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“Got the new Panther2 yesterday afternoon. Took it out for a spin today. – What a great sail. It is exceptionally well balanced and feels just right regardless if you are over or underpowered. 2 Thumbs Up!!!

Four pictures from today’s first test session are attached.

Thomas”

Yeah, it’s on for third long extra long weekend in June with the launch party the evening of the 16th.  This really is the most excellent possible timing.  The Summer high pressures usually start setting in with solid wind cycles by the first week of June and the Spring swell season usually runs until the beginning of July.  The tides are auspicious with big swings from low to high those afternoons.  It even falls the week before Windfest in the Gorge.  So if you have something else scheduled, you might want to start trying to get out of it now.

The windsurfing contest will be a double elimination, run on the best two days of the four day window.  The stand up paddle board events are designed to run when the wind is light.  You might even want to bring your sand-sailing board because the minus tides early on those days may well deliver epic conditions for that.  Should there be call for yet another light air diversion, I imagine there will also be some skateboard-sailing clinics and expression sessions on the side as Gold Beach has a few prime spots for that too.

The permits and insurance are in place.  The Gold Beach Fairgrounds has been tapped to provide all the room we could possibly need for the opening and closing ceremonies as well as the ensuing riot. What little local resistance there was to having a contest at the Rock has been beaten down.  And just about everybody else in Pistol River and Gold Beach is madd stoked. The industry is jumping in huge with all kinds of support, stoke and plans to be there.  Yeah, looks like a major gathering of the coastal tribe and we certainly are due.

Sam Bittner has been totally slaying the organization of this event from Maui.  Feel welcome to contact her with your support, questions, comments or your entry.  For what it’s worth, many details of the contest will be shaped by input from the early entrants, there is a cutoff at 100 sailors and the early sign up discount expires on the 15th of May.  There’s a web site up if you want to check it out at http://wavebash.weebly.com/ If you can’t make it, look for some heavy coverage by the media as well as a live webcast by David at Epic Sessions.   http://www.epicsessions.tv/livecast/

Current sponsor list: Big Winds, Dakine, Doc Martin, Ezzy, Inn of the Beachcomber, Maui Sails, Maui Ultra Fins, Naish, Nolimitz, Promotion, Real Wind, RRD, Rvs 2 Go, Severn, Starboard, Shadowbox, Starboard, and Windance.  And if you need some local advice, an introduction or a hook up, let me know on that one.  With respect and gratitude.   Dana   Boardhead International

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Just wanted to share with you some of the great fun our family had on Maui with your gear a couple of weeks ago. This is our daughter, Gracey, in her first sailing experience outside of the Columbia River Gorge.  We rented our gear from a fabulous shop near the airport.  Great folks.  We are multiyear owners/users of David Ezzy gear extending > 20 yrs.  I would estimate we have $10K worth of gear (old and used) in our garage.   We know how to rig the gear and we know what to expect from it.  It’s nirvana.

Thank you.

Leslie Root

Portland, OR

PS: image taken with $2.99 waterproof film camera purchased at K-Mart.

Found old, broken downhaul line on the beach and tied it around me neck.  A truly spendy set-up.  Very soon after this image was taken, a whale breeched just in front of us.  Amazing.

thanks for the great shots Bouke!  More located here.

“Please find enclosed some pictures from our latest trip to South Africa.

They still show the “old” 2009 sails but they didn’t feel old at all On the last picture you can see the brand new soccer stadium in the background.

We were extremely lucky with wind, waves and weather during our 3 weeks stay.

The pictures were all taken by Heinrich again.

Kind regards from freezing cold Germany!

Karin”

There are also some photos posted here.