2020-06-22 Another Great Day Foiling with the Kids

Today was another beautiful day.

Laura, Frances, Spencer and I took out the Stand Up Paddle Boards and paddled to the public beach and back - about 2.5km.

We all then went out in the boat, with Louise as well, and did some wake surfing and foiling.

Great Day.  

2020-06-20 A great Foiling Day with Spencer and Laura

No wind, but lots of foiling none the less!  And a bit of wake surfing as well....

2019-09-13 And then there were Five!

And then there were 5....   (or 6)

Thanks Kent for doing another Blog Update!

Dog River for coffee and then Kickstand Coffee and Kitchen (beside Dirty Fingers Bike Repair) for breakfast.  It was great!

After that, we all went to Sailworks to say goodbye to the guys.  Somehow during the goodbye, a 7.0 sail fell into Blaine’s lap.  Oops!   What could he do but pull out his wallet and make the purchase?

Dale showed me where to place my back foot straps.  So we will see if that works.

The forecast was for wind late and east so Blaine and Brad pulled the pin and left.  Ross and I were at the condo and decided to head east as well.  I called Gerry to let him know and found out he was at Mary Hill already.  A quick drive out and Gerry, Al, Mike, Ross, and I ended up at Rufus.  Al rigged a 6.6 and was fully powered - so Mike and Gerry rigged 5.6’s and headed out.  Ross rigged his 7 and I foiled 5.2 and 4.8.  It was really puffy but the swell was pretty nice, so we all had a great time until 4 pm.

At 4 I looked up the river and there were about 6 kites in the water.  I was trying to figure out what was going on when the kiter beside me dropped his kite right in front of me.  I started to get a bit pissed and then fell in because the wind just stopped. After that, the crew had to work to get off the water.  On a foil board, it was easy, but Ross had a tougher time with the kite and finally, body dragged and swam back to the launch site.

Al de-rigged and headed for Abbotsford to pick up his wife.  Gerry headed back home.  Mike stayed at Rufus leaving Big Jim, Ross, and me in the Hood...  I think it is done!

Big Jim sailed for 90 minutes at the event site until the wind died there! 

Drive safe everyone!

Kent

Ross, Mike and Gerry - at Rufus

Ted's Photos

You can view all of Ted's Fall Gorge Trip photos on Ted's Flickr Site Here.

You can download any of Ted's photos HERE.

2019-09-12 The Trip is Winding Down

*** Thanks Kent for doing the blog today ***

The trip is winding down...

With the trip to Italy looming (Tuesday), and the forecast for light winds, Ted was the first out the door and hit the road at 6:30 this morning.  I missed him - since, as usual, I slept until 9.  He had a long drive but made it home safely by 11:00pm.

Dog River then Bette’s as usual. Cam and Big Air Jim were leaving this morning as well, but first, they needed to get a nose pad for Cam’s new board and to pick up Jim’s new board at Sailworks.  It's always sad to see the trip wind down. 

The boys at Sailworks continue to take care of our crew.  Brad tore his sail yesterday and they had it repaired by 10am.  They also sold my used sail in less than 24 hours...   Wow - now I will have to purchase something else!. 

The plan for today seems to be an EBike ride to the lookout and then a sail in the late afternoon, or golf and then a sail.  Handre wants to try an e-mountain bike so he tried to get the lemmings lined up for a ride.  In the end, I bailed (just too tired).  Handre did not try the mountain bike since they wanted $100 for the day.  Instead, he borrowed Gerry’s EBike and he and Blaine went for a nice 50 k ride.

Handre and Blaine on E-Bikes

Ross and Karen went for a hike to “Mount Hood meadows via the white river canyon”.  They invited me but I declined.   Good thing, since the hike was a solid 5 hours even though it was only 14 Kms.  Lots of elevation!

Karen Hiking the White River Canyon

Andreas and Mike went golfing.  Golf was "THE BEST DAY EVER" and Mike shot 98.   I'm not sure what the rest of the group did.  I thought Al was going to join them for golf, but he may have gone to Portland instead.

The wind picked up right on schedule at 4pm.  Handre and Andreas looked at the wind but both pulled the plug and left.  Brad, Blaine, and Kent foiled for 2 hours on 5.2...   Big Jim rigged an 8.2 and hung on.  Wow, do these sails ever have range!   Gerry went to the Hatch but it didn't pick up enough for him to sail.   

Jim M showed up at 4:30 and took Kent up to the Hatch and yelled lots of advice to Blaine and Brad.  He sure is helping us learn the new sport!

Dinner at Solstice and back to Ross’s to type the mini-blog. I am using my IPad so have to be brief.  

It looks like Gerry, Blaine, Brad and Al are pulling the pin tomorrow.  We hope we can sail out east as they leave, but we will see.   

It looks like Blaine is back to his old (Clean Shaven) self!

View on Karen and Ross's Hike!

*** Thanks Kent for doing the blog today ***

2019-09-11 Foiling and Blaine's Stash...

Blaine with his new Moustache

Blaine decided to take Andreas up on his challenge to re-grow his Moustache.  Frankly, we were all impressed and surprised at how quickly Blaine was able to produce a substantial moustache.  The only issue is that Winnie will likely make him shave it off again when he gets home.  Still, it is great to have the Blaine of old with us!  Looking good Blaine!

Like groundhog day, we met at Dog River for coffee, and then even Ross and Karen met us at Bette's for breakfast.

Dog River - Big Jim, Gerry, Brad, Blaine, Mike, Andreas,
Big Air Jim, Ted,  Kent, Cam, Handre and Al (In front)

Bette's - Ted, Andreas, Blaine, Brad, Ross, Cam, Gerry, Mike, Al, Handre,
Big Air Jim, Big Jim and Karen.  Kent is taking the photo.

The street was littered with E-Bikes, E-Scooters and Mountain Bikes

Mike was back in town, so we had everyone together for one of the few times on the trip!  Mike told us about his adventures yesterday.  After a great bike ride at Roosevelt with spectacular views (no photos), he went kiting at Rufus.  He was doing well until a huge gust came through and launched him high into the air.  When he came down, he didn't have a board.  He managed to get to shore with his kite but wasn't able to find his board.  He walked the beach but didn't have any luck.  Fortunately, Second Wind had a great deal and he bought a new $800 board for $220.

After breakfast, we all went shopping.  I dropped in at Sailworks to witness Big Air Jim buy the North Pacific board that he has been demoing.  That was expected.

Big Air Jim with his new (used) board.

Then Gerry decided to upgrade his 2018 7.0 Flyer with a 2019 7.0 Flyer.  Apparently, there are some minor tweaks to the sail, so it works better in high wind.  (I thought the idea was that you would downsize to your 6m Flyer in high wind).

When Kent saw that happening, he decided he needed to upgrade as well.  He figured that it is a free sail since Cam actually paid for it (well actually Cam paid Kent $500 for the foil Kent purchased 2 years ago for $2500...which was almost enough to pay for his new sail....not sure who came out on top in that transaction but I'm pretty sure it was Sailworks).  Kent left the old sail on consignment, so when it sells he will have a store credit which will also offset the cost of his new sail.  Unfortunately when I do the math, he will still be a few hundred dollars short - and he won't get cash - he will have to use the credit on buying more stuff - possibly a new foil to replace the one he bought a few days ago.....

Kent - bringing in his old sail to trade....

Kent's new Red Flyer!

We all got to the Event Site at around Noon.  Al decided to head to the Hatchery and had a good day sailing his 6.5m sail.  Mike had a good day on his 15m kite and new board!

Ross and Andreas were Kite surfing and both making it work!  Ross was foiling back and forth all over the river.  Both said they had some big crashes, but both are riding back and forth looking like pros.

Kiter Ross!

Ross - Ready for Foiling!

The rest of us were on our foils all day.  I think we are all getting a bit sore and tired after seven full days of sailing in a row, but we are all still out there giving it everything we have.

Handre was on a 4.2, most of the guys were on 5.2.  Kent was on his 6m and I was on a 7m.  We all had a great day.  I sailed over 30km, and I am sure most of the other guy's did more.\

Handre

Bruce, Dale and Jim showed up around five.  We had a good time sailing with them upwind of the white salmon bridge.

Andreas foiling past Blaine!

It took a long time to de-rig.  A lot of beer was consumed, there were a lot of stories told.

We went to pFriem's for supper, and then ended the day with a glass of wine at Ross's.

Another great day.

Unfortunately, I will be leaving in the morning.  The forecast isn't great, and I need to get home because Louise and I are leaving for Italy on Tuesday. I understand that Cam and Big Air Jim will be leaving tomorrow as well - likely after sailing.  I hope the rest of the guys have a few more good days on the water!

This has been another wonderful trip!

Kent and Blaine

Kent

Big Air Jim

Big Jim

Handre

Blaine - Jibing

2019-09-10 Foiling Foiling Foiling

Albertan's on the water!

Today started out as usual.  Dog River for Coffee and Bette's for Breakfast, followed by some shopping.

I went to Big Winds to buy a board bag for my foil bag.  They had a nice "Day Bag" that they sold me for $87.  We also had our obligatory visit to Sailworks to talk to the guys.

We all started to gather at the event site around noon.  Mike is still in Roosevelt so was the only one missing.

Al was going out on a Foilboard!  Maybe we are converting him; as he, Harold and Mike are the last hold-outs.  He said he didn't have a choice.  He was at Sailworks and they already had him set up with a Demo foil, and Big Air Jim's JP board.  (Jim is buying a new /used  North Pacific Board.)  Al said he had a lot of fun, but he isn't quite ready to buy.....

Al - the latest Foiler

It was another Alberta day on the water.  There were a few "Non-Albertans" on the water, but not many.

Big Jim had a great day.  He said he didn't get to 125km like Mike did the other day, but he is pretty sure he did 125 uphauls.  He initiated several "spectacular" crashes.

Big Jim

Big Jim - practising Freestyle, and then uphauls!

Kent was trying to do a few 360 turns.  I am not sure that he understands that to do a 360 you have to go all the way around in a circle, because the attempts that I saw only went partway around and then ended spectacularly after about the first third of the turn.

Kent

Kent - Initiating a 360 turn!

I don't think this is how it is supposed to look Kent...

Ross had a good kiting session, and Andreas was making progress kite foiling.  Sorry no photos, as they were nowhere near the camera.  Kent had a great time chasing Ross around up by the White Salmon Bridge where the wind was a bit higher.

Ross came down early on his E-Bike to have a look.

Cam was really making it work, completing several jibes!  Cam is really happy with his new LP foil.  He said that with so many watersports it is difficult to keep up with all the required equipment.

Multi-Sport Cam - Foiling!

Blaine and Brad are also making jibes and looking great.

Blaine - mid jibe!

I had three sessions for a total of about 26km.  I was overpowered most of the day but making it work.  I did make a couple of jibes holding some speed, but I am not even close to keeping the board out of the water yet.

Handre was a foiling machine.  He foiled 46km and was on the water almost all day.

Big Air Jim was trying out the new (used) North Pacific board which his is thinking of buying. Based on his great day - there is not much doubt that the purchase will happen in the morning.

Big Air Jim on his North Pacific Board.

Jim Mudry came out to chat but didn't go sailing today.  Dale Cook came out right at the end of the day and foiled up to Swell and back in about an hour.  Wow!

Handre, Jim and Cam - watching the action.

We all were off the water by about 6:30.  It was a beautiful day, so we sat and on the beach and had a beer before we de-rigged.

The call was 6th Street Bistro for supper.  Most of the guys had the Ribs.  It is a very large meal, but everyone deserved it after all the work today.

We ended the day with a few glasses of wine at Handre's condo.

Another great day!  Here is a link to all of my photos from the day on my Flickr Site

2019-09-09 Foiling in the Rain

Lots of gear on the beach!

The wind has backed off quite a bit.  It rained overnight and it was still cloudy and misty in the morning, so the weather gradients were not working.

We had the usual morning meeting at Dog River, and then most of us headed across the street to Bettes.

From there we all went to Sailworks - to ask advice on where to go sailing.  The guys at Sailworks always seem happy to see us and help us out with all our little equipment issues.  I got some advice on how to fix an issue with my boom, and Dale gave me a new outhaul rope to use at no cost.  I also bought a cover for my large foil.

Handre, Jim, Al, Gerry, Andreas, Kent, Brad, Blaine

Blaine bought a new aluminium boom for his 6m Flyer sail.  It seemed everyone had some little question or issue.  I am sure that Sailworks do well by us, as we buy a lot of stuff from them, but they seem to honestly enjoy seeing us and helping us (and boy do we need the help!).  I can't say enough about Bruce, Dale, Jim, Phil or Canmore Jim.  Thanks, guys.

Blaine with his new boom
A great deal at $207

After Safeway and other errands, we all gradually gathered at the Event Site.  The wind was light but foilable.  I had purchased a permanent marker, so spent some time making sure all my equipment has my name and correct phone number.  A lot of my stuff is old enough that the phone number was wrong, or the writing was faded so it was difficult to read.

Ted at Sailworks

The first group went out foiling at the event site at around noon and were able to make it work.  I rigged and was almost ready to go when it started raining.  I decided to sit in the Van and read for a while to wait and see what the rain would do to the wind.

I went out a bit later and had a good session for about 10km.  (My watch corrupted the file, however, so there is no record of it - maybe it didn't happen.....)

I went out again about 4:30, and had another good 11km session.  This one was recorded!

Ted's Track - second session 11km - max speed 27kph.

For a no wind day, the river was very busy with Albertans.  There was a lot of slogging going on, but now and then there would be a gust and we would get up on the foil and we would blast across the river - then wait for another gust.  Not perfect, but better than doing nothing.

Al went to the Hatchery to try to sail.  He said he rigged his big gear and actually got it wet - because it rained.  He actually didn't get in the water - Not enough wind for regular sailing.

Not very windy!  Amazing that the Foils work!

Andreas and Ross went out on their Kites and tried to foil - with limited success.  The conditions were "Not Ideal" for learning with hardly enough wind to hold the kite in the air in the lulls, and then the occasional gust going through.  Both got up on the foil a few times, but they are looking for more consistent wind.

Big Jim was foiling most of the time on his 8.3m Flyer and big board.  Cam was really doing well and I saw him almost complete a couple of foiling jibes.  Everyone was making the best of the marginal wind and having fun.  It is fun watching how everyone is improving so quickly on the foils.

Bruce, Dale, Jim and Phil from Sailworks joined us at about 5:00.  They are all amazing sailors, and Jim is great at giving us tips.

We packed up at about 6:30.  Bruce hung out with us for an hour and gave us all the scoop on foot strap placement, stance, and rigging sails.   It was awesome to have such professional advice! 

From Kent.  Warning to all,  do not bet with Big Air Jim.  I (Kent) lost a bet with Jim about Cam's mast base measurement.  Jim was right and Kent was wrong!   What I found out was that Jim was not guessing, he had measured the location about 10 minutes before the bet..   Kent lost.  IT WAS HUMILIATING!!   I had to provide Jim with a cold, open beer, delivered in front of the whole group with a little genuflection.  Never bet with Jim.  P.S. putting it in the blog was also part of the bet....

It has started to sprinkle again, so we didn't spend much time sitting around afterwards, although Bruce and Jim did stick around to chat and give advice.

Gerry, Big Jim, Blaine and Big Air Jim

Al, Gerry, Kent, Blaine, Brad and I went to Plenti (the Pizza place up by Walmart), while the rest went to Three Rivers Grill.

Apparently, after dinner, some of the guy's were watching some of our old windsurf videos.... Andreas is starting a petition to get Blaine to grow back his moustache - I don't know if that is a good idea or not......

Blaine in an old video - looking cool!

Ted - Rigging his 7.0m Flyer

Big Air Jim had a good day!