Great Winds Send Off The Summer Season - Sept. 1
Labor Day weekend traditionally signals the end of the summer season here in the Gorge. Even though some visitors stay into September, the locals will have most sailing sites to themselves beginning this week. This Labor Day weekend brought outstanding winds and sunshine from Hood River and points east, with strong winds making it all the way to 3 Mile Canyon on Saturday and Sunday. I spent a day at Roosevelt, Celilo Park, and Doug’s Beach introducing the new 2009 sails to sailors who had been anxiously awaiting an opportunity to try them.
Bruce at Celilo
Sailors who are “Ezzy Sailors” are always eager to see and try David’s latest creation; providing us with feedback based on sailing time on past years’ sails. As a testament to the durability of the sails, it’s not uncommon to meet a sailor who has been on Ezzys for 10 or 15 years! Sure enough on Monday I saw a ‘95 and ‘96 Ezzy on the water at Doug’s. Sunday at Celilo I meet Bruce who has never sailed an Ezzy. He’s a veteran Gorge sailor from The Dalles, Oregon, who loves and lives for the summer high winds and swells. I welcomed the opportunity to have him try the new Panther and get his reaction and impressions. He first took out the 4.2 and then switched to the 3.5 when the wind increased to 30+. Bruce’s years of sailing experience showed in his ability to articulate his impressions of the Panther. “They have amazing power off the bottom and are so smooth and comfortable in your hands…no front or back pull, just balance. What really stood out for me was the power off the bottom…just smooth and steady acceleration. They are really handle the gusts differently; you could see the gust coming and when it hit you, there was no front of back pull on the hands…just acceleration. They are very easy to sail over powered.” And when I asked him if the Panther is a sail that he would own? “I’d buy them in a hot minute! They wouldn’t limit my style at all; they’re easy, comfortable, and fast.”
A close examination of the Panter.
I spent Labor Day at one of my personally favorite places in the Gorge, Doug’s Beach. I met several sailors who had been waiting to try the Panther…it was a perfect Panther day! Erin, a young sailor from Seattle, who had seen Graham on his Panthers a couple of weeks ago, was anxious to try one himself. Erin is a solid sailor who is working on some freestyle moves and getting bigger and more air. He’s looking for a more versatile sail that works well in the waves and transitions. Here are his impressions of the 4.7 Panther. “The sail is fast and powerful, but is still maneuverable like a wave sail. It planes up very easy, and what really surprised me was how well the sail rotates through in the jibes and transitions…and free styling is easy.”
Freestyle and Waves: A winner!
Thanks to Mother Nature for a windy holiday weekend in the Gorge. And I want to thank all the sailors we’ve met this summer who helped make our summer an enjoyable one. We’ve appreciated the opportunity to share the Ezzy name with you here in the Gorge. Nancy and I will be leaving in a few weeks for Baja and are planning some demos in La Ventana and Los Barriles this winter. We’ll be posting reports from Baja, so keep and eye on our blog. See you on the beach, Gary & Nancy
What Sailors Think About the 2009’s - August 25,2008
After a weekend of not much wind in the Gorge, Monday filled in quite nicely east of Hood River. Many of the Hatchery and Swell regulars made their way to Doug’s Beach which gave them an opportunity to try the new ’09s. Sailor feedback is an essential part of David’s goal of designing and building the perfect sail. Magazine tests with professionals are fine, but finding out what the grassroots sailor thinks and feels on the water is a vital part of his design process.
Stan returns after a test session.
The wind had been slow to come up at Doug’s as the remaining clouds from a passing front lingered till about noon. But with clearing skies from the west, the wind quickly filled in averaging in the mid 20’s. Stan from Colorado is a great sailor who loves sailing the Gorge each summer, particularly on windy days with big swells. He also loves being powered since slogging is something he would rather do without. He started on the 4.2 Panther, and after a short lunch break, went back out on a 3.5 as the wind ramped up. An hour later he shared his impressions: “I never felt overpowered, even in the gusts. It definitely felt comfortable and balanced from the beginning. What really stands out for me is the low end power in the sail…coming out of a jibe or from a turn on a swell the acceleration is smooth, just like stepping on the accelerator pedal. And talk about speed, I was passing people like crazy; the sail is fast too. And it’s so easy to jibe. It just feels like the power of the sail is in the right place. I really like the way it seems to hold the power through the jibes and turns.”
Colorado sailor Stan tests the Panther.
Another sailor who wanted to try the new Panther was Gunner from Salt Lake City, Utah. Gunner’s a Gorge regular here for the summer. He lives for the big days with big swells. He started with the 4.7 but as the wind average pushed into the mid 20s he switched to the 4.2. After a solid session he had these comments: “I was very impressed by how well the sail steers while riding swells…the power is very controlled; it was so easy to add or reduce the power in the sail. Also it handles gusts very well; it’s smooth and not twitchy at all.” He said that it has been his experience that many sails become narrow in their range as the wind increases…thus “twitchy” on/off feeling.
Bingen test pilot, Alan with the new Freewave.
My last test sailor was Alan, a Gorge local from Bingen. He took the new Freewave 3.7 and disappeared to his secret swell riding spot (not in view of the rigging area). An hour later he returned with a huge grin on his face, “What a surprising sail…it’s wonderfully effortless; you don’t even know you have a sail in your hands. It is so smooth to jibe, it’s like butter. Compared to my older SE it seems to have way more low end when it gets light. The sail’s a winner.” Thanks to everyone who joined in on the fun. If you’re coming to the Gorge for the holiday weekend, plan on trying the new sails, see you on the beach, Gary & Nancy
Florida Sailors Test Doug’s Beach - August 21, 2008
Florida Sailors Nancy and Pam
It seems like the one word that the forecasters are using to describe the weather lately in the Gorge is unseasonable. I think a better word is weird. Last week at Doug’s Beach it was 110 degrees and the water skiers were having a great time. This week started with clouds, rain and 65 degrees…go figure. Today the sailors that made their way out to Doug’s were rewarded with great wind and sunshine. It was the perfect day to introduce the 2009 Panthers and Freewaves.
Pam: “what’s under the hood?”
It was fun to connect with an eager group of sailors from Florida who were more than eager to be among the first to test the Panthers in classic Gorge conditions. Pam and Nancy from southwest Florida took out a 4.5 Panther and 3.7 Freewave. Pam had been on her 3.8 and wanted to try the Panther. The wind had lightened a bit so she grabbed the 4.5 and headed out. In true Gorge fashion it didn’t stay light for long, but she stayed out and put the Panther to the test as the wind increased. Pam’s a pretty hardcore sailor and a little too much wind wasn’t about to chase her off the water. Forty-five minutes later…her impressions. “I can’t believe how easy the sail rotates on the jibes…it’s smooth and effortless. With the Ezzy I can sail overpowered because it doesn’t get twitchy like my other sail. What was really different was with my other sail I have to sheet out in the gusts, but what’s amazing about the Panther was that I could stay sheeted in and feel comfortable.” (Gary’s note: this is because the Panther has the draft locked forward so the sailor still feels balanced and in control.) Pam told me that she has an ‘07 5.8 Special Edition in Florida that doesn’t seem to rotate as easy as the Panther. It’s true that Dave has improved the rotation in all of the 2009 sails, but after talking with Pam about rigging the ‘07, I found that she wasn’t out hauling the sail enough. After a quick rigging clinic on another sailor’s ‘07 SE, she now has the outhaul dialed. (Check out Dave’s rigging videos on our site and on You Tube)
Pam shows that the Panther is not just another pretty sail.
And how did Nancy like the 2009 Freewave? She’s a progressing sailor who is building her confidence in sailing the Gorge. “The sail was easy to water start and jibe, and had a very controlled feeling. My overall impression…it was an all around fun sail and I had a great time.” Both women had a great day at Doug’s and love coming to the Gorge each summer. My thanks to them for sharing their time and impressions of the new sails. Hope to see you at the beach soon we’d love to have your impressions too, good sailing, Gary & Nancy
Sunset over Doug’s Beach: end to another beautiful day.
End of Summer Panther Demo Tour
The 2009 Wave Panther Sited at Doug’s Beach.
I’ve just switched out the demo ‘08 Special Edition Waves for the new 2009 Wave Panthers. There have been recent sightings at several sailing sites of the new Panther, including Pistol River during the recent no-wind heat wave here in the Gorge. Team Rider Graham Ezzy has been enjoying the hospitality and flavor of the Gorge for the past few weeks, so now it’s our turn try David’s newest and much anticipated creation. Watch our website and the iwindsurf forum for announcements of when and where we’ll be in the next few weeks. I’ll also do my best to be out on Saturdays and Sundays for those who can only sail on weekends. See you at the beach soon, Gary & Nancy
Check out the new 2009 Wave Panther: http://www.ezzy.com/sails/panther09.cfm
The Best Doug’s Day This Summer! - Saturday August 2
The word was out; Doug’s was the place to be on Saturday. It was a Canadian long weekend and our friends to the north were here in force. The parking lot was full by 11 am and just finding a place to rig a sail was a challenge. Checking the wind speeds at 1:30 showed that the Hatchery was in the mid 20’s, but Doug’s was averaging 36 and gusting to 42. This is why the Gorge is the place to be in the summer. David and Graham were at the Hatchery for the morning session, but were headed east after a quick phone call. This was the day Graham had been waiting for on his first trip to the Gorge.
Jamie spotting his landing.
Guys had started the day on 4.7 to 5.0, but by the afternoon they were on 3.5 to 4.0, and lighter sailors were looking for 3.0 and smaller. Jamie from BC (July 3 blog) was back for the weekend and took out a 3.5 SE. He did an outstanding job of ripping the big swells and going for bigger air. He was impressed with how the 3.5 had the same solid power and feel of the bigger SE’s, while still controlling the 40+ mph gusts…”pretty amazing for a small sail”.
Graham on the 2009 Panther.
When the Ezzy family arrived, Graham quickly rigged a 3.7 Panther and headed out to find some famous Dougs’ swells. David went right to “work” answering questions and helping people rig their sails. David loves to sail, but I think he enjoys helping people get it right with their Ezzy sails. Besides, who better to help you rig your Ezzy sail, he definitely has the touch and eye for making it right.
Out on the water Graham was doing what he came for…applying some Maui magic to the mighty Columbia. Entertaining to say the least, was the feeling we all had watching from the rocks by the marker. He joined the other sailors who were going big and carving hard. Here are some pictures.
They don’t have these in Maui.
The day was topped off by a parking lot party at Windance back in Hood River. Dave Nunn and his staff hosted an evening of food, refreshments, and windsurfing fellowship after a classic day on the water. It was like the “old days” at Windance with the classic movie, “Hard Winds a Blow’in” showing on the side of the building and David Ezzy rigging the new 2009 Panther…it couldn’t have been any better! See you on the beach, Gary & Nancy
