May 17 - HR Waterfront Park

Hood River Waterfront Park, Hood River, OR, US

Sailworks Retro 6.5, JP Magic Ride 104, 36 cm fin Wind: 17 G 24 knots

Much better day today. Again, Roo was a BIG help in properly rigging the sail and adjusting the foot straps on the board. Made a few runs, even completed 90% of the jibes (they were not pretty but I didn't get wet/cold). The last run I blew the jibe and struggled clearing the sail - everytime I thought it was clear I would discover the harness line had snagged the fin. A lot of thrashing ensued that wore me out. Came in for a short rest but got sidetracked talking with a husband and wife where the wife had suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) 12 years ago (my wife suffered hers 4 years ago). Ate up the rest of the afternoon with the discussion on TBIs, PTSD, treatment, nutrition, .... Learned a lot but didn't sail a lot.

Windxtasy commented:

Barton, good to see you on thewater again.

I was beginning to think Bonaire must be getting no wind

I commented:

Hi Anita, Bonaire is getting wind - but I'm not in Bonaire at the present time - I'm in Oregon, at the Gorge. The last month was consumed by travelling and getting organized in Oregon after being gone for 8 months.

This session felt very Bonaire-like except for the cold water, which still has me a little intimidated. Monday's session was typical Gorge which I didn't handle very well (strong gusty winds, chop and swells where I wanted to jibe).

May 16 - HR Waterfront Park

Hood River Waterfront Park, Hood River, OR, US

Sailworks Retro 6.5, Retro 5.5, JP Magic Ride 104, JP FreestyleWave 77 Wind: building from 16 knots to 23G30

First, a big thank you to Roo for all the helpful tips and encouragement he provided today!

As I expected, my first day at the Gorge this year was a humbling experience. My cruising around Lac Bay in 15 knot winds didn't fully prepare me for today. I started out OK with the 6.5 and the MR104. Made a couple of runs (of course blew the jibes) and got intimidated by the 58 F water temps (I like the 82F of Bonaire). Eventually mentally calmed down just in time for the wind to build. Rigged the 5.5 but was tailwalking a little with it. Roo suggested switching to the 77 FSW which I did by then the wind was more than I wanted to deal with knowing I was going to spend a lot of time in the damn cold water... Roo provided rigging tips for this type of condition and then provided a tip worth the trip to Oregon - how to clear a race sail luff sleeve when full of water. Use the board as leverage, DO NOT try to lift the tip of the sail. 

Roo commented:

Great day out at the park, steadily building breeze but a touch gusty and very bumpy, got worse as the day wore on. Barton is back in town so fun to catch up and sail together, even if the water is a touch cold for him! Solid 30 knots at the end and chop Suey had taken up residence.

I commented:

Great numbers Roo and Al. Watching Roo cruise in the conditions today was a great learning experience for me - and he is an amazing sailor, BTW

Roo commented:

Thank you for the nice compliments Barton, look forward to more time on water the next few days. We'll get you feeling comfortable out there.