SUP,Surf

[C36]

S1 - Wavesailing @ Long Beach (2024 June 27)



Hip. Decided to head over to the island one day early. Highway was shut down in the aftermath of a midnight head-on accident. After being parked on the highway for a couple of hours made it to the ferry terminal and my 6:30 am sailing had turned into a 8:00 am sailing. I was very thankful that they delayed the departure to wait for the people trapped on the highway.

Arrived at Long Beach about 2 pm to two kites and one wing playing in what looked like steady wind and some playful set waves. Flooding low tide of 1.6 m to 2.1 m. Once out on the water the wind was more onshore than I had realized and it made for some work to stay up wind and the wind wave angle made wrapping frontside harder. Still fun and had enough power at times to hit a nice hip jump on the way out and power through a planing duck jibe on the inside! Left side was pretty tender with the fading shingles rash and sized up from medium to large harness to relieve the pain (and it helped). Thankful to get out and I was right in opting out of south Oregon last week as I could barely manage a gentle session at Long Beach! Warm solar shower and parking lot dinner on the beach! Oceanside campsite!

Gallery (to view as a slideshow click on the screen icon top right

S2 - SUP - Long Beach (2024 Jun 28)



French toast at the campsite surrounded by own version of cathedral grove. Hummingbird and ravens came to visit.

Better. Surf checks at Flo and Wick and Long Beach and decided on Long Beach. Slack low tide of 0.8 m. Modest sized south swell was primary and made for some fun rides and easy outs in the lulls. Started at the far north end of the beach up at Esowista (more than a few clean soft rides both rights and lefts), Incinerator (a few more), Lot 5 (one really nice open right with some power), and Lovekin (heavy drop, a couple wobbles and explosion). Better than it looked from the parking lot!

Tailgate lunch at the beach then off to Green Point to set up camp for the next few days.

Gallery (to view as a slideshow click on the screen icon top right

S3 – SUP – Wickaninnish (2024 Jun 29)



Texture. Rain overnight. Started the day eating breakfast at the campsite under the shelter of the tarp. Surf checks at North (small)/South (on-shore mess) Chesterman, Cox Bay (clean but rolling), Long Beach (on-shore mess), and Wickeninnish. Reports from the water at Lot E were “Lovely longboard wave!”, and it looked clean and fun, and the rain had stopped! So Wick it was. Tide had just turned and was flooding 1.4 m to 1.8 m and this seemed to pump the waves up to the next gear – still clean and predicable, but now with some size on offer! Waves were super clean with some side-offshore wind texture to give the board a bit of a hum like waterskiing across textured lake! Some nice clean multi-turn fun-size walls! Spent most of my time just out from Lot C as the dunes near Lot E were BUSY. That was fun! Glad I went out! Dinner and campfire back at the campsite.

Gallery (to view as a slideshow click on the screen icon top right

S4 – SUP Long Beach (2024 Jun 30)



Break. Started the day eating breakfast at the campsite under the shelter of the tarp again. Surf checks at Flo (small, soft, and onshore wind) and Wick (unsettled). Decided on Long Beach. Looked after a couple of repairs and should have got on the higher tide earlier. Ebbing tide of about 1.7 m which made for shorter inside rides. Some decent waves still rolling through, but you had to be patient and well positioned. Nice to have a break in the rain!

Gallery (to view as a slideshow click on the screen icon top right

S5 – SUP Long Beach (2024 Jun 30)



Prison break. Early dinner at the campground followed by a return to Long Beach for a surf check and the promise of an evening glass off with some softer waves on a higher tide of about 3.0 m (water was wrapping Incinerator Rock). Mario had the same idea and we traded waves off Incinerator Rock with about six longboard surfers and about six sealions swimming past in a group. Rights, lefts and a few closeouts too! Beautiful evening light after the day and a half of overcast sky and light rain. One of those out was describing an overseas work experience that was like a prison sentence – well this must have felt like a prison break!

Gallery (to view as a slideshow click on the screen icon top right

S6 – SUP Long Beach(2024 Jul 1)



Morning glory. With the promise of NW wind today I wanted to get to Incinerator Rock early and homestead. Arrived about 8:30 am and got preferred parking at the north end of the lot (waterfront view and some grass to rig on). Similar tide to last night flooding at about 2.5 m. Mario was already out working the peak at Lot 5 so I joined him. Then followed him down to Lovekin and rediscovered the power rights at Lot 4 to Lovekin! Trading bombs with Mario was fun! Great way to start the day celebrating Canada Day!

Gallery (to view as a slideshow click on the screen icon top right

S7 - wavesailing - Long Beach (2024 Jul 1) + WIND GRAPH



Down-the-line. All the wind validators were in place early – clearing sky, fog bank on the horizon, wind rotating from onshore to sideshore. Fun sized waves on an ebbing tide of about 2.2 m to 1.7 m, so decided to get on it early before it got too dumpy. Wind was side-off, but too light catch waves at first. Then there was enough, at times. A few nice clean waves were had! A few proper bottom turns and a few hits made for a fun session! There were even a few rejections in the light wind in the beach break. Bald eagle flew overhead as I walked my gear off the water!

Gallery (to view as a slideshow click on the screen icon top right

S8 – SUP – Long Beach (2024 Jul 2)



Gentle. Morning surf checks at Flo (small and soft) and Wick (onshore wind and stirred up) and Long Beach (glassy and inviting). Decided on Long Beach. Saw ULU out on the water just out from Incinerator Rock enjoying himself, but he came off the water before I could join him. Once I got out I was greeted by soft playful waves in the sun! Rights and lefts on 2.7 slack high tide. Fun that!

Gallery (to view as a slideshow click on the screen icon top right

S9 - wavesailing - Long Beach (2024 Jul 2) + WIND GRAPH



Close. NW was pumping offshore all day long and tried to come onshore during the afternoon, but felt like a heat bubble stopped it from happening. Alex and I both tried and some waves were had, but the wind was so light I was thankful the waves were as gentle as they were on the slack low of 1.6 m and spared us any serious consequences. Glad I tried, but wished the wind had kicked. Jesse arrived back home from the south Oregon Coast all smiles from living van life and scoring sessions at the Cape, Pistol River and the Rogue River mouth!

Gallery (to view as a slideshow click on the screen icon top right

S10 – SUP – Cox Bay (2024 Jul 3)





One and done. ULU did a sunset surf check at Cox Bay the night before and it was angry on short period NW wind swell – eight rows of tumbling whitewater without a clean wave in sight! By morning it had cleaned up some, but there was still a lot of unsettled waves and rolling sea and whitewater on the flooding tide of about 1.0 m. ULU was keen to get on it so we paddled out at the north end of the beach and got lucky with a lull and both made it out the first try. Once outside the set waves had size but were just a touch too fat to catch. Migrated our way to the south end of the beach to find more fat bombs rolling through and after taking a couple on the head realized I had my summer shortboard leash on the board and I was a LONG way off the beach. Decided to play it safe and rode my one wave all the way into the beach! Thought it was an open right, just before the whole thing closed out. Rode the clean reform all the way the beach. ULU stayed out longer and fought the good fight on the rolling sea and was rewarded for his efforts! I walked down to Pettinger Point to do a surf check at Rosie Bay and South Chesterman and they were pretty stirred up too.

Gallery (to view as a slideshow click on the screen icon top right

S11 – SUP – Cox Bay (2024 Jul 3)



Smoother. ULU and I took to the water about 5 pm on the low tide and were treated to a gentler softer version of the morning session. Stil some size on offer, but the ocean as more settled and the sets more predictable. My wave count was way up! This one was way more relaxing!

Gallery (to view as a slideshow click on the screen icon top right

[C36]

S12 – SUP – Cox Bay (2024 Jul 4)






Three. Roy joined ULU and I at Cox Bay so then there were three. Low tide helped make the waves workable. Clean predictable lines were on offer this morning and a few bombs with each of us grabbing some! Unfortunately had my GoPro shut off when Roy dropped in on his bomb at close range and unfortunately missed the money shot – ops! Roy has upped his skills and the time he has put in shows. Fun way to start the day with a reunion session!

Gallery (to view as a slideshow click on the screen icon top right

S13 - Wickaninnish (July 5)



Lucky 13. Got a morning session in at Wick on my travel day. Milked the leftover NW wind swell on a low flooding tide. Started out in the cove with the pack of local surf day camp kids and got a few nice clean warm-up waves. Then moved down to Lot A and worked the peak there with two others. Fun way to start to the day and cap the trip!

Gallery (to view as a slideshow click on the screen icon top right

[C36]

S1 – Mountain Bike – Mount Tzouhalem



Good start. Started the day off right with a mountain bike. Just beat the mid-morning heat and did a two-thirds lap (Double D) and a mini lap (Resurrection). Felt like I rode Double D faster and was able the get clean launches and landings off the wooden ramp drops on Resurrection! Some improvement!

Gallery (to view as a slideshow click on the screen icon top right)
Trailforks log

S2 – Windsurfing – Lake Nitinat



Coast to coast. Morning mountain bike ride on the east side of the island and afternoon windsurf on the west side. Drive in was pretty pleasant – North Cowichan Road was in good shape (8 out of 10), only three slower vehicles throwing dust, and arrived with air in all four tires! Wind was strong, but turned punchy and backed once I took to the water. Nice warm water and the there are less mussels – hurray for bare feet! Got my first carve 360 on the medium board ever – the new Goya Thruster 92 is super fun and versatile! Had to size up to bigger gear (5.3/116) to finish the session off. Saw Riley nose riding with kite on Jesse’s slalom windsurfer – they made it look easy! Fun in the sun! Summer is here! Solar shower and dinner (tofu and grilled vegetables) on the beach! Quick propane campfire and in bed by 8:30 pm. A day well spent!

Gallery (to view as a slideshow click on the screen icon top right)

[C36]

S3 – Windsurfing – Lake Nitinat (2024 Jul 21)





Blasting. Early morning pressure squalls and light rain made it look like maybe the thermal wasn’t going to happen, but it did! Late start but the peak of the wind was solid – stronger than yesterday with some nice swell and ramps starting to push down near the cove in the windsurfing area. Started on demo free race gear – Goya Bolt 107 and Mark X Freerace 6.2. Super fun set-up – frighteningly fast and just keeps spoiling up if you have the nerve to keep the power on! A little unnerving a first then felt more and more comfortable as I got it tuned for me (tighter footstraps, harness lines closer together and more forward, mast foot forward a touch). Tacks started out wet and ended up dry. Gybes were working too once I remembered to open up the radius and slow down all the mechanics. I had some rides today that felt like they were fastest I have ever had! Sailed up and around the island. Almost dry – thought I had it but a deep lull in the windshadow of the island got me wet! Played around out front and further down by the cove. I spent a lot of time on race gear when I was younger and Goya has this stuff figure out – super fast, but very easy going and playful! Crazy how stable the freerace gear was in the building wind and building chop! Then switched off to 4.5/92 Thruster and was fully powered! Super fun using the contrasting gear back-to-back! Thanks Jesse/Dirty Mermaid (shop)! Sunset dinner on the beach, short propane campfire and early to bed again! Another full day!

Gallery (to view as a slideshow click on the screen icon top right)

S4 – wavesailing – Long Beach (2024 Jul 22)



My crab! Travel day from Nitinat to Tofino. Light morning inflow and overcast sky had me feeling the draw for the coast even more so left about 11 am. Helped a father with four kids with two fat tires by leaving him my air compressor once he got his second spare patched. Happy to help (as I remember how comforting is was when other stopped to make sure I had what I needed when I shredded one of my tires)! The rumours are true! The road between Bamfield and Port Alberni (Bamfield Main) is now paved! Way more relaxing to drive! Especially that long climb before China Creek. Wind checks at China Creek (~6.0 + big board, 1 m kite, 6 m wing) and Canal Beach (even less). That’s when the text came in, “Long Beach is windy!” Plan A confirmed! Arrived at the beach to see Riley (on kite) and Jesse (on wing) out on the water. There was wind and it looked puffy, but workable. Rigged 6.3/116 and got on it. First ride out was launch, stop, launch, stop, launch, stop and wicked forearm pump! Oh no! Tuned my sail (3/4 flat) and boom height (up a notch) and that helped! Jumping on the way out often! Not much swell, but some should high nuggets on the ebbing high of about 2.9 m to 2.5 m! More waves caught than lost and smiles all around from the crew (including the crab hunting in the shallows)! As Riley said, finally some wind!

Gallery (to view as a slideshow click on the screen icon top right)

S5 – SUP – Long Beach (2024 Jul 23)



Morning glass. Surf checks at Long Beach, Flo and Wick and decided to return back to Long Beach. Slack low for about 0.1 m made for long open glassy waist to chest-high waves! Way more than it looked from beach! Long open rights again and again! Super fun way to start the day! Breakfast in the parking lot followed.

Gallery (to view as a slideshow click on the screen icon top right)

[C36]

S6 - mountain bike - Mount Ozzard (2024 Jul 23)



Bike park. Dropped some stuff off at a temp storage locker before heading up the mountain. Last time out there we parked our two cars at the bottom of the first steep grade. This time the Odyssey made it up all the rock crawling climbs to the second parking lot (and back down again)! The Taco would be proud! This part of the mountain is very different then the stuff we rode last time. Three of the four trails are machine built and one is climbing trail.

The climbing trail ʔapp̓iʕas (up-pee-us) is a bit of grunt with some loose rock punching sections with some gentle rolling terrain that lets you build some momentum once you have a mental map. The climbing trail feeds one black and two blue. The black was hand built and rides like something on the north shore. The two blues are machine built flow trails.

c̓itkʕaaʔat̓as (sitk-augh-a-tus) was the second, a super fun blue flow trail with rolls than can be pumped or jumped. This trail is consistent from top to bottom. This is the one we returned back to for our fourth lap!

The third trail we rode was č̓itxʷaa ḥiyii (Jit-hwah Hy-eee). This one starts off with a couple of features and optional side hits and some tighter technical stuff up top then opens into large sweeping berms turns that feel like bowls! This one feels like two contrasting trails in one.

The fourth trail we rode was c̓aaʔułan̓uł (tsa-oolth-a-noolth) the hand built black and I was able to ride it all blind the first run down (except for the last drop onto the road) – which I cannot say was the case with the other (dark) black trails on the west side the mountain. Jesse said the builder wanted something easier and I would say that is what they created.

This cluster of trails provide a great mix of three choices plus a challenging climbing trail. The builders were skilled and did great work! These trails would be right at home in any bike park and can be ridden by a range of riders. This section of trails is worth a ride, if you dare drive up the access road! When we drove down there were four AWD SUVs parked at the bottom of the first hill who all opted to walk/ride in.

Gallery (to view as a slideshow click on the screen icon top right)
Trailforks log

S7 - wavesailing - Long Beach (2024 Jul 24)



Soft pillows. Riley and Kevin wing boarded North Chesterman during a wind/surf check and the wind freshened. Then the call was made to head to Long Beach to join Jesse and one other. This was the right move. The other three sailed below and above Lovekin and I stayed higher launching from just below Incinerator Rock. Wind was on and there was some small playful swell. Long soft sluffing waves were on offer on the 3.3 m slack high tide with enough wind to position and catch target wave after wave! Several people on the beach commented that my windsurfing ‘looked like fun’ and ‘It was the right tool for the job today!’ Session was followed by local cold smoked salmon and salad on the beach! Yet another great day!

Gallery (to view as a slideshow click on the screen icon top right)

S8 - SUP - Long Beach (2024 Jul 25)



Loon calling at dawn. Clear calm morning so checked out Long Beach early (about 9 am by the time I got there). Tide was really low at 0.5 m low slack tide. I counted 270 paces out to the water from the far (west) side of Incinerator Rock! Water was so far out the sand was almost reaching Lovekin and it felt like you were between or even beyond a line between the two islands (Esowista and Lovekin).

It looked stirred up and small from the beach but once out on the water it was calm and smooth. Beautiful the way you could see through the emerald water to the bottom. Because the waves were travelling over a long flat shallow bank they were gentle - slowly rise up and would stay like that all the way to the beach where only then would they break! Like yesterday, but even better because it looked unsettled from the beach!

I tried four breaks from above Incinerator Rick down to Lovekin, but the first was the best (long clean rides)! Such a treat! So worth it!

Breakfast after morning SUP in the parking lot.

Gallery (to view as a slideshow click on the screen icon top right)

S9 - wavesailing - Long Beach (2024 Jul 25)



Gentle. Really wanted to wavesail South Chesterman, but there was next to no surf on offer. Went to Long Beach and sailed Incinerator Rock instead. Lots of water on a slack high of about 3.4 m. Wind was a touch lighter than yesterday so it was slog and ride this time. Started out below Incinerator Rock, but moved above and had the whole place to myself! Funny part was I caught one wave (a medium-sized clean south swell) that really had the shape and feel of a South Chesterman swell! Lots of hits, clean and open right with a nice steep face that I rode all the way down to the rock! It felt like I was treated to about 10 hits on that one! Nice that I got my South Chesterman session in at Long Beach! Solar shower in the parking lot and dinner on the beach!

Gallery (to view as a slideshow click on the screen icon top right)

[C36]

S10 – SUP – Cox Bay (2024 Jul 27)







Bday bombs! On Friday I moved camp and upgraded to Surf Grove, but missed the mid-day Cox Bay glass in the sun and by the time I got set up the onshore wind had set in and blew until dark. I resigned myself to a day off being a rest day. I went to bed early and woke up at 7 am after a solid 10 hour sleep to morning fog, but settled glassy waves. Tide was ebbing at about 2 meters. Time to get on it. Paddle out the seam about the Maltby path. Made it out relatively easily and was confronted with some rather steep lines of swell. After getting organized, caught more than a few bombs – both lefts and rights and was surprised at the power and speed of the rights! This was fun! There were two liquid mountains that rolled through in tandem, but I overestimated their steepness and underestimated the amount of power required to catch them and missed them due to operator error (silly me). Later I paddled down to mid-beach and the out off the north pathway, but the rights there were tougher to catch. Caught one nice one to exit!

Afterward I was chatting with my daughter and it hit me that this was my first birthday without my Dad. The man who fathered my birth was no longer on this planet. The grief hit me hard. Later my son Ethan said his sense was one of those waves I caught this morning was for my Dad! What a special thought! One that lightened my heart! What a wonderful birthday gift!

Gallery (to view as a slideshow click on the screen icon top right)

S11 - SUP - Cox Bay (2024 Jul 27)



Sun! Decided to take advantage of the mid-afternoon sunshine. Tide was flooding at about 2 meters. Some wind from the south so paddled down to the south end of the bay to hide from the sideshore wind that thankfully backed about halfway through the session. This took me into the corner to a nice clean peak offering rights and lefts. This was a super fun spot. Nice clean waves that if you kicked out at the right time and paddled out on the shoulder you could just cycle like on a point break! Dinner in the great room at the Long Beach Lodge to cap the day!

Gallery (to view as a slideshow click on the screen icon top right)

S12 - SUP - Cox Bay (2024 Jul 28)





Modest. Looks like the powerful waves of yesterday morning were a one time offer. This morning the waves were modest, but workable. That suited me just fine – a nice easy warm-up session to start the day! Only a few out on the water. Tide was ebbing at about 2.5 meters. Started at the south end of the beach again just below Maltby pathway and caught more than a few but there was less margin for error today as the take-off zone was smaller. Then started working my way along the beach pushed by the south wind. Mid beach had a little more size and power. North end of the beach was busy with short rides so only took a couple here and exited. Back to Surf Grove for a warm outdoor shower and breakfast!

Gallery (to view as a slideshow click on the screen icon top right)

S13 - SUP - Cox Bay (2024 Jul 29)



First ride. Soggy camping gear was packed up early so I took advantage of the break in the rain on my ravel day. There were options everywhere. Spent most of my time at the south end of the beach again before moving to mid-beach and then north end. The best part of the session was encouraging someone learning to graduate from being a tippy-toe-surfer (standing on the bottom as deep as they could) to paddling out and paddling into their first wave! They were so stoked! Fun helping to make that experience happen!

Gallery (to view as a slideshow click on the screen icon top right)

S14 - mountain bike - Stevie Smith Bike Park (2024 Jul 29)



Quick stop. Quick stop at the Stevie Smith Bike Park to dry out camping gear (almost worked until the rain started), pick some blackberries (for of the season for me), and ride the jump lines, pump track and skills park. Trailforks says 5 km, 10 laps of the jump line, and 50 minutes in total! The second generation jump lines are super fun! Inspiring seeing to guys killing the double black jump line!

Gallery (to view as a slideshow click on the screen icon top right)

Train Forks ride log

[ShonanDB]

Looks like a great trip Dave!

Just returned from a few weeks in Japan and got one day in the water at my old surf break, Kugenuma Kaigan in Kanagawa. There was a slow moving Typhoon South of Taiwan that was sending a 2 to 3m NE swell that was wrapping into Sagami Bay and surprisingly setting up regular 2 to 3 set shoulder to head high waves. Met up with an old surfing buddy who brought an extra short board for me to use and got about 2 hours in before it got too messy with the onshore wind.

Surfed in shorts as the water temp was 25C (33C air temp) and with the decent swell, it wasn't crowded. Took the first few sets on the head as my duck diving was a little rusty and being completely out of shape didn't help much but it didn't take long to get dialed in. Hardly any current and with the sandy bottom break, sat on a consistent peak to the right of a river mouth. My buddy Daisuke mentioned that there always seem to be waves when we visit Japan since we moved back to Canada in 2007. He asked me to visit more often...

There was one day windy enough to windsurf but as I gave away all the gear I had in Japan a few years ago, I didn't sail. None of the local water sports shops in the Shonan area rent windsurfing gear anymore so all I could do was watch. Surprised to see that there were no Kiters to be seen anywhere, just windsurfers and wingers on foils.

Looking forward to get back on the water locally again as it has been a while.

[C36]

S1 - windsurfing – Doug’s Beach (2024 Aug 22)

Travel day with Ethan. Stopped at Edgefield in Troutdale for a late lunch. Arrived late in the day to overcast sky, pulses of rain, and rains squalls. Wind/swell check at Lyle. Chatter on the beach was 9 m kites and frustratingly gusty so Ethan took and pass and I took to the water at Doug’s Beach for a quick rinse. Enough evening wind for the 4.5/92 and some swell to keep it interesting. Osprey fishing and checking out Ethan. Military helicopters flying overhead in formation was a little unnerving. Nice to get a welcome session in! Camped at Memaloose and was very pleased we got the tent up without the pouring rain that was streaming down in Hood River!

Gallery to view as a slideshow click on the screen icon top right

S2 – windsurfing – Swell City (2024 Aug 26)

Hike + rinse. Late start forecast provided the chance to hike Wind Mountain. What a spectacular and place brimming with spiritual energy! The wind did kick late afternoon to provide a nice rinse in the river! Some swell. Always fun sailing a familiar spot in light conditions. Jumps, swell rides, downwind carve360, and more! It’s all good in the hood!

Mini Gallery (lost some files dues to corrupted USB) to view as a slideshow click on the screen icon top right

S3 – windsurfing – Doug’s Beach (2024 Aug 27)

Solo. Morning session aiming to double up today before the wind shut down in the Gorge. Train blocking the trail crossing cause some delay in getting to water – good exercise in being present and staying patient. Wind was light at the beach, but cranking out in the channel! Feast and famine sailing (not enough, then too much)! Some decent swell rolling through! Made it all work. Fun in a challenging kind of way!

Mini Gallery (lost some files dues to corrupted USB) to view as a slideshow click on the screen icon top right


S4 – windsurfing – Lyle (2024 Aug 27)

Hard knocks. Ethan joined for a afternoon session and it felt like we were swimming up stream – wind backed by the time we got rigged and ready (7m and 4.5/92 were both on the small side); rats nest of tangled lines; and Ethan hit a log, lost one fin, puncture the surfboard. The good news is we did get a few short rides together and we made it to the Thai food truck to pick-up dinner before it closed!

Mini Gallery (lost some files dues to corrupted USB) to view as a slideshow click on the screen icon top right

S5 – wavesailing – Newport South Jetty (2024 Aug 28)

Clean sets. Decided to pop to the north coast to try and take advantage of the two days of wind forecast. Hit so hit Newport first. Arrived to solid wind and the big kids (JP, Dan Thompson and others) launching from the South Jetty State Park proper, but the low tide shore pound was less than inviting. I decided to launch from the south jetty access and sail down to them mid-beach. The waves didn’t look like much in the lee of the jetty but once out on the water what a treat! The clean open sets reminded me of South Chesterman on a chest-high day! Pure pleasure! You could dial-a-wave-size, increasing the size by sailing downwind! 4.5/92 slog and ride for me. Super fun session and great surprise return back to the Oregon Coast!

Mini Gallery (lost some files dues to corrupted USB) to view as a slideshow click on the screen icon top right

S6 – wavesailing – Oceanside (2024 Aug 29)

North. Took my time cooking French Toast at the campsite and arrived at South Jetty State Park around noon to find Dan. He said most of the other were headed to Oceanside as there wasn’t much wind forecast for Newport today. Thanks for the reminder that Newport is central Oregon and not north Oregon! Silly me. Slight delay while I retrieved my tent then two hour north along the spectacular coast! Another reminder that Oregon is huge! First time to Oceanside and what a treat it is! We got sideshore wind, but was told it can be side-off. Reminded me of Long Beach with steadier wind. Swell was small, but there were rides to be had. Glad I got on it early as the sets were cleaner and easier to find. Big gear needed (5.3/116 for me). Some wavesailing on the inside and windsurfing on the outside. This was a great cool-down session to cap off my Oregon trip!

Gutted that my USB got corrupted and lost most of the windsport pictures from the trip as it felt like I got some good shots of the others sailing Newport and Oceanside. Oh well, better to have got the sessions and lost the pictures rather than the other way around.

Mini Gallery (lost some files dues to corrupted USB) to view as a slideshow click on the screen icon top right

[C36]

S1 - SUP – Long Beach (2025 Apr 17)



Migrating. I migrated west across Vancouver Island and the birds were migrating north for the summer! Surf checks at Flo (gentle, clean, but round), Wick (small and onshore wind), and Long Beach (a little bigger but some onshore wind chop) and decided on Long Beach even though there was chatter on the beach that Cox Bay was bigger. Took to the water and paddled into my first target wave! That was a confidence booster! Caught many, but lost many to the fat waves, chop, and wind. Those caught were often clean and open with more than a few runners with multiple turns! Fun session! It all came back pretty quickly – just like riding a bike! Treated to a dinner-time show of the locals enjoying the evening glass off with their logs (long boards)! Playful SUP session, dinner on the beach, oceanside sunset meditation and campfire ring made for the perfect opening day!

Gallery (to view as a slideshow click on the screen icon top right)

S2 - SUP – Long Beach (2025 Apr 18)



Was looking to SUP as a hedge in case the afternoon wind didn’t show up. Surf checks at Flo (small and mix of swell), Wick (smaller), and Long Beach (clean and decent size), but decided on breakfast first. Onshore wind came up which delayed taking to the water. Midafternoon the wind backed and it looked like it had cleaned up on the flooding tide. Out on the water it was rollie and the waves were dumpy. Worked my was down to Lovekin and caught a few of the larger ones, but it was a lot of work – lots of moving water and waves have some mass to them. Best part of the morning was hearing Jesse and Maxim’s crazy downwind wing adventure from Long Beach to Ukee that got cut short at Flo! Glad both made it in safely!

Gallery (to view as a slideshow click on the screen icon top right)

S3 – wave sailing – Long Beach (2025 Apr 18)





Swims. Whales were spouting. Wind was late arriving. Rigged twice. Sailed once. First time the wind backed when I got the waters edge. And I waited and waited and waited. Jesse paddled his wing out, but I had a puff of wind, puttered out and got rejected. Decided to pack it in. Packed everything in the van and had a chilly outdoor shower. Rain stopped and the wind filled in. Rerigged and joined Jesse. Got two sweet down-the-line wave rides that were just magic, three long swims and took about a dozen waves on the head! During one washing I though I broke my left thumb ~ even in the cold water it was tender and slightly swollen. Luckly it turned out to just be a contusion. Treated to a golden sunset! Derigged and cooked dinner in the dark. A reminder to always keep trying!

Gallery (to view as a slideshow click on the screen icon top right)

S4 – wave sailing – Long Beach (2025 Apr 19)





Early bird. Up at 5 am and got rock star parking at Incinerator Rock for the main event! Treated to moonlight over the ocean waves. Ozy gave me a runners toe condom (to protect a sore toe). Morning rest in the van with the melody of ocean waves and morning songs from the birds! Ozy, Dunkinguy and myself found the island dish soap co-op. Jesse hosted an open house in his new van. Sun, more wind, and big smooth waves made for big smiles! Shore pound on the low tide took some care (for me). Ozy kindly said I was wave king amongst the early birds (high wave count and scoring set waves, not necessarily execution)!

Gallery (to view as a slideshow click on the screen icon top right)

S5 – wave sailing – Long Beach (2025 Apr 19)









Hate. Angry late afternoon session with more wind and higher tide. Rigged smaller gear, but it was a punishing session with huge gusts and lulls and lots of wind chop. Close encounter with a sea lion breaching – luckily they were about six feet away! Caught a few rides and called it day. Warm solar shower was the best part of the session! Jesse’s pizza oven (and pizza) was a big hit for hot beachside apes!

Gallery (to view as a slideshow click on the screen icon top right)

[C36]

S6 – wave sailing – Long Beach (2025 Apr 20)





Bark. Got on it early at about 11 am and it was light and shifty. Then switch back to side on-shore making Long Beach feel like Pistol River. Group of sea lions were rafting on the outside and barking at us make it feel like Columbia Beach! The crew was firing again, this time with jumps on offer. Jesse and Maxim did an upwind/downwind wind run to Schooners Cove. More fun in the sun!

Gallery (to view as a slideshow click on the screen icon top right)

S7 – wave sailing – Long Beach (2025 Apr 20)







Underdressed. Wind kept pumping all day and returned to the water mid-afternoon for a second session. Started out on the same gear but it proved too much. Rigged down to 4.5/92 and that was much better! It was fun again. Actually able to catch target waves and even banged off a few jumps! Nice to see AJ having fun and stepping up his game! I had been getting chilled over the last few days so decided to put on a warmer winter suit (5.5/4 mm with hood) instead of the Oregon coast summer (5/4 mm suit sans hood). The warmer winter suit kept me toasty! Silly me I had been underdressed all week. Debriefing dinner at the brew pub in Ukee (good food) to cap the day!

Gallery (to view as a slideshow click on the screen icon top right)

S8 – wave sailing – Long Beach (2025 Apr 21)





Whale watching. Lunch served from Tsawwassen’s food truck! Late afternoon cooldown session on big gear. About six whales spouting in the bay! One adult sea lion checking me out. Light wind made for torpedoing your way out through hollow wave faces in the light wind swell and more backside riding than frontside, but got a few frontside rides too! One pump away from making about a half dozen more target waves. Sun, waves and some wind! All good! Special thanks to Tsawwassen for taking water shots today!

Gallery (to view as a slideshow click on the screen icon top right)

S9 - SUP - Long Beach (2025 Apr 22)





Morning. Quick SUP before starting the trip back. Started mid-beach off Lot 5 and caught a few of the mixed NW wind swell waves. Then headed up to tinnies and scored some clean widely spaced background south swell! Some clean runners to the right that provided for multiple hits at both spots! I enjoyed that!

Gallery (to view as a slideshow click on the screen icon top right)

Overall a great six day trip with sunny weather, lots of northwest flow, 9 sessions (3 SUP and 6 wavesailing), all at Long Beach, wavesailing on 4 consecutive days, great crew! Very grateful!!!