2018 Fall Gorge Trip: Mosier Monday

Checking out the wind - a bit lite

Just like the movie Groundhog Day - We started at Dog River Coffee, then walked across the street to Bette's for breakfast, and then the ritual gathering at Sailworks to discuss the weather and possibly purchase some new gear. Finally the obligatory stop at Safeway for a sandwich and salad, and then off to the sailing site!

A great day!

The forecast was for wind with a Northern cant so Doug's wouldn't work. The call was Mosier.

We arrived around 12:30. I was the first on the water, which is very unusual. I was on my 5.6 Hucker and Shark (big board). Harold followed me out on a 6.1m sail, WTF, but he made it work. I had a great sail - the edges of the river were a bit light, but the wind was solid and at times overpowering! I sailed over 10km without falling in. My left hand started to cramp, so I decided to go in for a break (and adjust my harness lines like I should have done on the first reach...). As I came in, the rest of the gang headed out - mostly on 5.6 or 5.2 Sails. I think everyone had fun!

Ted

I took a break and spent some time taking photos and videos of the guy's. I ran into my friends Joe and Jane, who live in Mosier during the summer and New Mexico in the winter. I met them in Costa Rica in 2017. Joe is an excellent sailor. It was great to catch up!

Kent was ready to "Say No to 5.6 Sailing", when the wind picked up and he was able to go out on his 4.8. I believe that he would have decided to go foiling instead of 5.6 winsurfing... interesting.

I went out again on my 5.6, and had one of my best sessions of the year! I was racing back and forth with Kent and actually able to keep up! I even jibed around him once when he was slogging, pumped back up to a plane and pulled ahead! Not often that happens! Of course he was on a much smaller board and sail - but still..... I checked our Strava feeds, the max speed for both of us that session was 25.7kts (47.6kph). Not bad for a big board! Gery of course maxed out at 54kph, but hardly anyone can catch Gerry!

Winsurfer Brad, chasing Foiler Kent

Blaine, Brad, Mike and Gerry were ripping back and forth upwind. Al had a great day and "stayed standing after a few jibes". Rene was out for the second session and had a good sail.

Blaine, Blasting a Jibe!

Al - mid-Jibe

We had a bit of excitement when Eddy was kiting past Harold, and Harold did one of his mid-river Jibes with no warning and without looking. Eddy yelled out and then bailed! I was watching through the video camera, and I thought that Eddy's lines had caught Harold's sail - but they didn't actually touch. It then looked like Harold couldn't get going after the collision. We were about to mount a rescue operation when Harold got up and continued sailing. (We found out later, that he was just holding Eddy's board for him while Eddy worked his way back upwind.). Both Eddy and Harold claimed to be at fault - Eddy for getting too close and Harold for not looking before he jibed (AGAIN!).

Eddy - Coming in for a landing!

Ross was out boosting some big air and doing practicing back rolls. He said he was kiting like a windsurfer - going back and forth instead of traveling up and down the river.

Ross, Showing Off!

Ross - Back Roll

Cam had a good day until, at the end of the day in lite wind, he was launching his kite when his safety released and his kite fell out of the sky. He ended up going for a swim, then relaunched but didn't have enough wind to stay upwind so went for a long walk. Long enough that Eddy took his kite bag down to him and walked back with him.

Kiter Cam - ready to go!

Big Air Jim has been having a run of bad luck. First, his van and rig wouldn't fit under the bridge, so we had to ferry his equipment from the bridge to the sailing site. Then he couldn't find his life jacket and assumed he had left it on the beach at the event site yesterday. He headed back to Hood River to buy a new one, but it turned out that Brad and Blaine had picked it up, thinking it was Jim Cornish's. They thought they would play a trick on Big Jim. Well - it didn't turn out that way. We were desperately trying to text or phone Jim to tell him that his life jacket was here on the beach.

Fortunately, after he had gone to one shop, he got the text and came back. Of course, he had wasted most of the afternoon, and by the time he got to the beach, the wind had lightened up and most of us were off the water.

Ross, Rene, Gerry, Harold and Blaine

Being Jim and determined as hell, he first got his pumpkin (big board), and then when that didn't work, the took out his Titan (an even bigger board). Unfortunately, it wasn't his day and he only got planing for a short time and then had an encounter with a fishing net. Actually, both Big Air Jim and his Son-in-law Cam ended the day by walking back from the bay. Cam said he wanted to make Jim feel good, so on his last kite session, way underpowered, he purposely ended up down at the river (about a 1/2 km downwind) and had a long walk back.

Big Air Jim, practicing his self rescue technique..

In spite of Jim's troubles, it was a great day, and the first time we were almost all able to sail together. Ross, Cam and Eddy were out on their kites, |Kent went windsurfing, and then when the wind dropped, took out the same sail with his foil. The rest of us spent the day windsurfing. Jim Corning was the only one missing. He had decided to go back tot he Event Site to try more foiling. He said that he had a few good runs.

Jib'in Gerry!

We sailed until about 5:00, and then watched Dale Cook, and Phil Soiltysak, who arrived late, to put on a show for us! Wow, what Phil can do in no wind is incredible. There was no way any of us could get planing, and yet he was doing flips and other fancy tricks whenever he found a little gust. Similarly, Dale cruised on his foil, almost never touching down, and even doing 360-degree turns. Amazing!

Dale Cook - Smooth..

We de-rigged, and sat around de-briefing and talking about the day until almost dark - then headed to Sixth Street Bistro for supper!

At Sixth Street, we ran into Mike Pocock! We had a good chat and talked about the possibility of foiling in Belize where he spends his winters! Great to see him, we are going to try to arrange to have supper with him one night before we leave!

Another excellent Day!