2022-09-09 Viento

Our friend "Rocky" waiting for his owner....

The call was for easterly winds, and fairly strong, but it was also a shopping day, apparently.....

Everything was going well, until after coffee and breakfast, when most of us decided to head to sailworks.

Things were happening so fast, that I couldn't keep track of them all. Blaine is "demo-ing" a mast and a couple of sails, although he admits he has probably bought them. Brad bought a boom and harness lines, and a mast, and Kent after a lot of humming and hawing.... bought a new board. It was a great deal, because Jim M, being the great salesman that his is, told Kent he had already sold Kent's old board. I know that Al, and Big Air Jim also spent time at Sailworks, but I wasn't there, so I don't know what they bought.... and I believe Cam has a new set of wings, although from a different store. Anyway it was a pretty good day for the Sailworks guys....and the Gorge shops in general!

Blaine - trying out a couple of new sails and a mast!

Obviously the one on the left is old and the one on the right is so much better.....
Kent's new yellow board - 7" shorter and an inch or so wider than his old red board....
|It also better matches his sails!

We all decided to go to Viento State Park. I have sailed there before, but never on an easterly. There is a shallow sand bar and an area of weeds that the locals told me I had to look out for. I went out on my 4.5m Wing and 899 front foil and had a great time, although there was a lot of pumping involved to get going. I thought I was doing pretty well getting 23km with a top speed of 24.5kph.

Kent was out on his 3.9m flyer sail, his new board and his fast foil. He did over 80km with a top speed of over 40kph. He loves his new board. It turns much more easily than his old one!

Kent enjoyed his new board!

Mike arrived, and went out on his 8m kite. We also ran into Christine and Mike who run the summer resort in Windermere. They are here for a couple of day, and will leave tomorrow after sailing. It is too bad we won't get to visit with them much.

I think everyone had a great day. Eddy and Mike were kiting, Ross was kite foiling, Big Air Jim, Blaine, Brad, and Kent were Wind Foiling, Al was the lone windsurfer, and did really well considering that Viento is not exactly a windsurfer friendly place in an east wind with the east current. It is really hard to stay upwind, but Al managed to do it! Cam and I were Wing Foiling (Wing Dinging). It was really fun with everyone out sailing/foiling together.

Eddy, Mike and Blaine - taking a break!

When Big Air Jim came off the water, after his first session, he looked like the monster from the blue lagoon.... Apparently no one had told him about the weeds and he had run into them at full foil, a couple of times, ending up in a big catapult, and, of course, a big tangle of weeds. When Jim walked out of the water, he had big bundles of weeds under his impact vest, dangling from his shoulder, coming out of his collar, and hanging around his neck. It took a while to pull them all off him and out from under his vest and harness. Sorry, I somehow didn't get a photo...

We all came off the water between 2:30 and 3:00. We had lunch and talked about going out for a second session. I tried to talk myself into it, but ended up de-rigging. I was done. Climbing onto my board and pumping onto the foil on almost every reach had finished me off. I headed to Hood River where I went to the trade show again and ended up talking to the SAAB dealer who confirmed I am on the right setup.

I hear that several of the group went out for a second session, but that the wind didn't exactly cooperate. Mike and Eddy got "flushed" and had to walk back. The wind was up and down, with big lulls. Kent told me later that I hadn't missed anything.

I went back to the Condo and cleaned up, and started to work on my photos. Kent arrived and said everyone was going to 6th Street for supper, so we headed off on our E-Bikes, (Mike on his scooter), but 6th Street was full. Instead, the group was at Double Mountain. The meal was great.

Brad has been suffering from a bad cold. He has tested a couple of times for COVID but it has come up negative. In spite of that, he is trying to stay away from us, and wears a mask whenever he is close to any of us. He decided to stay in the condo rather than joining us for supper! Thanks Brad - we appreciate it.

As we were getting ready to leave Double Mountain, Bingen Bart came by to say hi. He seemed genuinely pleased to see us, and we were really happy to see him. He has been a fixture in the Gorge since we have been coming here. He is now working for "Elemental Adventure Vehicles," who build Sprinter Van conversions which run about $450k US, and they have a long waiting list. They work on about 12 vans at a time. He says it is one of the best jobs he has ever had, and he does something different every day. He is also still really involved in Sailboats, and has just finished restoring one which we may see tomorrow if we go to Stevenson, as he says he will likely be sailing past at around 11:00am.

Ross, Blaine, Bart, Kent, Ted and Mike

Back at the condo, we had an ice cream sandwich for desert. It was a late night, with most of us in bed before 10:30, and the party animals staying up until almost 11:00.

More wind forecast tomorrow!