Monday, February 18, 2008

Letdowns and Surprises!

What a day. Highs, lows, rain and sunshine.... I started off the day waiting for the rain (and lightning) to pass, playing phone tag with everyone while looking for a window of opportunity. Eventually, we settled on waiting out the storm at the point. The waves looked reasonable there (head high and organized as opposed to a mast high washing machine), with side offshore wind filled in all the way to the beach.

Boy were we wrong. The waves were way bigger than they looked, and the wind was most certainly not filled in... I simply didn't feel "right" about the session, but Stuart and Billy E charged it as soon as the rain cleared!

Stuart's big bomb!
Billy on a solid one!
Major props to these guys for schlogging out through the logo high sets! They definitely took a few major bombs to the head, but it was all worth it for the few rides they got! Just look at Billy's mug shot once he made it back to the beach! Says it all, really!


As the afternoon faded on, I stopped by the Jetties and saw Dan and Chad out surfing the head and a half, warbly, choppy, current riddled mess of an ocean. Man, these guys deserve major props, too, for dealing with all that garbage for the few rides they got!

Dan Bottom Turn
Dan's 75 yard righthander!
By this point I was really feeling like a chump for sitting out the wave sailing, then skipping the surf sesh too... But with an hour of daylight left, I checked the Hole on the way home. There was wind! And lots of it! The forecasted 20s to 30s finally filled in for an amazing sound side sunset session! It's pretty awe inspiring to watch such a huge front pass overhead, with a distinct line between low and high pressure cutting the sky, revealing the sun on the western horizon. To top it all off, the almost full moon showed it's face through the clouds for the final 15 minutes of fun, easing the transition from daylight to dusk.......

Thanks to Stuart for snapping some pics:
Jim K mid jibe
Yours truly, feeling the slide
Visiting sailor Neal laying one down
You can always find an "if only" to use as an excuse in this world, and I really hate to use that phrase, but, man... if only that wind was there earlier to hit the ocean on a well powered 5.0......

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I tried to bite my tounge but i cant,guess i just got to much time on my hands.stewy's way to far in front of this wave to generate any kinda power for a respectable cutback,looks like hes trying to avoid it.that being said i give him props for wave selection...

Andy said...

Let's keep the fake name posting to a minimum. Go do that crap somewhere else. The previous comment should be regarded as spam mail...

It's easy to be critical from behind the computer monitor. Truth is, Stuart was schlogging a 5.8, rode that peak as far upwind as he could before it started to break, and that's where he started his ride... You're pretty much at the mercy when you have little to no sail power. So lay off, and next time, show us how perfect your waveriding skills are from the water, not the keyboard...

Anonymous said...

Hey its just alittle constructive critism,and im totally qualified,ive been sailn big wave spots like the gorge,long before you even knew what windsurfing was.ill look for you guys when i get from behind this keyboard on my trip to hatteras this spring.you wont know me but ill know you...hahahaha

Anonymous said...

dude,I have been windsurfing for 25 years lived in hawaii for 6. I lived in hood river for two years and sorry to say it is not NOT NOT a BIG wave spot. In addtion, we dont need your constructive critism most every one I know sails for fun not to impress some yankee reading this blog

Anonymous said...

Hey I just wanted to say thanks for the killer East coast hospitality from Andy and Stuart! Any time you're in the Gorge look me up...
Wait a second, maybe I should make Hatteras my home...

Visiting Neil

Anonymous said...

Hey Andy
I have a few pics of Stuart's wave. I'll email 'em to ya. What your pic doesn't show is that Stuart powered through the flat section to hit it on the next section. Not like there's any need to justify it to the kook on the other side of the screen, but if you want to share. Anyhow I would like to tell the emo wannabe to eatadick. And I mean that in the nicest possible way.

Anonymous said...

I was wondering if id get anyone to respond the the gorge being a big wave spot.hey,im just bored and trying to create alittle interesting banter here.you try sitting in this cubey for 40hrs a wk and besides what do you expect at a windsurf blog.