8.9 fully sponsored forecast

First off, thanks to everyone who helped make Kiteboard for Cancer a success yesterday, especially local sponsors Da Kine, Slingshot, Second Wind, Gorge Performance, Big Winds and Windance. Today’s freeride day down at the Event Site, so go watch some incredible kiting!

While I’m thanking sponsors, I’d like to personally thank Second Wind, Hot Sails Maui, Chinook, Da Kine, Mistral sailboards and Gath Helmets (if you don’t have one, you need to go buy one) for making the best windsurfing gear on the planet, (and biking gear and packs and socks and damned cute jerseys in Da Kine’s case) for supporting me, and for helping motivate me to do this every day. Go buy something made by one of these fine companies (I wouldn’t ride for them if I didn’t believe in their gear 100%) and you’ll be supporting your free forecast.

Oh. Right. Forecast. We’ll see some wind later today. Sunshine in the desert combines with frontally-sustained and shortwave enhanced clouds over the west for another windy day today. Early gradients of .06 will be enough for corridor winds in the 13-15 range. As the desert warms, winds build into the 22 -26 range from Hood River out to Maryhill this afternoon.

An offshore low digs in off the coast Monday, keeping Cascadia cloudy and letting the desert soak up the sun. Gradients won’t be strong with this setup, but they’ll be enough for upper teens to low twenties by afternoon (for day 8 – can anyone confirm that? Ron? – of the windy streak)

Models aren’t handling Tuesday very well, so I’m going to take a wait-and-see stance for now.

If you’re looking for something cool to do today, head down to Cascade Locks and check out the Moth National championships. If you haven’t heard yet, Cascade Locks is turning into one of the premier sailing venues in the country. I know many of you would rather see sailboat racing than a casino or water bottling plant (personally, I’m not going to take a stand on gambling or water, but I do think anyone in the Ice Mountain Water District who buys bottled water is a big loser), so get down there and support Cascade Locks, especially the East Wind Drive Inn and their delicious milkshakes!

Coming up this week is the peak of the Perseid Meteor shower on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. I know, not very sporty, but still cool. The moon will wash out the weaker meteors, but the bright Perseid fireballs will still be visible.