Thanks for Rowena Rescue

[pahtoe]

I crashed hard in the middle of the shipping lane at Rowena yesterday, busting the line on my boom clamp. With the sternwheeler at Doug's and bearing down, and my boom flapping around my sail like a busted chicken bone, I opted to get my ass--and my rig--out of the way posthaste, swimming about 200 yards to the north shore.

As I was sitting on the sharp rocks trying to thread the frayed end of the remaining line back through the cleat eye, puzzling over how I was going to make a skinny adapter to replace the one I lost in the crash, Jeff sailed up and asked how I was doing.

When he heard about my idea to fashion my rash guard into an adapter and saw my struggle with the frayed line (I now resolve to carry extra line with me on every outing), without any hesitation he offered to sail back to the other side and get me both from his rig: "I got all that stuff."

While I waited for Jeff to come back, several sailors came by and offered their help too.

I want to say thanks to Jeff, who spared me the rash guard experiment or its alternative--which I imagine would be a dicey barefoot clamber over the train tracks to stick my thumb out on HWY 14. I also want to thank all the other alert sailors who noticed me on the far shore and offered their help.

There are a lot of things I love about our sport, but none as much as the people who sail.

[combs]

I agree completely! My wife and I just moved to the Gorge and are continually impressed with the high level of concern sailors have for each other. A few examples come immediately to mind:

-On my second session at Stevenson this spring, I lost my fin on the far side of the river. I attached my harness to the rear footstrap and positioned the bar at the bottom of the board. This worked well to get me most of the way back to the beach, until my harness worked its way off the board and floated away. I was able to swim my rig the rest of the way back to the beach, where to my surprise, someone had already rescued my harness and gave it to my wife (I believe the good soul was named Penny?). Others on the beach actually apologized for not trying to tow me in, and explained they were busy helping another unfortunate sailor who broke his mast while sailing.

-We were sailing at Mosier this weekend and watched a sailor with a broken mast quickly get towed in by a lady-sailor (Karen from HR), even though she had never attempted the procedure before!

this is a great improvement from my days sailing at Cabrillo Beach in LA, breaking a mast and swimming my rig in for what seemed like a mile, as I watch the other dozen sailors continuously ignore my plight.

-Proud to be part of such an impressive community!

[trburl]

Seriously, Windsurfers, for the most part, reach out and render assistance in the most amazing ways. Life changing ways....

Too long of a story to recount here, but, in 2003 I was drifting through a personal hell I cannot relate in a paragraph.

My salvation started with Bob McKenna in May of 2003, in Pacifica, CA.

Further salvation by way of Mike Fuchs in May of 2004, the Gorge.

It continued with Keith Holland in October of 2005 in Paia, Maui.

It moved further with Kai Katchadorian in October of 2005, at Hookipa.

Har Rai Khalsa and Family were most influential from 06' to today/beyond in my home state of Oregon.

Matt Doces, Mark Erickson, Trudy Lary, Jarret McPeek, you just got called out for being righteous too.

Clay Feeter stepped up to the plate during the winter of 2007-2008 and offered some well timed venting and clarity via publishing my writing.

In May 2008 I met Whit and Tyson Poor, and they were/are just as willing to offer their Aloha as the aforementioned windsurfers. No Pro Ego's there, nice job Dave and Sue!

I'm sure I've missed a few people, but this applies to you too.

Truth be told, I might still be swimming around in that personal Hell of 2003 without my family and a bunch of thoughtful windsurfers.

Thankfully, in my own small ways, I've been able to give back to these sailors in a way that makes me realize, what comes around, does in fact, go around.

I've seen plenty of jackass windsurfers (I mean, Euro attitude on Maui? You ain't Local, CUZ), and in my first attempts to waterstart I was allowed to drift for an hour at Rowena, in late October, because I was too exhausted to try anymore. I barely made it shore alone, cramping like a dehydrated castaway.

But, when it really counts, soul sailors seem to have a way of showing up and offering whatever it is you need:

Aloha
Support
Friendship
Guidance
Stoke
Downhaul line
Mast extension
Redemption
Love

There was a time when I'd show up just to sail because I loved it so damn much. I knew no one, and no one knew me. That was a much more selfish time for me.

Now, although I still show up to sail because I love it, I show up for the Love!

Without it, my sessions wouldn't be worth jack sh*t!

Tom Burlingame

[windsurf64]

Jeff has been a regular in the Gorge longer than most of us and still going at it with gusto. Not a selfish bone in his body and a heck of a lot of fun to hang out with. Lucky to have a friend like him....you too Tom. We've all had our "breakdowns" over the years in one form or other and giving back is little to ask.