With August coming to a close and the kids heading back to school the summer, tourist season is wrapping up. This summer will be remembered as one of the best for wind conditions in recent history. From the end of June through July, and well into August, we had wind every single day. The heat waves and thunderstorms were manageable and the no-wind days were welcome to give all the wind-sport enthusiast an excuse to take a day off.
That is not to say the summerlike weather, nor the wind, will stop. September can be one of the most enjoyable months on the Columbia. Water temperatures remain warm, the wind can still blow, and we shed a layer of crowds, giving us all a little more space to play.
Two classic summer events took place on the Hood River Waterfront in August. First is the famed King of the Hook. This year marked the 15th year in a row the event took place, with many more in the future. Following two days of easterly gradient and a full day of glassy conditions leading up to the event, the west wind kicked in for an ideal 10 mph breeze. The crowds flocked to the Hook to see the greatest in light wind, old-school, goofy, freestyle fun perform.
The King of the Hook was event veteran Steve Hawk; winning the Groms was Columbia Gorge Windsurfing Association A-Team member, Colson Zach; the Queen was awarded to Erin Sutherland, who wowed the judges and jumped divisions (she entered in the Groms division) due to her outstanding performance. Taking the tandem division was A-Team coach and athlete combo Jonathan Erbele and Kevin Johnston. The Flair award went to Barb Ayers and the Surf Hounds and we had a never-ever windsurfed before award go to Sasha Arora, who bravely competed never having stepped foot on a windsurfing board before!
Another world-class event held on the same weekend was the Naish Columbia Gorge Paddle Challenge. This year’s event was the biggest one yet, with over 350 competitors! Some of the world’s best paddlers flocked to Hood River to participate, along with locals and visiting amateurs alike. Conditions were ideal with no wind for course racing on Saturday out of Waterfront Park and a strong west wind on Sunday for the downwind races.
Winning the pro men’s course race was event veteran Conor Baxter and for the women was Annabel Anderson. For the downwind race, Baxter took first again, and Hood River local, Fiona Wylde, finished first for the women. Head on over to gorgepaddlechallenge.com to see the full results and photos from the weekend.
In unrelated news, this will be my last column. I will be stepping down from my position as executive director for the CGWA at the end of September. I have greatly enjoyed my time here at the CGWA and I am very proud of what we have accomplished. I have learned a lot and have gotten to meet so many great people. The good news is we have a strong board of directors and a dedicated membership that will allow the CGWA to continue to thrive.
We are actively looking for the next executive director and are currently accepting applications. The deadline to apply is Sept. 9 and the start date will be Oct. 1. Visit us at gorgewindsurfing.org for the full job descriptions. To apply, send a resume and cover letter to cgwa@gorge.net.
Thanks for the great times and as always, I hope to see you on the water!
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