'Kitemare' at the Waterfront

And that, according to Todd Anderson of the Gorge Paddling Center, is dangerously pitting young swimmers against his paddleboard and kayak guests. The center has leased a portion of the dock from the Port of Hood River since 2014.

On May 18, Anderson told the port’s Board of Commissioners that, until three years ago, signs had been posted designating the dock as a “no swimming” area, without conflict. But since the signs were removed, Anderson said, swimming activity from the dock has increased “exponentially.” Profanity, vulgar language, horseplay, drug use, and minors drinking pose liability and safety concerns, he said. He showed the commission pictures of teens jumping from the seawall, the dock crowded with youths behind the jumpers.

“When the dock is full of people, it’s hard to navigate kayaks and paddleboards down to the water. Carrying large boards in windy conditions is challenging enough. Navigating through 20-plus young kids adds a significant extra challenge,” Anderson said.

The dock in the Nichols Boat Basin provides access to the calm water off the main Columbia River channel, just west of its confluence with Hood River. The tranquil water is a popular spot for watersport launching and swimmers.

The Nichols Basin dock is not the only place where crowding poses dangers to both watersport enthusiasts and visitors on land. Kiteboarders and picnicking families and tourists often congregate on the waterfront lawn of the Event Center, resulting in “dangerously incompatible uses,” when unpredictable winds can cause accidents on shore.

In a letter to port commissioners, Brian Towey, a Hood River resident, described the situation as a “kitemare,” referring to occasions when a kiteboarder loses control of a kite.

“I hope that you will consider signage that explains the danger and unpredictability of wind sports and the associated equipment. It is apparent that many people just don’t know the hazards and would probably move to safer areas if they knew the alternatives available,” Towey wrote. There are already many signs, he said, but they are often ignored.

Back on the Nichols Basin dock, in the 2020 season, about 3,000 people from Anderson’s company launched paddleboards and kayaks from the dock. On the busiest day, more than 50 users per hour were on and off the dock.

Anderson said that, although he leases a portion of the dock, he has no authority to settle conflicts with swimmers. He offered commissioners several suggestions to improve the situation, beginning with returning “no swimming” signs to the dock and establishing rules for the dock including dock capacity limits and paddle sport priorities during peak times. Safer swimming areas for families and youths are just north of the dock, at Marina Swim or Frog beaches, he said. Anderson offered to help the port pay for and install a safer floating dock off Frog Beach.

The port is scheduled to install signage along the waterfront before Memorial Day weekend, Port President John Everitt said. “There’s competing uses for that space and they get more intense every year,” he said.

Parking pre-season passes on sale thru May 26

Already, season parking passes are have become a popular commodity, according to Michael McElwee, port executive director. Parking enforcement started this month with the sale of 717 pre-season passes, compared to 390 passes sold during the same period in 2019.

“There’s every indication that this will be a really busy summer,” he said.

The Port of Hood River sells parking passes for the Event Site and the west Jensen Beach recreational parking lots on a seasonal and daily basis. Daily parking passes are $8 at kiosks located on the waterfront. Season passes, if purchased by May 26, are $100, available online at portofhoodriver.com/waterfront-recreation/purchase-event-site-parking-passes. Parking is free at the city’s Waterfront Park area.