Wind Mtn.... often the conditions on the water is very different. Plus, as you know, wind can change very fast around here... as it did two Fridays ago.... especially when theres a front coming in.

Id say to go with your inner sense of karma. If youve been killing mice or bugs lately, youll prolly need to make ammends.... errr, a sacrificial offering to me $$$$$ would be fine too (Im set up to take paypal).

Anyhew, sure Ill send ya an email Mike if I hear any ringy-dingys goin off tonight.

-- Wind Mountain Pete

[isobars]

Useta be Id agree about NOAA, but it has surprised me lately, especialy out here with flatter land and fewer twisties. Ill never forget one day this summer on which NOAA said the wind would blow 25-35 out of the W til mid-PM, then drop to 15-25 out of the NW, then swing to N @ 10-15 by early evening. It did exactly that, and the folks who didnt listen got stuck offshore. NOAA often makes a pretty detailed and sometimes accurate separate forecasts for east and/or west winds at Stevenson vs the corridor, and the NOAA Discussions add additional insight into timing. Its at least one more forecast to fold into the equation, important when sailing requires driving any distance or blowing off an audience with the Pope. Sides . . . with iW asleep for the winter, George signing off this weekend, Bart long asleep, and generic forecasts REALLY unaware of the Gorge, what else we got besides our bunions and joints?

Mike \m/

[pacspeed]

Good Heavens. What a whiner! Of all the posts Ive seen out of this guy, the vast majority is complaining about conditions. If you cant find an activity here entertaining enough to substitute for windsurfing, my guess is you will be miserable WHEREVER you are. Its just what you do.

I propose a very simple solution to your dislike of the gorge: Move, and you can get on with disliking your new surroundings.

Dont let the door hit you on the way out.