Boards lost at blowout

Occupied Columbia · Since 12 Nov 2011 376 Posts Columbia City Obsessed

I'm getting my board back thanks to Carol negotiating a deal with the fishermen. Now I need to invest in a sharpie. LOL. Thanks again Carol

voy-tech · Mon Aug 10, 15 9:36 am

Get something better than a sharpie, the fisherman who found my board (lost at Sauvie) washed the sharpie away and tried to sell it on CL Evil or Very Mad

HRnico · Since 22 Mar 2008 262 Posts Da Hood Obsessed

I checked all the trash collecting places at the Dam. Nothing here. The Spillway gates open from the bottom so things get caught in the corners above the Dam. There is one trash bypass channel open, things can sneak by there.

carolb · Mon Aug 10, 15 10:00 am **Mayhem**

Our day ended at 3:22 a. Quickie story - Wells Island in sight - oh no - devil wind chaos - lifted, yard-ed and slammed down which releases my harness, loses my board, splits my kite. Party at the sandbar to regroup, then tony drove away from the gas station with my car keys and his cell phone is in Stevenson. He broke down with an oil leak on I-84 and hailed a cop over who was going to a call and got a quick send AAA and come get me (he has my keys and I'm still at the gas station). Rockstars Grom and Rachel to the rescue for each of us (got my keys). Sleeping on the RV couch on the shoulder of the freeway (true love - won't leave my wingman), huge trucks rocking us. AAA tow truck arrives at 1:30 am but won't take us across the bridge because of weight limit. RV left in Cascade Locks. Retrieve everything from Stevenson, Home at 3:22am. Carol goes looking for board and finds Alex and Kevin's but out $100. Alex goes looking on jet ski and finds mine. Tony fixes RV and drives it to Stevenson. 3:00 pm nap time. Next year!

Kraemer · Since 24 Apr 2006 1736 Posts Sky Pilot Unicorn Captain

Carol & Co. - Can't thank you enough!!
It was a great race and a super fun way to spend the day--
It wouldn't be the same without a few scrapes and bruises!

MikeZ · Mon Aug 10, 15 10:46 am **Wow!**

Sounds intense... Anybody got video? Seems like this is what GoPros were invented for.

Pepi · Mon Aug 10, 15 12:50 pm

My drama started at the Narrows.

Riding the foil, I was not getting the speed I was wishing for, so started to work the kite harder and caught a rather sizeable gust which then led to a no-wind lull. Kite stalled and crashed while foilboard was at mach5 speed and had me flying downwind past my now tangling kite. Continued to foil about 20 meters, to the end of my kite line length, then yarded. Turned around to check out how bad my kite tangle was, only to discover my kite lines were both tangeled internally and around my foil wings.

This is where the fun started....

Gurgled, coughed and drank half the columbia as my kite powered up and drug me with my face-bashing foil anchor dragging me under water. Have no idea for how long I did this, but was at my wits end for a while. Finally able to reach a steering line and started to tomahawk crash the kite to shake free some tension on the lines to try and free up the foil. After about 4-5 tries I was able to loosen up the lines and eventually free the foil. Kitelines were still twisted on the left side badly, so worked the kite over to the Washington side and eventually downwind enough to crash the kite into the shoreline bushes and reset lines while still swimming.
About this time I am swimming near Trey Roeseler who is by now ski-less and paddling on top of his kite with his ski boots still on.
I was able to find some gusts and use my kite to drag him near enough to shore for him to touch bottom after about a couple of tries.
Called his mom on my cel phone to tell her where he was and instructed him to keep moving, find a trail and get up to the road asap.
Body dragged out to the middle of the river to track down my derelict foil and get rolling again.

Home free now? Nope.

Get too the end of the narrows and catch both a big swell ride and a gutless lull. Round two of flying past my stalling kite. Kicked the foil free, so no drama, but back steering lines were double twisted, so in the shitter again with kite flying control.
Babied my kite back and forth in the wind window down to Viento to for another line reset, but kite keeps stalling and dropping in the bad wind with twisted lines. Spent the next 20-30 min body dragging, foiling, and wiping out down to Viento.

At Viento shit got hairball (gawd I wish it had not picked up by then). Swimmers and fishermen on the beach, so too crowded for landing a rowdy twisted kite. Had to crashland the kite into the downwind cove and bushes. Got a lucky bounce off of a tree into a nice cushy, leafy bush. Swam out to tension lines and reset steering lines. Steering lines reset, but now SUPers walking in and around my kite lines (oh crap!).
Waited patiently whilst praying to the gods above for a safe run down to the Sandbar.

After the SUPers moved on, I pulled off another bush/drift relaunch and dragged out to find my ever so loyal foil floating along on it's own.

Had a carefree run from Viento down to the Spit for a landing to friends and organizers ready to land me and hand me a fresh beer.

Back safe and sound. Had to the miss the awards party due to concerned family who restricted me to family dinner and icepack to the face due to my Klingon looking cheek and eyebrow from the facebeating my foil gave me.

Next year, same time, same place, same gamble, different results!!!!

westportcap · Since 08 Jan 2012 54 Posts Â

I get it now. Finally. The Blowout is a gift from Grom, Rachel, Tony, and Carol. An annual treat offering the rare chance to break the routine, meet new people, learn something new, and push yourself. It's the gift that keeps giving, long after the flags are put away and the boards are recovered (or replaced).

For as long as I can remember, I've found a reason not to participate - work, family, forecast, logistics, injury, something. I would put it on my calendar and then find a reason not to do it. Clockwork.

Not this year. This year, I went through my list of reasons to blow off the Blowout, and I came up empty. So, I drove to Stevenson and registered. Best decision I’ve made in quite awhile.

I'll never forget wondering what was going on at the start. With sailboats tacking around me and spinnakers being doused, I lost track of Corey and I missed him streaking across the gap. Actually, I think I was watching the wrong white Cloud altogether. By the time I had sorted out that we’d actually started, I was two football fields behind the leaders. “Sorry, Team Tony”, I thought to myself.

I saw parts of the river that I’d never seen from the water, which was amazing. I’ve always been staggered by that section of the Columbia, but I’m usually being staggered at 70mph on I-84 while listening to an audio book. This was new, and it was stunning.

It also dawned on me, mid-race, that I was a part of something bigger than myself. I was part of this colorful throng of like-minded kiters blasting downwind. It must’ve looked crazy from my usual spot on I-84, and I was proud to be on the river side of the windshield. It felt good, and I didn’t expect that.

As we raced downwind, I found myself in a group of three that evolved into an interesting little race within the race: a woman in a megawatt white rashguard visible from the space station (10m RPM and a surfboard), a guy on a foil, and me (12m Lithium + Mako 150). For five miles or so, we traded positions. I did my best to drop them, but they wouldn’t have it. The dude on the foil was smooth and covering a lot of ground.

Ms. Megawatt was faster than I was, and the only time I gained on her was when a gust launched her off of her board. She’d pull ahead, get a launched, I’d pass her, and she’d pass me back. Tortoise and hare.

Then we hit the entertaining part of the river, the section channeling the hurricane. I’d never understood how kiters in storm videos found themselves flying sideways into buildings and cars. I probably even judged them. No more. A hammer-gust took Ms. Megawatt and launched her again, but this time it kept dragging her downwind. She was fully sheeted out, kite directly overhead, one arm extended to the sky, but the gusts kept dragging her.

“I got this”, I thought as I passed her, hopefully for the final time. Next stop: the sandbar.

Then, I realized I didn’t remember seeing her board when I shot by. I was so occupied with trying to not get yarded, I hadn’t paid attention to her board. Where was it? I dropped down into the water to sort out what to do when the hammer gusts lifted me and my Mako out of the water and pushed me downwind on my butt for about 20 feet. I tried to get an edge to stop the slide, but I just couldn’t. I had never been completely unable to stop being dragged by a kite until that moment. Eight inches of depower, fully sheeted out, and I was still skipping across the surface.

Now I understood what Ms Megawatt was dealing with, and I started to worry. Tacking my 12m upwind in those conditions was a new experience. I’d get an edge, but I’d lose it and skip downwind with the Mako sliding horizontally along the surface. It never felt dangerous, just out of control.

Eventually, though, with the help of Ms Mega pointing toward the last sighting of her board, I found the thing about 40 yds upwind and managed to get it across my legs and slide back downwind with it. Forget standing.

She retrieved it, but the conditions were so hairy all she could do was put her left hand on the footstrap, extend her right arm overhead, and let the gusts drag her downwind. I’m pretty sure, at this point, her harness had ridden up to her throat.

It was an impressive performance in challenging conditions by a solid waterwoman, that’s for sure. She was calm, determined, and capable. Ms Megawatt, as most of you already know, is Michelle.

The rest of the run was pretty routine, even light as others have mentioned through the Hatchery, and I eventually cleared the flags at the finish.

Then, the best part of the day . . . as I came through the finish, a white blur runs up the beach, gives me a big hug, and hands me a beer. Michelle was as pumped and as grateful as a person can be. What a feeling.

So, thanks to Grom, Rachel, Tony, and Carol for setting the table, so to speak, for the rest of us to make new friends and new memories. It was a rare and awesome day.

And I can’t wait for next year. In fact, I’m wondering how my 8’11’ old-school Schuler sitting in the corner of the garage might work with a kite. I wonder if I could keep Corey in sight with that thing . . .

Scott

airon^ · Since 07 Aug 2013 290 Posts Durango Obsessed

I did the Blowout once (2013--2nd place Team Rienstra!) and it was a magical experience.

I planned my 2 week vacay to HR this year around it--July 17 to Aug 1--but alas Aeolus did not allow it. Probably good with my gimpy ankle--I woulda hurt it bad trying.

I'm loving the stories. Thanks for allowing us to live vicariously!

bustingbladder · Since 12 Jul 2006 387 Posts Seattle Obsessed

Love the stories! Cool, hope you find your boards. Sounded eventful...

tonyb · Mon Aug 10, 15 6:34 pm

Thanks everyone for all the stories and the participation! This is really one of the funnest, wildest events out there where anything can happen.

Last year I went out on my 13.5 Kahoona with two sets of extensions on my lines at somewhere around 29 meters or so. This year I figured more is better, right? So I went with 42 meter lines and a 15m kite. Corey was on a 16m and Alex had a 17 so I couldn't back down even with the wind picking up a bit in Stevenson.

I was doing pretty well, trading the lead back and forth with Sam Medesky until a mile or two above Viento when I stayed too long out in the main channel trying to make sure I had good wind (like an idiot). Soon I was getting yanked and popped around and had my kite nearly straight overhead skipping over the waves. And then Corey just motors on by on the Oregon side of the river like the wind doesn't even bother him.

I started angling over towards Oregon for a bit trying not to get up too much speed and stuff the nose when I got yanked straight over the nose twice in a row and SLAMMED down face first in to the water at about 30 mph. Got up and going again, trying to be even more cautious while letting Corey ride away in to the distance when I got over by this little rocky island a half mile or so upwind of Swell City when I got yarded straight up about 20 to 30 feet with no warning. Felt like a 40 mph gust and I'm holding on to a 15m on 42 meters of lines wondering how bad things were going to get. Dunked under, yanked and tea-bagged for about 50 yards or so before I was able to get the board back under my feet and get moving again. Was even MORE careful after that about moving my kite around.

I was really relieved when I noticed that there weren't any windsurfers out at Swell or Hatch and things were coming under control again. And then it kicked up again just above the White Salmon bridge and it was a wild ride down to the finish. I sure got some wild eyed looks when I blew through the windsurfers and kiters coming out of the event site with my big kite 40 meters out in front of me!

Super thanks to Grom and Rachel for dealing with all the prizes, swag and game day stuff and a big thank you to Bob and Angie for jumping in and taking over the finish line duties for me. I think the setup of being able to kite right through the finish line was one of the best we've had in recent years. It sure prevented the wild beach side belly slide pile-ups we've had in the past.

I think I've got the budget figured out a bit better where we can pay for some jetski support next year and up the quality and quantity of the bbq food at the end of the event. Hardest part of the whole day is getting everyone on the water. We've had some good suggestions on how to improve that process that we'll try to incorporate next year.

I promise I'll get all of the results out in a day or two, things have just been a bit hectic around here.

Tony

Mikaya · Since 10 Sep 2008 26 Posts Â

Well, my story is mild compared to some!! I was on a 12M. Got yarded at Wind Mountain first, and lost my board but at that point the gusts were not crazy and I was able to body drag back to it partway and then some kind fella helped me out by bringing it to me also. I carried on and got yarded a few more times but by some miracle my board stayed with me. Then passing Viento I saw a board with boots in the middle of the river and its owner going in at Viento. It was crazy there -- and I knew I couldn't live with myself if I passed a board . . . But could I get to it? Not in those gusts, I couldn't possibly go upwind. Then suddenly the wind dropped and I was able to go upwind, got to the board just in time before the next gust hit. Could not pick it up though, the boots were too heavy. After some serious struggling, and another serious gust, I had to let go of it, but by then it was caught in an eddy near the shore and its owner was able to get to it. Yay! (Although he lost it again later Sad

)

I made it in 30th. I attribute the fact that I made it at all to the new kite I was riding, which took the gusts really well. I'm getting a little better every year, but I don't know that my survival instincts will ever allow me to go at the kind of speeds some of you guys deal with!

I did really enjoy it this time, crazy though it was. Many thanks to Carol, Tony, Grom and Rachel. Next year I am willing to be the first to launch if it helps get other people out faster. That is the worst part, waiting for everyone to get on the water.

KiteKitten · Since 28 Feb 2012 77 Posts Gorge Â

My story is one of a fair maiden whom thought Oh the Blowout would be fun. Do a 17 mile down winder, no big deal, I'm a competent kiter, as the Tui beer (New Zealand brand Beer) advert say's, Yeah Right! Little did I know it was full of Devils (wind), howling Horehounds (wind), doldrums (no wind) and at last My Knight in Shinning Armor flying a 12m!

The morning started with coffee, as you do, and a phone call to Kerstin who was not really into doing the Blowout this year...... well it did not take much convincing and she was en-route to Hood for a car drop. Pick up a few strays at kite beach and headed to Stevie. Oh the anticipation.......this is my first Blowout.

The start, seeing Cory (my team captain) whipping by and I'm in good position at the front of the pack, well we hit Wind Mtn and the wind dies...... Stringy's bobbing in the water, kites dropping, I get passed by those with better kites skills..... But now we have a race with in a race! Me, said fair maiden, some slick foreigner on a foil and the guy on the 12m. We take turns passing each other and I'm feeling good about myself lots of kites behind me a few in front, most of the top contenders are around the bend and out of sight. Then the Devils and Horehounds come out with avenges! I'm lofted off my board and tea-bagged down the river. Trying to body drag back to my board and more tea-bagging. Slick foiler no where to be found, guy on 12m starts to pass with big smile on face when he realizes that I'm never going to get back to my board, enters Knight in Shining Armor! He retrieves my board only to see me get lofted some more, at this point he holds up behind me to ensure my safety. I attempt to ride my board but am unable to keep board on feet. I learned a few tricks in New Zealand and one was to keep calm and carry on, at this point I figure the safest option is a body drag dead down wind with death grip on my board. Really whats going to happen to me in the middle of the river at this point???? Once we pass the tunnels I give My Knight in Shinning Armor a thumbs up and the race is on again!!! Out of the blue comes one of my teammates just above Wells, A-Train brings the stoke out and we manage to finish together!

Holy Shit what a ride! To be greeted on the sandbar by so many smiling faces and a BEER! Then my Knight in Shinning Armor comes in right behind me! I was so thankful for Scott a true sportsman who is the only reason I finished the race!!!

My body hurt for the next few days........ This was my fist Blowout, will I do it again, HELL YEAH! No Devil Winds or Horehounds will keep this fair maiden from taking to the water again! Thank you Scott and to all of the Knight in Shinning Armors who make this sport safer for us all.

Big Shout Out to the Bolsad Gang and Rach for all they do to make this event so much fun!

Ta, Machelle