Oregon Coast in the Summer

[lakesailor17]

Every summer, I find a place in hood river for a few weeks and relocate my office as a way of increasing my sailing time. I live in a non-windy place. I usually work in the morning on my laptop and sail in the afternoon.

For 2009, I thought about using an rv because it would give me access to the coast if there were wind and waves. Does groundswell make it’s way to the oregon coast in the summer? And, does it often coincide with wind? I’m looking for head high surf and 5.5 wind?

Thanks,
Jon

[isobars]

HELL, yes, the OR coast provides good, sometimes excellent, summertime wind, swell, and waves ... if you can manage the rip current. The wind is gusty/holey, which with the strong rip makes staying upwind a challenge. Wind ranges from not enough to 6.0 to 3.0, with swell from nada to >12 feet and wave faces from zero well into the double digits. The further south you drive, the bigger the payoff ... or the skunk. Google Pistol River and Florence windsurfing, for example.

There are penalties. Forecasts are no better than they are anywhere else so skunks are frequent, the best stuff is a 6-7 hour drive from HR, the portage from car to surf is bad to brutal @ up to 200 yards over dunes in very strong and gusty winds, tourists think any gear you're not actually holding on to is theirs to "salvage", the wind in the impact zone is very different from that on either side so picking a sail size and staying upwind can be major challenges, the wind drops off significantly and quickly if you lose ground to the rip or just go too far down the line, the walk back upwind would challenge an NFL fullback, the water temps often require at least a dry suit and sometimes a dry suit over a shorty plus hood/mitts/booties, at Florence your RV will gain scores of pounds of sand in absolutely every nook and cranny from your bed to your engine compartment to your engine and cabin air flow systems, and camping is hot as hell (if it's windy, it's 50 degrees on the beach and 100 degrees 300 meters inland) and tougher every year to find as ever more towns and counties shut it down.

Now, I can and have overcome those nuisances (not Florence; great but frigid sailing (air and water in the 40s with the air solidly packed with sand, salt, and mist), but here's why I don't drive to the coast just for WSing any more: at most spots -- Pistol being the best exception -- the wind blows primarily from mid-PM until suppertime, which puts the sun directly into your optic nerve and straight to your brain. All I can see when outbound into all that juicy swell and waves is the radius and ulna of my front forearm, which is tightly across my eyes to stop the pain. Seriously, it made the coast unsailable for me even on the 20% of trips in the forecast wind came through. What good's a 12-foot face if I don't know it's there until I drop off its backside? Sunglasses do me no good; they stay totally fogged over 100% of the time even with 10 kinds of antifog crap on double lens systems. Screw it. The best day I've had there was in very heavy fog, which isn't usually windy but was that day; I could actually see the water, and it was a blast.

But many people love OR coast sailing. They've somehow mastered all those hassles.

Better yet, the OR coast is probably the most beautiful accessible coast on the continent. Wind is just a bonus, so even a skunk is a good trip. Every twist and turn offers different views and hiking, every inch of which is yours to enjoy.

Then when the coast stops blowing, you rush to Jones beach 30 miles east of Astoria, sail small gear for a few days until it quits, then rush back to the Gorge for a few more days on small gear; one -- and usually only one -- of those regions blows most summer days in the textbook summer. In that ideal summer pattern we can follow the heat lows around this "magic triangle" -- southern OR coast, northern OR coast, Jones Beach, Gorge, rinse and repeat -- for much of the summer for more sailing than most people can handle.

Mike \m/

[wsmike]

I used to live in Eugene and made frequent trips to Florence in the summer. In my experience, the wind would reliably kick up between noon and 2pm, and increase often until the sun went down. On long summer days that gives plenty of sailing time. Sometimes it does get fogged in but usually the fog bank hangs out just about 5 miles north for some reason. I don't remember the glare being an issue for me, I guess it depends on your tolerance level or tendency to complain.

The schlep to the beach from the jetty is fairly brutal and may require a few rests on a very windy day but once there, if you sail fairly close to the jetty you can avoid a lot of the rip current (also easier to get out over the smaller waves). Just ride the swell escalator back north on your way in, I only had trouble staying upwind a few times when I spilled in the waves and got the free shuttle south. Walking upwind requires carrying technique of over-the-head method, once you get it down its not bad.

If you have any questions or just want to shoot the breeze, everybody who sails there (that I've met) has been very kind and glad to offer tips and techniques to a newcomer.

All this and more (priceless) info can be found on the yahoo group PDXWindsurfers forum. You have to join (I think) to view the Oregon Coast Sailing Guide, but its a treasure trove of tried and true methods, weather indicators, site specific guides, channel information, tides and tons more. If you plan on sailing the coast, this is a MUST HAVE!

[andymc4610]

I too lived in Eugene and sailed florence in the late 80's-90's great spot. My only complaint is unlike hawaii the waves do not come in sets. So on logo and above days crashing in the impact zones is not fun. Also been there on big days when windsurfing tourist drowned and lots of gear gets mangled. long walk up the beach and I always had problems staying upwind, my gear sucked at the time.

[isobars]

[wsmike]

Hey iso, maybe try wearing some welding glasses on the way out! or maybe a good set of polarized glasses, or try bearing off or pointing up from dead into the heart of the sun. A lot of the time the sail is between me and the sun since wind is northerly. Maybe you are somehow on the wrong side of the sail?

[isobars]

I did. They fogged up.

Polarized reduces the water glare, but not the newcular pile.

Newport/Agate Beach, where I most often went, has a westerly tilt to its wind, putting Old Sol on the outbound summertime centerline.

I tried sailing on the other side of the sail half the time, but that always took me back towards shore. Funny how that worked.

Mike \m/

[maui95]

LeeD again...
I haven't sailed N of Florence, but between there, Face, Pistol (Seb or whatever), and Floras (yes, they let you if you're good enough...low tides of course), the shleps are only long at Florence, and I've never had any vision problems at any of the spots....
Then again, maybe I like to bear off and jump heading out, not pinch upwind heading out. Did notice some glare pinching at the CapeS, but then I just beared off and looked for low, long jumps.
Didn't ever seem cold in my 3 trips camping at Floras....ha ha, I KNOW a really cute chick whose parents own a house just behind Wills.... now if I can just get rid of her boyfriend .......
Floras is the cheapest camping, 20 minutes to Face, 45 from Pistol, and a little longer maybe to Flos.
I hear it can get really cold, but on my trips around August, water was fine at 50, airs maybe a touch warmer, just like here in Spring. 4/3 suit, don't fall in every move, wear booties and hood.
Good spots, about 7 hours from SFBay.

[shreddbob]

Mike,
Have you tried a Pro Motion "Surf Cap" type hood? The visor on mine shields my eyes very well. Actually, I had to trim it a bit so it didn't obstruct my vision. This has been my solution to solar glare when sunglasses get all fogged and I can't use them.

[D-wo]

The Oregon Coast is cold, foggy, sandy, sharky, too far to walk, full of glare, did I mention cold, make that real cold and it fricken rocks. When the conditions are good in the right spot (mostly Florence, Face Rock, Oceanside, Pistol and sometimes Astoria) they can be world class. Pistol has the most wind but not as much down the line wave sailing - it's sort of like Waddell on steroids. Florence has a better wind direction for front side bottom turns and sometimes smoother waves (although it gets maddenly choppy at certain tides). Be ready for the cold, cuz it is cold, but that keeps the crowds away. There nearly always seems to be some surf...and it can be big. My rule for the Oregon Coast: If it looks flat, then there is probably some surf; if it looks small then there is probably some decent surf; if it looks medium sized then it is big; and if it looks big then be sure you know what the hell you're doing. If you're worried about staying upwind stick to Florence and Pistol. Florence has the jetty and Pistol has so much wind that you can't help but point. Pistol can be challenging on big days so eat your Wheaties and learn how not to jump on steep ramps. That was the best tip anyone ever gave me there.