Gorge Wind

[LAWLER]

Nada wrote "- idiots sail on the OR side unless it is way out east.

What kind of crack is that?

[scottwerden]

[isobars]

A guy told me at the Hatchery that he sailed the WA side only to get access to the good stuff on the OR side. He ought to LOVE Celilo, as do quite a few locals who sail virtually nowhere else. Different strokes, as they say.

OTOH, the best swell I've ever seen at Stevenson was stacked up in the bay on the WA side between the easternmost launch the the homes east of there. The wind musta been from juuuuust the right direction, and it was remarkably consistent.

Mike \m/

[mogunn]

[bobgatpdx1]

Iso does have a point, though my solution is a bit different.
If you are having trouble with holey wind or excessive slogging, USE A BIGGER BOARD. In Gorge west winds, you don't need a huge fin, so a bigger board with a smaller fin can work really well.

Here's my typical setups:
107L Fanatic Skate (20cm freestyle fin) - 5.7m to 4.7m
84L JP FSW (same fin) - 4.7 to 3.7m
70L Starboard EVO XTV (20cm wave fin) - 3.7m to 3.3m

Also much quicker to change boards than rig sails.
The other day at Dougs, I started out on the 107L + 4.7m, sensor was reading an average of 17 gusting to 25 (17g25).
Then the wind came up (20g28), so I just swapped to the 84L.
Was a bit overpowered towards the end (24g31), but still didn't bother rerigging.
BobG

[isobars]

That approach is also very useful when there's a big wind shadow on the inside, and when dusk is approaching and you want to make dang sure you don't have to swim home.

Mike \m/

[isobars]

*WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!*
A Spennie alert is in effect from 11:00 AM today through 8:00 PM Tuesday.

iW's forecasts for the Gorge for today through Tuesday use the dreaded G-word 11 times, often in Italics for emphasis. Beware! You may encounter variations in wind speed of somewhere between 2 and 40 kts between dawn and dusk -- or within the space of two deep breaths. The use of giant anti-Hula boards and tiny sails to ensure never having to actually put any effort into your WSing is advised. It's going to be ugly out there, guys and gals, so you are advised to stay off the river until steadier winds return.
PLEASE!

We anticipate their return midsummer of next year, after El Nino is put to rest.

Until then, go spelunking. I hear the ice caves are in great form this year, and the cave winds I've experienced are very steady on an hour-to-hour basis.

Just jerkin' your chains, guys. It's PAYBACK time.

Mike \m/

[WMP]

[theq]

Damn that Spennie! He loves to fart in an elevator, while exiting on the top floor. Funny thing is, isobars enjoys the ride all the way down to the parking garage.
Speaking of which....see ya.

[tetiaroaxx]