http://www.dsg.cs.tcd.ie/dsg_people/afcondon/windsurf/info/gorge.html (PC Press Internet CD, 03/1996)
Several new sections since the last version.
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Gorge FAQ
Here are some common questions and their answers about the Columbia
River Gorge. Compiled by Wilton Hart (wiltonh@windsurf.CCI.tek.com)
1. What is the windsurfing season in the Columbia River Gorge?
Early season starts in April or early May and lasts through August.
West wind is most common with many windy days.
Late season starts in September and goes through November.
West and East wind days with more no wind days.
Precentage of Days With Wind Over 15 MPH
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J F M A M J J A S O N D
Months of the Year
2. What is the water temperature?
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
38 39 43 50 56 63 68 72 67 60 53 44 (Average in Degrees F)
3. Where can I stay?
Depending on the race schedule there may be very few motels available
in Hood River. You can travel East to the Dalles or West to the
edge of Portland.
There are a number of state parks where you can camp. Most of the
year you can find a place to stay without a problem. On holiday
weekends you should plan to get a camp spot by noon or you may have
trouble. The favorite windsurfing camp spot is Memaloose State Park.
It cost about $8.00 per night which includes hot showers.
Some of the other parks are as follows:
Name Location Comments
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Skamania Lodge Washington - In Sevenson
Home Valley Washington - 15 miles West of the Hatchery Trains/Sailing
Viento Oregon - 5 miles West of Hood River Trains/Sailing
Tucker Park Oregon - 5 miles South of Hood River Quiet
Great American Oregon - 15 miles South of Mosier Quiet
Adventure
Memaloose Oregon - 12 miles East of Hood River My favorite
Avery Park Washington - 8.5 Miles from East of the Free/Sailing
Dalles Bridge
Maryhill Park Washington - North end of Sam Hill Bridge Expert Sailing
Peach Beach Washington - Just East of Maryhill Park Expert Sailing
People who do not wish to camp you can try one of these:
Name Location Phone Comments
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Skamania Lodge Stevenson Washington 1-800-221-7117 New and very nice
State Street B&B Hood River 503-386-1899 River View
Tillicum Inn The Dalles 1-800-298-5161
Best Western The Dalles 503-296-9107
Inn at the Dalles The Dalles 503-296-1167 View of the Dam
Inn at Hood River Hood River 503-386-2200 On the River
Lone Pine Motel Hood River 503-386-2601 View of River
People who wish to rent a place should try the following:
Name Phone
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Northwest Investment Management - Hood River 503-386-3770
Mid-Columbia Property Management - Hood River 503-386-3770
Vacation Rentals - Summer Only - Hood River 503-386-6800
4. Do I need a car?
It is possible to sail in the Gorge without a car. You must purchase
a package deal from one of the outfits that have equipment as well as
a place to stay. There are several that offer sailing from their own
beach in Rowena.
A car makes sailing the Gorge much easier. If you find the wind
to strong or to weak in one place you can usually move East or West to
a place that fits your needs. A good roof rack is a must. If you
are driving 65 MPH on the freeway into a 40 or 50 MPH head wind your
boards and gear are seeing over 100 MPH of wind.
5. Where can I rent or purchase equipment?
There are more than 20 windsurfing shops in the Gorge. Most are
located in Hood River but both the Dalles and Lyle have shops also.
Most shops rent equipment as well as sell new equipment.
The largest selection of used equipment is at Windance. They usually
have 30 to 40 boards and several hundred sails on consignment. They
also have lots of new equipment and good advice. 2ND Wind Sports
and Bob Dill also have used equipment.
Dill Sailboards 503-386-6202
Front Street Sailboards 503-386-4044
Hood River Windsurfing 503-386-5787
Lester Polyester's Surf Shop 503-386-5524
Meadows Windsynergy 503-FUN-WIND
Rushwind 503-386-3278
Sailboard Warehouse 503-386-1699 1-800-992-SAIL
Sailboards Hood River 503-396-5363 1-800-662-5363
2ND Wind Sports 503-386-4464
Windance 503-386-2131
Big Winds 503-386-6086
Gorge Windsurfing The Dalles 503-298-8796 1-800-772-3889
Sail World 503-386-9400
The above list shows shops but in some cases they make their own
line of equipment. Windance is a good example. They build their
own boards as well as run a shop. There are a number of other
companies that build equipment but may not have a shop. Here is
a list:
Gorge Technology 503-386-2862
Chinook 503-386-6086
Pro Motion 1-800-798-1628
4 Knots 509-493-4088
Padz 503-386-1980
Windsurifng Hawaii 509-427-7444
Preister Built Sailboards 503-478-3233 1-800-755-RACE
Logosz Works 503-386-2242
AHD 509-427-4444 1-800-477-2431
Hi-Per Tech 503-386-6608
6. What equipment works best in the Gorge?
You can use almost any type of equipment if you are willing to drive
to a spot that has the correct conditions. If you plan to sail the
intermediate or advanced spots you will need good high wind equipment.
The most popular board would be about 8'6" in length and the sails
would be from the low 3 meters to 5 meters.
7. How well do I need to sail before it will be fun?
You can sail at almost any level in the Gorge. Due to the wind
going from very light to very strong in less than 20 miles you can
choose a place that fits your needs.
8. Where can I take a lesson?
Most of the shops offer lessons but there are some people who
make lessons their total business.
Big Winds 503-386-6086
Duke of Nuke, Inc (Pat Dougherty) 503-386-6500 800-342-6048
Front St. Sailboards 503-386-4044
Hood River Windsurfing (John Guay) 503-386-5787
Gorge Windsurfing ( The Dalles) 503-298-8796 800-772-3889
Rhonda Smith Windsurfing 503-386-WIND
9. Where should I sail?
This is a hard question because your ability will match some sites
better than others. The following list shows some of the more common
places and what works best there.
Beginners: Long board experience but no waterstarts
The Hook (Hood River Sail Park West) Learning Waterstarts
The Dalles Sail Park Learning Waterstarts
Home Valley Long board mornings short board
afternoons
Intermediate: Waterstarts are good but may not be able to jibe
Hood River Marina Learning jibes on flat water
Hood River Event Site Small Swells
Stevenson Sail Park Small Swells less wind
Bingen Sail Park Small Swells
Rowena Small Swells
Advanced: Can waterstart in 20 seconds and jibe most of the time
in rough conditions, including winds to 40 knots and
swells to 6 feet.
Spring Creek Fish Hatchery Large Swells lots of wind
Doug's Beach Large Swells lots of wind
Swell City Large Swells lots of wind
Maryhill State Park Large Swells lots of wind
Rufus Large Swells lots of wind
If you would like more information about where to sail and what you
might find at each location, you need a copy of a small book called
3.5. The address is listed in secton 12 below.
10. What things are there to do when the wind does not blow?
If the wind shuts down in the Gorge you can almost always drive to
the coast and sail there. It will take from 2 to 3 hours depending
on where you choose to sail. The Jones Beach area near Clatskanie
gets good wind when the Gorge shuts down.
There is good hiking, rock climbing, mountain biking and falls to see
as well as lots and lots of shopping to do in the windsurfing stores
so you will be ready when the wind starts to blow again. Remember,
Oregon at this point has no sales tax.
11. What kind of hazards are in the Gorge?
The commercial barge traffic is a possible threat to windsurfers
who do not watch where they are going. Barges create a large wind
shadow so you never want to get to close downwind of them. They cannot
stop very quickly so if you fall in front of them it is up to you to
get out of the way.
The Columbia River Gorge has a plant called Poison Oak. It has three
shiny leaves that grow together from the ground or in a bush. The
leaves have oil (Urushiol) on them that causes an allergic reaction
for most people. The first symptoms is a spot that itches. It will
show up about 2 or 3 days after touching the plant. The spot then
swells up and finally breaks open to an ugly weeping sore that still
itches. The best solution is to stay away from the stuff. If you get
into it and start to itch, get some good strong soap such as Lava and
scrub the spot VERY VERY well. You can also use alcohol. If you catch
it soon enough, (within about one hour) you can stop the reaction.
Remember that anything such as a wetsuit or cloths that you touched
during the 3 days needs to be washed. If it gets too bad you will
need to visit a doctor.
12. How can I get weather information for the Gorge?
Bart's Best Bet can be heard every morning on Q104 FM in the Dalles.
He gives the days weather "GUESS" and some information about where
the best wind might be found. His message is given at the following
times. (7:20,7:50,8:20,8:50,9:20,9:50) He also supports a phone line
which is updated at 10AM every morning. It has a 3 day forecast for
the Gorge. The number is 503-386-3300 in Hood River.
Windsight is a company that provides weather information for the
Gorge. They offer a Windsight Card which can be purchased at most
of the shops and allows you to call a number and specify what type
of information you wish to get. The more information you request the
more it costs. Windsight is the only place that has current wind
speeds at the sailing locations. You can also order a card by calling
1-800-934-2278.
13. Where can I get medical care?
There are hospitals in Hood River, The Dalles, and White Salmon as
well as a Quick Care clinic in Hood River.
Hood River Memorial Hospital-13th & May St Hood River 503-386-3911
Mid Columbia Medical Center-1700 East 19th Street The Dalles 503-296-1111
Skyline Hospital-211 Skyline DR White Salmon 509-493-1000
Care Corner-1151 May St Hood River 503-386-1111
14. How can I get more information?
There are a number of places to get more information. The following
sources are related mostly to windsurfing.
My favorite for descriptions of sailing sites is the "3.5 Gorge Annual
Edition". The cost is $1.95 in the Gorge, $2.95 else where in the
USA and $3.95 in Canada. Write to MBA, PO Box 336, Hood River, OR,
97031.
The oldest publication is the Gorge Guide. It can be purchased from
Gorge Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 918, Hood River OR 97031 or Phone
503-386-7440 or Fax 503-386-7480. The cost in the past was $3.50.
It gives maps of the sailing locations and the towns along with stores
and restraunts. It includes lots of advertisements from business
in the Gorge.