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Foil God at the Hatch Wed. morning !! ??
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biffmalibu



Joined: 30 May 2008
Posts: 556

PostPosted: Fri Sep 14, 2018 11:58 am    Post subject: Cool photo of sharing. Reply with quote

But I am pretty sure that is the east end of RUFUS, not Hood River.

The "mow zone" at Rufus is almost nonexistent, although there are still many smart and competent windsurfers who shred there, to the west side of Rufus. By contrast, the mow zone at the Hatchery is enormous, crowded, geriatric, and most windsurfers there appear to never think of looking upwind for surf-style shredders. Therefore, Rufus is much more conducive to downwind and upwind traffic and quite a bit safer as a consequence than the Hatchery. Also, I find the competency level at Rufus to be far superior. It's a lot less stressful than the Hatchery. What a relief and pleasure it is to shred there! Surf-style rules generally apply.
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jingebritsen



Joined: 21 Aug 2002
Posts: 3371

PostPosted: Mon Sep 17, 2018 5:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

rufus is my favorite spot on the columbia river.
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evergreenhighway



Joined: 27 Jun 1999
Posts: 21

PostPosted: Thu Sep 20, 2018 10:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bart is right. Learn somewhere else and they don’t have ROW. So now what? They must be very comfortable being around a lot of high end wind chasers. You may not get that swell all to yourself anymore. If you’re at the hatchery on the inside you’re in the big time. Can’t cut it than get the heck out of there! It’s not like the rest of the river folks. And you get what you get and don’t throw a fit😊
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scottwerden



Joined: 11 Jul 1999
Posts: 302

PostPosted: Tue Dec 04, 2018 12:24 am    Post subject: Re: Cool photo of sharing. Reply with quote

biffmalibu wrote:
Surf-style rules generally apply.


I have no idea what that means in this context. Surf rules are designed for people sitting motionless at a peeling break and define who gets to take the wave. Windsurfers are certainly not sitting motionless and Rufus is certainly not a peeling wave. The problem with gorge waves is that they are really just big faces that never break - people can go right or left and there is no definition of where the "peak" is so it is unknown who has priority on the wave. It is crazy to think surfer rules apply to gorge windsurfers.
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biffmalibu



Joined: 30 May 2008
Posts: 556

PostPosted: Tue Dec 04, 2018 11:17 am    Post subject: Re: Cool photo of sharing. Reply with quote

scottwerden wrote:
biffmalibu wrote:
Surf-style rules generally apply.


I have no idea what that means in this context.


I will clarify, although I know it has been discussed many times before. This will not be about the supposed moral superiority of ocean wave surfing vs. Gorge swell riding/surfing.

Rufus is one of the few areas in the Gorge where it seems MOST everybody understands there is enough room and big enough swell, whether you're a windsurfer, kiter, foiler, etc. who is getting a super-fun extended ride on swell (essentially wind-aided surfing rather than the typical Gorge skipping), that you can and should back off when you see someone surfing swell even though YOU technically might have right of way on starboard. Surfing on the river is fun, difficult, and usually done underpowered. You do not need a breaking wave to surf, with a little power from the wind or a paddle. It is a shame to get run off a swell by some windskipping DICK yelling "starboard!" who can plainly see with plenty of time to avoid. But it still happens, sadly.

There are not a lot of mowers and there is a lot of space between Rufus and The Wall. And it is usually shared well by the mix of wind and paddle-powered skippers, foilers, and surfers who understand how much fun it is to be creative going downwind on extended swell rides. So, much like surfing rules, if there is somebody already surfing, let them surf and don't run the surfer off the swell while loudly quoting "starboard!", etc.. Wait your turn or pick another swell. Because there is plenty of space and opportunity to do so. I have found that most kiters GET this concept (probably because more of them tend to surf swell) and there are more windsurfers who do not.
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scottwerden



Joined: 11 Jul 1999
Posts: 302

PostPosted: Fri Dec 07, 2018 5:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I agree with everything you said. I took "surf rules" to be ocean surf rules but you really mean gorge surf rules although I am not sure I have heard that term before. Mostly I hear "swell etiquette".
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