Gorge Olympic Cup: Windy and Wild!                                                        Mark Powell

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This event was conceived and organized by Caroll-Ann Alie the past three seasons.  In Cups 1 and 2 the IQ Foil Olympic windsurfing class was featured but this season the Olympic contenders were all in Europe competing to represent Team USA at the Paris Olympics.  Therefore a seasoned, mature Olympic class was brought in, the Windsurfer LT Class, which first appeared (in slightly heavier and lower tech form) in the Demonstration event of the 1984 LA Olympics. Cobra International provided a fleet of ten boards to kick off the West Coast Windsurfer LT Tour, and the Gorge Olympic Cup at Stevenson, WA was the first stop.  The 3-day event started out (once all the boards and rigs were fitted out) with a rigging clinic on the spacious lawn at Bob’s Beach.  Many mature athletes who were out sailing their own windsurfing or foiling gear stopped by to marvel at the board that they first learned on and one brave soul, Stefan from Arizona, donned his helmet for an evening sail in afternoon winds gusting to 25 kts.  In the evening Caroll-Ann prepared a spread and we enjoyed dinner in the Ponderosa Room of the Pine and Wilder Resort.

Saturday the races were delayed a bit until the women’s 6 person outrigger canoe downwind race started (a spectacular sight on its own).  By noon a windward-leeward  windsurfer course was set by PRO Craig Daniels with help from mark setter Karl Waldman and his helpers RIley Powell and Spencer Duffy, and a few rugged sailors went out into winds already gusting above 25 kts.  Our star Olympian and race organizer Caroll-Ann was sidelined by a hand injury but was out on patrol in her Tornado RIB.  Saturday’s races were dominated by former Canadian National Team members Gabrielle and Stefan.  It was their first time on the LT but they proved it can be raced in winds that were now gusting over 30.  Also impressive for even getting out to the race course were Greg Mejlaender, Stefan from AZ, Joe Waldman, and Barbara Belt, who had the flattest LT sail I have ever seen. My goal for Saturday was to just go for a sail and I did…. I lasted about 5 minutes just before the start of the outrigger canoe downwinder. Saturday night we returned to the Ponderosa Room at Pine and Wilder for Pizza and craft beer.

On Sunday races started at 9:00 am in much more approachable 12 kts and five races were held.  By the 5th race only 3 sailors were still standing and the wind was nuking again like it was on Saturday. Again it was a Canadian National Team reunion but Barbara Belt and I were able to mix it up a bit with them in a couple of races.  There were some lead changes and strategic decisions to be made. The west wind was shifty and gusty and the current was going against the wind, and stronger mid river than closer to shore. Timing the starboard lay line tack was crucial to catch the “elevator” (favorable upwind current) without over standing the mark.  I was very happy to sail 3 races!

We all had a blast reintroducing the windsurfer class to the Gorge!  Special thanks to the tireless efforts of Caroll-Ann Alie “She’s here, She’s there, She’s f’ing everywhere” driving 120 miles roundtrip each day, patrolling on the water, driving the 26ft Uhaul Truck across white-knuckler bridges, unloading boards, recycling cardboard, you name it she was doing it!  Thanks also to our various West Coast Tour supporters:  Cobra International for providing a fleet of charter Windsurfer LT’s, Chinook for providing harness lines for all the charter boards, Columbia Gorge Racing Association, Goya, Arntson Marine, Tajima-Direct Lenses, and Pine and Wilder for letting us use the Ponderosa Room at their race site cabin resort.

Lots of stoked and thankful longboard sailors enjoyed the Windsurfer revival!

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