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Thanks RD. I can use all the help I can get. Even though I already know the outcomes, I find myself leaning forward trying to help myself catch those waves too when I am watching the video.

Yes - the run was excellent and we've had good luck with our quick trip to the Gorge. And yep - White Salmon not my favorite - the Drano @ 80 crew has opted for the Hatch as their take out. But these youngsters don't mind being mt. goats.

Yes - I'm sure David and other locals can tell us more about that section. I huli'd both of my previous runs there, once in surfski and once in OC. Each time that section has been interesting. I assume water level affects it too. Both of my previous runs the waves got quite big there. This time not quite as big, but definitely fun.

Yes it was fun the whole way - always something to keep us moving or to practice on, there really was no section without surfable waves except maybe a tiny bit near the end.

The current probably doesn't help there. Also I don't believe there was anything smaller or coming from a different angle to pick up on right there. Pretty much a set of large parallel waves. If I remember correctly I had a very slight jiggle at a critical time on the early wave that I thought I had already caught and that was just enough for me to get overtaken and swamped. Rest, regroup, have a drink, write a couple of letters and get going again...

Yeah - if nothing else I do believe it can be fun over there. I also enjoy those long, stretched out waves that you can get after MP for awhile.

Thanks Dino - the music definitely boosts the video - this one may go on my flatwater practice playlist.

Thanks Boyan. Keep those great Tarifa videos coming! Only a few weeks before we head to the Gorge Champs - seems like there will be a good number of Surfski Center alumni there.

Thanks Zach, ...I left out more than one too hard nose bury. You can't tell from the video, but I'm laid out on my back a couple of times to bring the nose up and reduce the bury (and sometimes I can get some strokes in even while I leaning way back). Maybe because of the extra stability in an OC it's really easy to lay back and with good timing "reduce the bury and sustain the carry". Boyan is one of the most prominent advocates for surfskiers using body lean forward and back to help catch and stay on waves. But in my experience I see OCers using lean more frequently and more aggressively than most surfskiers. I suspect that surfskiers who also paddle OC may tend to be more hip on leaning? I haven't been paddling OC much lately so this run completely trashed my hip flexors. I forget how much upper body movement I use in my OC.

Wilson and me combined was more like 390 - 395 lbs

Puakea Kahe Kai Outrigger Canoe (OC1)

Thanks Zach, nothing like you guys paddling in the lift bridge canal, but fun just the same...

Zach - did you get the NK double? any videos?

Thanks Dennis, looking forward to downwinding together again...

Yes - that's going to be some crowd this time. We're not staying at the fairgrounds but we are volunteers and should be around handing out registration packets, etc.. Hope you have a safe trip there and the Underwood fire doesn't flare up again.

Thanks Tom. Yes - it is really nice to have company in challenging places. We have a friend here on Kauai who is the greatest chaperone and local font of paddling knowledge, but he is about to move to Bellingham. It will be great to paddle with him there, but we will be losing his generous mentorship and support we could count on in Kauai.

I don't know Dino - most locals think it's a little crazy. Both the air and water termperatures were probably about 7 deg. Celsius.

@@paulreavley5900 then I envy just the speed 😅

Yep - I thought his bare feet would give it away....

If you are coming down some time and want some company, just let me know.

Yusté, our bay is blocked to the west by the islands in Puget Sound so we don't get ocean swell. Sometimes the tide helps, but usually we have to have higher winds to get good waves. The wind often bounces off of the nearby hills generating waves in multiple directions which makes for "technical" practice for us. It was a very good day.

Yes that day was special although it was kind of edgy for my wife in her surfski back then so there was some tension involved in parts of the run. (for that matter it was about as big on Bellingham Bay as I ever care to paddle - and in similar winds it can easily be more confused on our bay so we lucked out a bit and I don't plan on being on the water again when it is gusting in the 50's mph) I notice where you paddle - now that travel is getting somewhat more normal across the border again, we're hoping to get back up to Vancouver one of these days to paddle at Ambleside and also maybe to do some exploring of runs on Vancouver Island.

Bluefin. I went from 60 deg. to 30 deg. last year to try to help with a control arm tendonitis problem. When we got back from Portugal 4 weeks ago I went to 0 deg and now my forearm is feeling better when I paddle than it has in a long time.

@@paulreavley5900 Thought as much. Seems to work fine for you, the lower feather, you certainly have the ambidextrous brace going for you. However, you do seem to float around the cockpit a bit, did you try a narrower bucket ski? Like a Swordfish, or (my personal favorite) Elite S?

@@beardedsurfski413 Yeah the Bluefin does have a wide bucket. I have added some side padding but could use some more. My V9 seat fits me better. The Elite S is beyond my skill and balance level right now - that's what my son paddles currently. But I think he's about to hookup with Nordic Kayak again. He likes the NK Nitro a lot.

We've been to Porto before and knew we like it, next time we will probably try to surf boat wakes more - we were being conservative our first time on the river. Nelo Challenge (& ICF Champs) was our ultimate destination after Tarifa - we met up with paddling friends from Bellingham and Hood River area. Ana Swetish from Bellingham won the women's U23 and my wife Denise W. won her age division.

Thanks Tim - I like the head mount enough that I believe it is worthwhile figuring out a way to calibrate the angle I want. I may go with adding a gopro mount on the bill of one of my hats which I have seen other boaters use.

BTW It was Rick Beato's fine tribute to Mimi and Low th-cam.com/video/r5Mj4Nv_ip0/w-d-xo.html that brought her to my attention.

Thanks - yes at 3:18 the shoulder of a large wave started lifting my ama (outrigger) and I had to lean well left to keep it down. Thanks for the info on the GoPro 9. There's no excuse for me letting the camera on my back outrigger strut (iako) get so tilted. I have been happy with GoPro hardware and unhappy with their software.

That's an outrigger canoe (OC1 for 1 person version). They're very popular in Hawaii (much more than surfskis there) and on the Pacific Coast of the US & Canada. They have rudders and steering pedals like surfskis have. The Tahitian version - the Va'a - does not have a rudder and reportedly takes quite a bit of skill. If this were a Va'a you would be seeing me steer a lot more with my paddle. You're in New Zealand, right? Haven't you seen any OCs there? I am pretty sure there are some very strong OC paddlers from New Zealand.

Thanks - that's a V8 (primarily what Boyan uses for all of his students at the Tarifa Surfski Center). There were a couple of inches more left to move the footplate forward. 6' 2" & long legs.

@@paulreavley5900 Thanks! Not much room for the hydration bladder at the front.

Thanks Neil - a "Cancion de cuna" is a lullaby and it was fitting for our paddle - very relaxed. No problema with pink, but those plastic boats are not light weight!

Then similar to inflatable stand-up paddlers, you get most of your exercise before you hit the water, them by pumping up their board, you by carrying the heavy boats…

@@angieneil8832 - one advantage of being a rafter - I use an intex electric pump for inflatable SUPs and only use manual pump to top off...

Smart Paul… save the energy for the important stuff, paddling.

Thanks Tim - I highly recommend Tarifa and Boyan's Center. He is a very observant and skilled teacher as well as an entertaining character. But I imagine you have already heard the positives from Zach. I'm kicking myself because I messed up my camera mount and didn't get my own video from the biggest day we had on the water when I was in the back of a double with Boyan. Any way, I came away with more than enough ideas of what to work on with my downwinding.

Thanks - as always the gopro makes everything look smaller than it was. Fennix Bluefin (carbon). My son paddles a Fenn Elite S, and my wife paddles a Fenn Elite Spark, so I am the slow one.

@@paulreavley5900 Hi! I've noticed too that the GoPro field of view changes the perspective. I have an older GoPro Hero 3 which I managed to change its settings to get a better image. But my wife's GoPro, a newer model, can't be tweaked that much. I have a Fern XTS, my third XT since 2005. And have had the Bluefin too. Excellent ski. My wife has a Fenn Bonito, and sometimes makes me work hard to catch her! We love our Fenn skis 😊