My list is a little longer than Nanmoo's (likely because I had a LOT more to learn).
I thought I would write these down while they were fresh in my mind to use in future to refresh my memory. I am posting them here for the benefit of others thinking about a first time Oregon coast trip. If those more experienced with coast sailing (pretty much everyone else who went) have a different perspective or see something that makes them wince, please post your thoughts. I am sure others would benefit from your knowledge.
General
• Enjoy the moment – it is all good (even the washes)!
• Try stuff beyond your comfort zone (on and off the water) – you will be rewarded with many blessings.
• Travel with good people who know the spots you are going to – it makes a world of difference!
• Prep your gear before you arrive (repair, replace, tune).
• Start with setting up your gear the way you know it works for you at home and then make adjustments (this will limit the new stuff you are dealing with until you settle in).
• Take breaks – it’s OK, you are working hard.
• If the waves are overhead high and/or closing out, leave the PDF on the beach (if you are washed in the bigger waves with a PFD on you will be dragged by the whitewater and not released).
• Make sure your chin strap on your helmet is snug so that it doesn’t get pulled off your head when you get mowed.
• If you choose to wear boots, make sure to rinse the sand form you boots each night or your feet will get rubbed raw.
• The sand gets everywhere – take steps to minimize this (as suggested in the
Oregon Coast Windsurfing Guide).
Rigging (at Pistol River)
• First time there walk down to the beach and feel the wind (if there is blowing sand in the air, I know it is 4.0 or less for me).
• Look at the river (to the north) from the parking lot to judge wind speed, direction, consistency, not the ocean – the ocean never looks all that windy to me unless it is cranking (this might save you a walk down to the water’s edge or a second trip back for a smaller rig).
• Rig in the ‘pit’ in front of the parking lot – there is some grass and it is sheltered from the wind.
• Do not rig or re-rig on the open beach (unless you want sand jammed into EVERYTHING) – even switching rigs can be tricky in the blowing sand.
• Rig so you have enough power to punch out through the waves (you don’t want to be bobbing in the impact zone) even though this may mean being overpowered on the outside (more of an issue at Cape Sebastian than at Pistol River).
• Peak wind seemed to happen about mid-afternoon each day, so rig accordingly. You might want to under rig if you arrive early and let the wind come to you (depending on how comfortable you are reaching the outside underpowered or slightly underpowered).
• If you are underpowered or overpowered, come in and take a break and see what the wind does, it might just be temporary – in general the wind seemed pretty consistent at Pistol River once it had ramped up and settled in for the day.
Punching Out
• Speed is your friend (as suggested by Fish) so don’t slow down for whitewater, don’t slow down for steep vertical faces – only slow down/stall (or chicken gybe) to avoid having a wave dump right ON you.
• Plan ahead, at least two waves ahead (as suggested by Fish) – have a strategy for each likely scenario (as suggested by Fish): small white water = pre-jump (as suggested by Russian Dude), steep wave = jump with speed (as demonstrated by Wind Doctor several time), closing out section = head down wind (as learned at SBX and suggested by Nanmoo), etc.
• Everyone gets mowed (although some more than others), if you have a chance to regroup and go again – do it quickly; if not - relax and enjoy the ride (keep the mast tip pointed out if you can and try to avoid tumbling with your gear). I got mowed dozens of times and had no equipment damage – thankfully.
Jumping
• It’s hard to practice forwards and backs when you are so focused on just getting to the outside on larger days – so if you get a smaller jumping day, take advantage of it!
Waves (Coming In)
• Watch for a set of big swell approaching while sailing on the outside and jibe in front of the first swell (and if you end up on the second or third that is OK as you are now on the swell train headed for the break).
• If you are looking for a smooth place to gybe, gybe just after the fist big wave of the set.
• Catching the last big wave in the set on the way in will make getting back out easier (small wave faces on the way out instead of hitting set waves on the way out).
• When gybing on the outside in sideshore or side-off conditions for the first time try releasing the sail earlier than you would in onshore conditions (or sailing in the Gorge).
• Starting on the outside heading in, work the swell to windward until it starts to jack (to gain some ground upwind) and moderate your speed (if you are on a swell you don’t want to outrun it).
• Don’t be afraid to overtake a wave from behind (so long as nobody else is around and in a better position to catch the wave) – this will greatly increase your ‘catch’ rate.
• Once on the wave, watch for opportunities to go down-the-line (look for clean sections over your leeward shoulder).
• Watch for waves that are about to dump and if they begin to through forward and close out - run away!
Have fun and play safe!
p.s. MikeC: I feel for you - but only a little bit as I have seen some pictures of the awesome sessions you have had in the past and hope there are more in your future!
so it'll be tougher to escape the macker, we shall see.
Agreed!
It feels a little more than strange not to drive for 6 hours and sail twice each day this week.
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