2015/16

 
 

    That’s Bastendorff and I was denied on this one too.  Got there 45 min after first light and missed the 45 minutes of wind for the day.  Sheila had a good time though.  And much gratitude to Tigi for the shots.  Sheila even made DaKine’s instagram with one of these.    

    Here you have the evidence of a finger drag while I was sandsailing that 5.0 in the Cape a little while back. 

    This from the first week of December on the north side of the Rogue jetty, and the sesh provided some of the last real satisfaction I’d had in the ocean up until that Cape sesh last week.   

    And here was the scene at Kissing Rock on the 4th of March.  Yeah, you really haven’t missing much on the south coast, as it’s been pretty ugly for the most part.  Indeed, it’s been looking like “death on a stick” mostly.  

  Well, it’s been easily and by far the worst winter for windsurfing out of the nine winters I’ve been living year around in Oregon.  Sure I shouldn’t complain as I did still get some,  Fourteen days on the water so far, with another eight on sand and nineteen skatesailing.  So better than a total shutout, but I don’t mind pointing out what a suffer-fest it’s been.  And how few waves I’ve ridden for my efforts.  Yeah, perhaps this will ease your mind if you were somehow thinking you had been missing epic sesh on the south coast these last several months.  

  But it's not just the bizarre weather.  Missed opportunities, injuries, work and my own dysfunction have all conspired to bring my ocean sailing average down for three months in a row.  What a beast of a season.  Chances at sailing Nelscott and Point Saint George missed along with some cruel local beatings.  All too many times I’ve driven up to a dying wind.  I even just put a large hole in my 4.5 -- which puts me down two sails now and enhances my desperation for a long overdue Gorge trip for repairs.  Woof.  So yeah.  It’s Spring and let the next season begin.  Maybe even a little redemption and a chance to bring the numbers back up.  We’re certainly due. 

    Now this wasn’t so bad either.  Kona sesh at the North Rogue jetty last Sunday.  I’d put my suit on at the house it was raining so hard when I set out, but the rain clouds parted as I pulled up and had it all to myself.  Sure the gale warning was a little optimistic, but I was stoked to see it blowing 5.0 again. You might notice that my old parking spot washed away over the Winter.  The south side of the jetty and just about everywhere else took hits as well. 

    I shot this quick phone grab of Leo heading out last Wednesday as I was finally taking his advice and rigging down to the 5.0 on what was billed as “Opening day” in the Cape.  That was by far the best wavesailing I’d had since late Fall.  I could have rigged down even further and probably should have, but I was braced for it to back off any moment.  It didn’t.  Pretty much blew 4.7 most the rest of the afternoon.  I was surviving on my Fringe though and it turned out to be absolutely perfect for awhile there at the end of the day.  Good advice for me there Leo.   Thanks Bra.  Just too bad I didn’t take your word for it right off.  

    My apologies I don’t have more for you this time around.  The big news however is one of my neighbors who has the property right above the Cape has installed a web cam.  A blessing indeed and it’s going to be just the thing when we are festering at the jetty and wondering what’s going on over the hill.  It may be a mixed blessing though for anyone who’s stuck on the job while it’s going off .  

    Anyway, I should get back to it, but I’ll post more news when there is some. 


                                                                                                                            With respect and gratitude.   ______________________________\_