Dude where’s my Aqua-net? 7/31

Good morning!

This week’s forecast is brought to you by 2nd Wind, the best place in the Gorge to pick up camping and hiking gear. Save yourself a trip to REI, and shop local for cool gear from Thermarest (sleep on something comfortable), Mountain Hardware (in something well designed), and MSR (a good stove will keep you well fed). Not only does 2nd Wind have the gear, they have employees who can help you make an educated decision about what gear is best for you. Swing by today and check it out (and ask what this week’s prize will be!)…

I pulled out the paper and scissors yesterday and did some prize drawings. Congratulations to Don K., Mark P., Ali R., Jeff B., and Bruce H. for winning a fish taco and tall boy dinner combo from the Sandbar Café at the Event Site. Congratulations to Daniel A. for winning a Da Kine Nexus Harness from the Gorge Surf Shop. And, congrats to John S. and Jane D. for winning sail repair gift certificates from Overnight Sail Repair at 13 Oak Street (the other winners were associated with other sail repair shops, strangely enough).

This has been an excellent July for wind. I think there were only a couple of days that were too light to get on the water. May August be just as windy!

At 5am this morning, it was already blowing, and it’s not going to stop any time soon. With the early gradient at .16, a solid cloud line west of Hood River, and the wind at the Hatch in the 20’s early, it’s going to blow all day long. We’ll have 28-32 today, with potential periods of stronger wind, from Viento down to Hood River and Mosier. Lyle, Rowena and Doug’s see 30ish miles per hour in the afternoon, and Maryhill and Arlington see 24-28.

Tomorrow brings a little less wind, but still plenty for just about anyone. 24-28 looks like the call from Hood River eastward. Stevenson may end up stuck in the clouds tomorrow with light, gusty wind. With a forecast of low pressure in the desert and high pressure off the coast and lots of marine clouds in Portland, Monday looks like a carbon copy of Sunday.

Basically, the whole weekend and early part of next week look pretty f***ing windy through pretty much the entire Gorge, with the possible exception of Stevenson, which might end up socked in under the clouds.

For fun racing this weekend, there’s the Gorge Cup two-day windsurfing race, where all types of gear are welcome – vmgevents.com for more information – and the final Big Winds SUP race of the season – www.bigwinds.com/sup – at the Event Site on Sunday. Also either today or tomorrow is Wildside Relay out of Bob’s Beach in Stevenson. Two-person teams of SUP, outriggers and surf skis compete for a long downwinder. Entry is $15, and meet time is 9am at Bob’s beach. Check www.nwoutrigger.com/wildside-relay/ for more information.

Also on Sunday, there’s a CGWA swap meet at the Expo Center in Hood River. That swap meet starts at the mindblowingly early hour of 7am (it’s 5:56 as I write this)…

Boaters, the White Salmon’s at 2 ¼ feet and the Klickitat’s at 1040 cfs.

Temira

p.s. If you find this report useful, entertaining, or just want to recognize all the hard work that goes into it, please take the time to make a donation by clicking on the button at the bottom of the page. For a suggested donation of $10, I’ll add you to the email version of this list ‘til May 2011, putting you in the running for cool prizes donated by the weekly sponsors. This week it’s some cool camping gear from 2nd Wind Sports. Thank you for using this report, and thank you for your support!