Re: Regatta schedule

[Keith <keith@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Solo Folks,

One of the issues the CGRA Board struggled with this last year is the  
common perception of the CGRA Gorge venue as a "heavy air" venue.  
This is wrong in the same way that Jackson Hole is an "expert only"  
ski mountain.   Bram is grossly mistaken about his perception of the  
CL site as only a "heavy air" venue.

US Sailing chose CL as a venue for the NW Opti clinic.  It wasn't  
because the kids were going to be blown off the water.  It wasn't  
because they could teach eight to ten year-olds "heavy air"  
sailing.   It was because of the steady constant moderate winds.   US  
Sailing is not in the habit of putting kids in survival conditions.   
They want kids to have a good time sailing and to learn.  They chose  
CL and the CGRA to put on the Opti Clinic in the Gorge because of the  
consistent and moderate winds.

As I offered in my original email, to eliminate the misconception of  
some of the members of the class, if the class is considering the  
venue, I will compile a wind profile to demonstrate that Bram's  
misconception is way off base.  Having had this discussion with Bram  
on numerous occasions, when I suggested the Gorge after Mark's  
comment, I knew Bram would chime in saying it was an "inappropriate"  
venue.

I live in the Gorge.  My office looks across the water to the primary  
sailing venue.  Bram visits once in a rare while.  One of the  
advantages of the site is the steady winds.  We rarely have wild  
shifts and radical peak gusts. It is a steady even wind.

For those who want to get live time weather and wind, the city of  
Stevenson web site has a real time weather link positioned on the end  
of the Sternwheeler dock.  Depending on the classes, the races are  
held wither up river or just down river from the end of the dock.  It  
is a realistic measure of the on-the-water winds.   
www.cityofstevenson.com (currently a steady 17 from the west)

As to  a Solo regatta being a 5 to 6 year proposition to be ready for  
the Gorge, that too is off base.  If the class grows, there will  
never be a time we do not have less experienced sailors.  There will  
always be a full range of ability levels.  This is as it should be.   
In the Gorge, there are a range of wind levels in each day and from  
day to day.  The one constant is wind.  We almost always have wind at  
some level.  Skunked days are very rare. (If I remember, the kids got  
skunked one day)

Mark, what was the wind like when you drove through the other day?   
Unsailable?  Only for very experienced sailors? Or did it look OK?

Keith L (007)
On Sep 12, 2006, at 7:56 AM, BDally6107@xxxxxxx wrote:

> Mark,
>
> Cascade Locks on the Columbia Gorge is a famous heavy air sailing  
> venue with great camping.  It will be a good location for a Swift  
> regatta in 5 or six years when a large number of  Swift sailors  
> will be ready for 15 to 20 knots of breeze.
>
> Bram