GVille to DC and back 7.5 Island Sat

[John Dubock]

G Ville and DC

Did the duellie, up at 545am for G ville in time to see Dimitri and Grant jibing so fast they were forcing water out out of the tub. No room left for Josh, Mike E and Rick H, they called late Fri night, yet another Handcart to Hell road trip...this time its the Gorge for a day or two. By 11am it was toast, and the good Doctor Jim was in his master control room, firing up meso, voyeur cams and poking his head out the window, Carl said Sundance was hitting 30, thats go time. Island Beach on a Sat is a form of motorized lunacy, the boaters are back and the parking lot was closed by 1230. Even Jim whose birthplace home is under the cool waters of DC and deserves covered parking at Island had to sail alone at Sailboat Beach. I got the Carl C Memorial last shaded parking spot, top of the trailhead so I pretended to walk in his footstraps. Maybe it was sweet talking the Parking Rangerette, she pointed out thats my windsurfing picture in the official State Park's spiral bound 2008 issue, (toot, toot man I hear horns don't you?)

I have Carl and Jim's 2000 Formula woodie 155, which in my hands is like being handed Dale Earhardt's Black Chevy, with no pit crew, 600 horses gone to waste. This fabled board has done Island to the Dam and back in 28 minutes, there are times I can't even get on a plane in that short time. The same butter smooth 85cm wide stallion that Jim laid down 42 miles a day on, never blowing a tranny, no smoke out the rear, but definitely some blood on the water. I pondered this lineage as I head carried a 7.5 Ezzy Freeride down w/board and found Carl's trail has been smoothed over, with no switchbacks this year. The wind was real and just to add to the carbon factor a giant fire was happening near Bridal Veil Falls, Jim would be thrilled to have a 1,000 acre wind indicator! More data! Course the air was sooty, orange, hot as hell but the wind was happening.

We know the Hackery, well Sat mid holiday Island is now called "The Choppery". But the .09 of a mile side to side action was amazing, wind didn't let up till the fire indicator went west. No other sailors, packed beach, I felt like for the once proud sport of Poleboarding I had to step it up for the bleacher crowd. Those dang Dark Siders had tourists taking Kodak shots and I don't blame them, plus kiters are smarter than us poles, they sail and park for free! They probably have coolers of food and beer too.

G ville hits you like a sucker punch, a shot of whisky, whereas genteel DC shows you a windline, then you can read the history of the Chumash Indians before it actually hits your sail. Which would be great for brainiac multi taskers like Dimitri, he could sail to the other side, build a fort, uncover ancient ruins, log some birding time and still be on time for the next scheduled gust. I was the schulb that rigged at G ville then of course had to drive to the bathroom, only to find zero toilet paper. I did what any good techphobe would do, I had my phone so I Googled and it recommended "Ask Milo", who gave me some mystical herbal remedies and sage advice. Dimitri was on such a high at G Ville he was seeing rainbows, which means he's either been spending way too much time in front of his PhotoShop program or they exist and we fail to enjoy them.

By 5pm it was over, another 200 miles of sailing in Utah.

[JimSouthwick]

http://homepage.mac.com/jsouthwick/PhotoAlbum102.html