Blowout / Pro-Am Race from Stevie to HR - Aug 3rd

tonyb · Sun Jul 07, 13 7:38 pm **Blowout / Pro-Am Race from Stevie to HR - Aug 3rd**

BOTG Pro-Am Blowout Race August 3rd / back up day August 4th

- Registration opens at 9 am
- Riders meeting at 11
- Team formation at 11:30
- Teams are a RANDOM draw from the pot. (you don't get to form your own)
- Teams will consist of one Pro Rider or local legend (Bison, Roesler, Gordon, Grom, Solbach, etc...) and two to five amateur riders (all depends on who shows up)
- Team strategy session at noon (do you all run it together, buddy system, everyone for themselves, etc...)
- Launching will begin at least 45 minutes prior to race start
- Launching will be done at both the aqua dock and from the grass
- First possible start 1 pm
- Start will be jack rabbit style start behind the chase boat or Corey. We'll decide at the meeting.
- 5 minute count down for start
- Finish will be at the end of sand bar in Hood River
- Lowest combined team finishing order will determine 1st, 2nd, 3rd places
- Gift Certificates and some schwag will be given out as prizes

- Crash pickups between Stevie and Home Valley will be dropped at Home Valley
- Crash pickups between Home Valley and Viento will be dropped at Viento
- Crash pickups between Viento and Hood River will be dropped at the Sand Bar

As in years past this is NOT a race for beginner kiters or for someone who has never done the downwind run from Stevenson to Hood River. Heck, it's sometimes not a race for experienced riders! The corridor is unpredictable and gusty. You might start in Stevenson on a 12 and wish that you were on a 6 by the time you get to the Hatchery.

If you've never launched at Stevenson I suggest you get some practice in before the event. If you don't have your stuff together at the launch and have tangles you will be pulled off the hill and put to the back of the line. Basically you have about one minute to step in to the pool and get your kite in the air. This will be an assembly line style launch process.

Tony

tonyb · Sun Jul 07, 13 7:41 pm

With this year's Blowout again being organized as a team event with one Pro level or local Gorge legend rider and three to four amateur riders we've come up with a scoring system that will provide an incentive for the teams to work together and add some strategy to the race.

Basically, the closer together your team finishes the more bonus points are awarded (deducted from the total score). Bonus system:

Straight Flush (team finishing together in order): -10 points each, -40 for the team

Full House (2 or 3 together, other rider or pair not more than two places apart) - 9 each, -36 for the team

Three of a Kind (3 finish in order): -11 each, -33 for the team

Two Pair (two pairs of riders finishing in order): -7 each, -28 for the team

Pair (one pair of riders finishing in order): -12 each, -24 for the team

It goes something like this:

Each rider receives a score for the place they finish in. i.e., first place gets one point, second place gets two points, etc... So, say that team Bison has four riders, one of whom places 1st, another in 6th, one in 10th and one in 17th. The total score for the team would be 34. Then there is team Reinstra and they finish 7th, 8th, 12th & 13th. Their team score is 40. Looks like team Bison has won, but wait, the bonus points kick in:

Team Reinstra finished with Two Pair (7th & 8th, 12th & 13th), which gives them a total deduct of 28 points making their total score 12. The buddy system pays off!

Of course there are multiple ways this could work out or possibly fail completely but it worked last year and was a lot of fun. I've run a few random simulations and it appears to work. I think we'll see a few single Pairs or maybe a team getting Two Pair but achieving any of the other combos will be pretty tough. But it could be done. It will be up to each team to decide how to approach the race, stick together, one rabbit, two pairs, etc...

We're aiming for as many 4 person teams as we can get. If we end up with one or two odd teams of 5 then we will probably allow the team to throw out their lowest score or use the four best finish combo's to create the best hand for the deduct.

There will also be prizes for the top five finishers in addition to the team prizes.

Tony

tonyb · Sun Jul 07, 13 8:30 pm

Info for practice runs (also posted in Dern's thread)

We'll probably make a practice run or two sometime in the next few weeks after KB4C and before the Blowout on August 3rd. I'll post on here if it's something we figure out ahead of time.

Some general tips (learned the hard way) for practice runs.

- Leave Stevenson no later than 4 pm. Before 3 is even better, between 1 and 2 is best.
- Check the wind at both locations before leaving to make sure it's blowing. Even better is to drop a car in HR then drive back up the WA side and make sure you see whitecaps all the way.
- Generally HR blows 5 to 10 mph stronger than Stevie. Rig for HR winds if you can. For the actual race we generally rig for Stevie to Home Valley winds then hang on for the wild ride from Viento to HR.
- Probably best not to go if you're having to ride a 12m or 13m kite at Stevenson. Same for if you are on a 5m.
- Surfboards are a blast for the downwinder and work best in the chop. Twin Tips work as well and are easier to switch up your stance and rest your legs but they are harder to ride straight down wind.
- Get a carabiner and clip some flip flops to your harness in case you need to walk out somewhere along the way.
- If you have a dry bag for a cell phone bring it.
- Bring some cash in case you need to hitch a ride.
- Dress warm. You might be riding Stevie or HR without a wetsuit but wear at least a shorty or more for the down winder. You might be swimming a long way.
- Leave some dry clothes and a sweatshirt in HR.
- After Home Valley it's generally easier to get out on the WA side and get up to the road, even if it means a longer swim.
- First get out is Home Valley. If you don't see rollers and white caps down wind of HV think very hard about taking the next leg. If you aren't past HV by 4:30 or so probably best to get out. If it takes you more than 40 minutes to get from Stevenson to HV you should probably call it quits until you can ride down wind better.
- After HV most of the WA side is a pretty easy get out and easy hike to Hwy 14. Oregon side has more bushes and trees to get through and some bigger hills to get up to I-84.
- Viento is an OK get out.
- Watch out for the windsurfers when going past The Hatch! Stay well out in the channel and don't hug the WA shoreline.
- After the Hatch head towards the White Salmon bridge and stay out of the Wells Island wind shadow. Especially late in the day.
- Watch out for barge traffic, especially if the wind is getting iffy. If you're going to drop the kite try not to do it in the main traffic lane!
- If the wind starts to get light work nearer the shorelines more so than the middle (don't fight the current).
- When in doubt there is generally more wind in the center of the river. But sometimes you need to work one side or the other. If you're kiting along and all of a sudden it feels like the wind is dying make an immediate turn towards the shore. Sometimes just backing up wind 50 or a 100 yards can get you back in to wind and make it easier to pull the plug or switch to the other side of the river.
- Wind flows around the outside bend of a curve in the river faster than the inside bend. Keep that in mind when things get iffy.
- If the kiter in front of you suddenly has his kite fall out of the sky due to lack of wind change direction immediately! There are dead zones out there that will suck you in. Nice thing is they also go away after a short time.
- Watch out for the devil winds just past Wind Mountain. Direction can change 90 degrees in an instant. Try not to be too close to WA at this point.

For those of you who have never done this downwinder it is one of the most beautiful trips you can ever take. Simply amazing scenery and a fun challenge with all of the different wind and water conditions. You'll find smooth steady winds, gusty, punchy, swirly winds, light wind and nuking wind; you'll find smooth water, chop, and waist high rollers, sometimes all within a 1/2 mile stretch.

For those who want to do the Blowout race you need to have done this downwinder at least once and preferably a couple of times on your own prior to the race. You also need to be able to get from Stevenson to Hood River in under two hours. The top racers will be finishing in less than 40 minutes. Middle of the pack is an hour fifteen. Late pack is an hour forty to two hours.

Besides all the precautions and wild stories we've all told about this run it really is pretty fun and any intermediate level kiter who is ok at riding down wind can make the run. We've even done it a couple of times completely impromptu, arranged while we are out on the water goofing around. We've also had to swim a few times after careful planning and checking. Our success rate for practice runs is about 7 out of 10. Your mileage may vary.

Tony

tonyb · Mon Jul 22, 13 2:15 pm

bump back to the top....

Can I get a sticky on this from one of you admin folks?

Thanks!

Tony

Kruse · Since 21 Oct 2005 63 Posts

BUMP
Looking forward to this!

Pepi · Fri Aug 02, 13 11:35 pm