Mark,
Our IT Guru is figuring out how to provide a graph or some easy to
read compilation of the winds.
I'll fwd it to the group when it comes up.
K
On Sep 12, 2006, at 4:23 PM, Mark White wrote:
Keith,
It sounds like a good location. If you can gather wind data for
spring/summer months that would be great. When headed west on the
27th of Aug, the was blowing something fierce, swells and angry
whitecaps. On the way back (Sept 5th) the wind looked like 10-12
knots, and about a hundred wind surfers in one spot, and a few with
the ski and kite thing.
Mark
----- Original Message -----
From: Keith
To: BDally6107@xxxxxxx
Cc: mwhite@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ; swiftsolo@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Tuesday, September 12, 2006 1:39 PM
Subject: Re: Regatta schedule
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
|