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stories:bit_airey_sunday

a bit airey Sunday

Reivers Dustin
Mar 13 2021 #28796

I'm thinking Noon Sunday. Some goodly air and nice ebb current. rd

Reivers Dustin
Mar 13 #28797

Having second thoughts. Might be too burly. Probably suit up and sit there at MP looking at it.
rd

Reivers Dustin
Mar 14 #28798

ach. I was hoping it was someone else's turn to 'get it wrong'. Put in at 12:15 and got beat up by wind gusts. Lots of guys were out earlier and had good fun. Now I can see more paddlers out looking at the webcam at 2:30. It was too big for little reivers.

rd

Dennis Mowry
Mar 14 #28799

Plenty of fun for Eric G3, Hoop & :D'Mow @ 3:00. Still working when we got out.

David Hooper
Mar 14 #28800

We definitely hit a good window - still lots of great waves 3-4.30, but dropping wind that stayed southerly. Was worried about the west coming in, but it held off.

D Hoop

Denise Weeks

Mar 14 #28801

We did a downwind starting at about noon. It was my biggest day, possibly, and not in the fat boat. I wonder if the Bluefin would have been picked up and blown away by the gusts. I did have one spill and a cautious remount, and then I had to argue with that east wind and those pesky gusts about going right so I’d end up on Squalicum beach and not somewhere north of there. Paul stayed to my left, acting as a bumper guard. Even so, I ended up on the far side of the beach where Wilson and Ana came to offer barefoot assistance. Given the slipperiness of the rocks, Wilson decided it would be easier to just paddle over to the parking lot, so he took the Nelo for a spin out through the shore break. In his underwear. But you’ll have to ask him about that.

Here’s some footage (not of Wilson, unfortunately): https://youtu.be/ypvL4XZiv0U

SimonB

Mar 14 #28802

Fantastic paddling Denise! It certainly wasn’t easy paddling out there in that wind!!!

Reivers Dustin
Mar 14 #28803

wow, showing some skillz in that video. I can see the wind stippling the water on some of those waves where the gusts hit.

Quite a few paddlers were coming off the water at MP when I showed up. They were all happy and excited. MW was raving about the wave-lengths. He said just go out from the point about 1/2 way to the red can and get some. I got a Mark W. sighting. He was down to get a vicarious thrill. Josh and Nick (thanks for helping haul my boat down to water) said they made the run from MP up to the tunnel. But when I got to the point no way to go further. Thom P and I did bunny-slope loops and the third time was not fun. Wind was pulling water by 12:30 and keeping upright was challenging. There were sets coming through that were huge. But they were super fast and with the other mixed chop made it so you had to fanatic your way onto the ride.

That video is a clinic. You stay really solid over the center of the boat when it rolls/reacts and that is the zen of paddling. Also I can see that mixed direction stuff when it threatens your rotation and leg drive. But you stay with it and put leg drive in when it passes. It also seems to me to show the strength of that Nelo. My S1-R will weather-vane with some of those waves where the boat does a 90 degree change of direction due to a side wave. Very unsettling. Of course this all might be someone with crafty video editing skill.

One other thing. For those doing downwinders in conditions. Be cautious to get away from the “lee shore” there just off the boat launch at Larrabee. You do not want to get pushed by the wind and waves into the rocky shoreline around Whiskey Rock. I like to paddle from the boat launch tight near shore as far south as I can. Down near Larrabee park there is a point that gives some shelter and this way I have more room before getting into the wind and fighting my way further off shore. I guess this isn't as important if you have monster power and skill. For me, I look for the extra safety margin.

David Hooper
Mar 14 #28804

Nice, Denise! Big waves and not easy ones. For me, it's that side chop plus gusts catching my paddle that makes those conditions a bit hectic.

D

Paul Reavley

Mar 15 #28806
Edited Mar 15

Today the stretch from Wildcat to Governor's Pt. was probably the best it has ever been for me. Last Saturday it was a lot like Reiver's description - it was pushing hard to the right toward Whiskey Rock and we should have gone farther out before starting downwind. Today there was some push from the East that just increased during the run to Squalicum. We made our downwind turn at Wildcat farther out than we should have been today.

Wildcat March 14, 2014

Wildcat Part 2

One other thing - if you're sitting around not paddling in waves like that it probably is a good idea to keep track of the waves headed your way.

Larry Bussinger
Mar 15 #28807

Wow, nice waves

Larry Bussinger

John Schwandt

Mar 15 #28809

Thanks for posting Paul! I was cheering for you on some of those waves. BTW, I've been meaning to ask what GPS/speedometer you use. It seems really responsive to every paddle stroke. I also like how you are able to post the gauge on your videos.
Any tips or advice?

John

beau whitehead

Mar 15 #28811

Great perspective Paul…. here’s my 1min edit from that stretch about 10am yesterday morning…..
It was good all the way to Squalicum Beach.

Cheers!

https://vimeo.com/524076352

Paul Reavley

Thanks John,

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