Surfski Knowledge Base

Downwind Baptism at the Columbia Gorge
hilburnjjcl
08/29/05 #525

Don Kiesling and I competed as a team on Sunday on the Columbia River in a unique 22 mile relay format. Being of sounder mind and flabbier
body than my Bellingham counterparts I decided this race would be more fun than paddling for hours…and hours… in the San Juan
Challenge. Larry Goolsby graciously let me borrow his V-10, so I was anxious to test the new hot boat in downwind conditions. The race was
broken into four legs, with my two legs only equaling about 10 miles. Well…the Columbia River Gorge holds unique surprises for flatwater
surfskiers like myself. Bellingham Bay locals have their own unit of measurement when judging the height of waves. I'm only guessing here,
but I think the algorithm we use is we divide the length of our boat by the wave height in inches and add our waist measurement. Which
means any time the wind is blowing 10 to 15 mph, we get 2 to 3 foot waves in the bay. I'm a bit skeptical of the algorithm now. I asked
Don(Tsunami Ranger and Molokai racer)how big the waves were yesterday and he thought 3 feet with the occasional set of 4 footers.
A few of the highlights of my day included: hearing waves cresting behind me; being knocked off the boat by a wave hitting me from
behind; watching Larry's V-10 roll in circles away from me; and finding out how tippy a surfski is when perched on the top of a wave
crest.

Now to the important stuff;how did the V-10 perform? It is a much stabler boat the Fenn Mako I usually paddle. The seat is very
comfortable in that I usually get friction burns on my lower back unless I consciously lean forward in my Fenn Mako. I really liked the
foot plate. I usually don't get that much leg drive in my boat. Top overall speed for me was 11.2 while Don hit 12.6! The first leg I
raced was 40 minutes in length and I had NO stability issues riding what Erik Borgnes calls “type 1” waves. I just pointed the boat
downwind and cranked away with the occasional attempt to ride at a 45 degree angle. I got sideways a couple of times, but again no
stability issues. Top speed was 10.8 on this leg.

The second leg was when I paddled in the “type 2” waves and I learned that the Goolsby wave height algorithm is a bit off. Oops..it slipped
out Larry. Don's first leg was also very successful (we were in the lead)until about mile 4 when a foot pedal grommet popped and he lost
the ability to use the rudder. He paddled on just the right side for 30 minutes leaning as he went. Don's response to the foot pedal
design was obviously not very complimentary. Leg 2 for me was when reality struck. I flipped about 3 minutes into the paddle when I got
perched on top of a wave crest and immediately felt unstable. So much so I think I even pulled my feet out right before I hit the water. No
troubles remounting the first time since my adrenalin was pumping and I wasn't tired yet. I then carried on in an attempt to ride type 2
waves that were moving pretty fast and were pretty steep. I found when I pointed the V-10 into the trough at a 45 degree angle that I
would almost immediately get washed out sideways and then get swamped. I must have tried the 45 degree angle on the type 2 waves a
dozen times before I gave up trying to restart with 5 gallons of water in my lap. So, I reverted back to the mentality of “paddle
harder to catch the stuff.” One probably needs to get boat speed up to the mid 8 range before even being in a position to sprint to catch
one of these over the top. Mid 8 doesn't sound that fast unless you figure the 2 mph current your facing paddling upstream. I asked Don
and Traci Landboe, who was also in a V-10, if they were able to catch these type 2 waves and they weren't very successful either. Don
thinks the boat needs a bigger rudder. When I was able to catch a type 2 wave I wasn't able to turn quick enough not to bury the V-10's
bow into the next wave. The bow buries quite smoothly in fact and quickly rises again to the surface in a gentle manner. Needless to
say, I was a bit tired after my second leg. It took me 3 minutes longer to paddle this section than the first, even though it was over
a 1/2 mile shorter. In all, I capsized twice.

In summary, the V-10 needs a bigger rudder in 3 foot seas, one needs lots of practice paddling type 2 waves to be efficient and the
Columbia River Gorge is a completely different ball game than Bellingham Bay. Hats off to anyone that has paddled the big stuff
successfully. Kirk's Tasmania adventure frequently flashed in my mind. But, on a high note someone witnessed a lot of salmon
chasing me with my 4 inch “rooster tail” vibrating weed guard/lure.

Jeff Hilburn