The Gorge is my Gym

Good morning gorge sports fanatics and happy First Friday to Hood River!

If it wasn’t windy enough for you yesterday, today might be. The upper level low ambles through eastern Oregon and an upper trough crosses BC. The combination was enough for early gradients of .16 from Portland to The Dalles and 9 from The Dalles to Pasco. Combine that with a .33 North-south gradient, and you’re looking at a big day out east.

It was blowing in the 30 at Roosevelt at 6am, and the 30-party goes from Mosier to Boardman all day today. Upper 30s at Doug’s, Maryhill and Roosevelt later on wouldn’t surprise me. Once again, I’ll be demoing my sub 3.7 Hot Sails today, probably at Arlington (that is, after I sleep for a couple more hours and then drink a couple cups of coffee and eat pancakes).

If you are desperate for a small sail, do get in touch. I’ll tweet my location … follow me on Twitter @gorgereport.

The windy streak continues tomorrow, with 24-28 to start, most likely in the Corridor as high pressure moves the cloudline westward. 30ish averages continue all day, shifting out to Doug’s and Maryhill in the afternoon.

Sunday looks a bit lighter, with 17-20 the morning call and 23-27 the afternoon call through the Gorge.

Today is setup and BBQ day for Kiteboard for Cancer, and tomorrow’s the endurance race. There are also Standup Paddle events going on… check out the website at kb4c.org, and don’t forget to donate a few dollars… the money raised goes to local cancer charities.

The Event Site is closed to windsurfing this weekend, so take the opportunity to launch at Luhr Jensen/Northwave or the new Waterfront Park.

Also this weekend is the Moth National Championships… that’s one-man hydrofoil sailboats – down in Cascade Locks. The speed record is around 33 miles per hour, and those guys might just break the record. Go check it out!

Whatever you do today, have an awesome day!

Mother Nature sent deep clouds into the Gorge overnight to keep the westerly breezes blowing today. The early gradient was at .14, and it’s growing. An mid-twenties start is soon just a memory. By midday, we’re looking at 30ish from Hood River to Doug’s. Wait a couple more hours and you’ll have 30-35 from Mosier to Arlington this evening.

Honestly, it’s hard to tell where the marine deck ends this early in the morning with high clouds everywhere. As of 6am, it was looking like the marine deck ended around Underwood Mountain, meaning we’ll see wind at the Hatchery. However, clouds should push further inland over the next few hours, meaning the eventual cloudline will end up east of HR. Best wind today? I’d guess Mosier, Doug’s and Arlington, but do watch the Hatchery (duh, of course).

If the models hold for tomorrow, it’ll be the windiest day yet this year (except maybe for that one super-nuker, smoke-on-the-water day at Arlington) We’ll start off with upper twenties (okay, maybe low 30s) in the morning east of the clouds. I haven’t the foggiest idea where the cloudline will end up, but it’s going to blow 35-40 east of the marine deck in the afternoon. Think Doug’s, Maryhill and Arlington for happy thoughts.

If you want less wind today and tomorrow, head to Stevenson. While you’re down there, check out the Moth World Championships for some wild and crazy hydrofoil sailboat racing: http://tinyurl.com/m5qsaz

It’s looking like a weak front on Friday night will keep winds blowing through the Gorge on Saturday. It’s going to be mid twenties or better all day long. Sunday’s looking lighter, but you might want a break by then.

In other news, tonight is the Post and Pint mountain bike ride out of Dirty Fingers. Tomorrow is the first day of Kiteboard for Cancer, and since you’ve already donated at kb4c.org, you can just head to the sandbar and spectate.

And whatever you do today, have an awesome day!