Surfski Knowledge Base

Pmarcus
01/02/12 #11864

Walked out of the house to go to Padden to do some very flat water stuff…..walked from house (0 mph) to the garage and it was already blowing 15 to 20…..called a buddy who has unlimited view of the Bay, he said, light stuff, looks like its trying to build to the South….forecast was for wind, could see some high clouds moving, so I loaded the R and went to the Bay. Got to the shore, flat calm, my buddy called me again, said it looks like its Nuking way South now, sees lots of Whitecaps! Shoreline, flat calm, Duncan and Kim (in their Bellingham Bay Speedo…Dry suit) were floundering around in flat calm waters…..stayed stupid and launched my R anyway, Roger Lamb joined me, I suggested to him it might build…….got 150 yards around Post Pt. and the wind hit, flat calm but 15 plus knots, got to the Pt. before the tunnel….20 to 30 knots……waited a bit to watch the waves build, Roger joined me and then we surfed some nice rides and did laps from the point to about the trestle as the wind steadily built…tried to ignore that part……kept doing some short laps in the cove until in the distance the geese and seagulls started flying backwards….mentioned to Roger, might be sketchy getting past Post Pt on the way back……I hesitated for a few and watched Roger (who actually listened to me) disappear downwind and around Post Pt….thought I should follow my own advice as I watched the 40 plus knots start lifting the water and caught the turbo back North….saw some local paddlers on the shore who came to witness our demise, but luckily we both were fine…….I don't think I had any puffs like that try to rip the paddle out as I came around Post Pt since the Gorge a couple of years ago…….Thanks Dean, Mike D., and Devon for checking…….

Cheers, Peter

Re: Survival at sea….Sorta……Today
fennmako
01/02/12 #11866

I went out at 10.30. It was absolutely flat with a slight northerly. I was expecting a SW wind so checked the smoke on the southerly horizon; no hint of wind. I paddled south to Clark's Point hoping for the Southerly, but nothing, so pushed home in the slight northerly. I left the lot at 11.20-ish. Still dead flat and north. About a half hour later, 40 mph.

Re: Survival at sea….Sorta……Today
duncanhowat
01/03/12 #11872

….. Made a downwinder at 11:30 today from wildcat some smoke on the water , good angle at first, well also at launching I plugged the drains with fir sticks and ell grass, didn't realize it until “ out there” had to pull into governers and unclog,then back out, picked up that nasty cross wave towards Clark's point,so I decided to jump in and wait for Bob, also testing my leash, and cat like quickness back in the boat.Needless to say we unloaded the van's and had everything known to man with us. Another idea hit me out there. We now equip our avalanche crew with these back packs that inflate to a giant ballon,and will float them to the surface. Wearing one of those, you could have your own Zodiac boat or the worlds biggest PFD on your back .On line at Back Country Access. D

Re: Survival at sea….Sorta……Today
Larry <lbussing@…>
01/04/12 #11873

OK, I'm trying to picture this scenario…. Duncan or Reivers falling off the boat, the leash breaks, the surfski goes rolling across the bay, DH or RD pop their balloon and go racing after their boat! Sounds like a new sport being born. Larry B

Nordic Waveriding … was Survival at sea….Sorta
Reivers Dustin
01/04/12 #11874

whoa.

Just roll onto my back, hold paddle up and tilt it for sail-effect steerage. This would be like lay-down-balloon-riding.

At work here by the airport there's a wind-power generator (owned by Alpha-Tech). You can barely see the blades and the thing sounds like a chinook helecopter. (Those big old twin egg-beater beasts.)

“Godfrey Daniel & Mother of Pearl!” … w.c.fields
“Jeezely Crow!” … my little sister.
“Its a blustery day!” … winniepooh

rd