The Gorge 2013 - Mike Burns from Mike Burns on Vimeo.
About Me
- Mike Burns
- Nags Head, NC, United States
- Windsurfing has ruled more than 1/2 my life. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about how it feels to fly across the water, fly through the air, or spin around in circles on my windsurf gear. So to help spread the stoke (and further give in to my addiction) I started this blog. I hope you find it entertaining and a place to go for some useful information.
Friday, August 2, 2013
Gorge 2013
The Gorge has quickly become one of my favorite spots I've ever been too. We were there only once before about 2 years ago and scored 9 out of 10 days on sails between 3.7 and 4.7. This year we hit the Gorge for 8 days. The first five days were on 4.0 (Two days because I didn't have a 3.0) and the last 3 on 4.5. We had wind every day. Christina, my wife, volunteered to pick up the camera a few times and got some classic Gorge type footage. I love watching Gorge videos knowing how difficult the conditions can be, but at the same time always having full power winds. Finally when I got used to going straight downwind all the time just to stay in the same spot on the river it was time to come home. I'm so gonna end up downwind next time we sail here in New York.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
that is good stuff. i like the move when you leaned all the way on the sail like a hammock.
ReplyDeletenice video Mike. what size board were u riding out there? Kevin O here..
ReplyDeleteThanks guys!!
ReplyDeleteKev, I was on the 89 ltr Skate. One day I could have definitely used something smaller, but then I would have needed a 3.0 also....... For most of the sailing it was perfect with either the 4.0 or 4.5. -- 8 days in a row!!! The boards definitely get bigger a lot sooner out there though. The water is always flowing against the wind, while here the stronger it blows, the faster it moves with the wind. So out there the current will make the board too big much sooner than here. That said, if I had a smaller board, I still wouldn't have brought it over the 89 ltr skate :-)
Mike
Hey Mike, nice video! The gorge is a great place I really enjoyed it, pity I left just a couple of days before you arrived! It was so awesome to see some really high end freestyle in real life I think the speed and commitment was a real eye opener! I got my first Kono at the marina
ReplyDeletedownwind of the event site on my second last day! Started trying the Toad a lot also with a couple of successful quick water start completions but I was recently trying them on a crazy 30-40knot day back here in Melbourne and have really hurt my ankle which got compressed on landing! It was my back foot, I was rotating so fast and all the force went through it on landing! Have you had any ankle troubles with the Toad like moves such as the culo, ponch etc??? I noticed how big the guys have their footstraps for freestyle, which would be a bit more forgiving. What's your footstrap set up like? It seems that guys feet are a long way in the strap and the base of their shin is almost touch the strap?? Appreciate your thoughts, I'm getting an MRI on my ankle next week to see if it needs surgery, hopefully not!
Andrew from Melbourne
ReplyDeleteHey Andrew. Congrats on the Kono! yeah, I've had a couple injuries because of straps too being too tight when I was learning the harder impact moves. Back when I was learning ponches (2007ish), I actually broke my foot from the strap crushing it on a hard landing. Since then I've loosened the straps up a little so that I can get my whole foot into them but just tight enough to not let my entire foot go through to the other side. It also helps A LOT with board control and keeping the board on your feet.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your ankle!!
All the best,
Mike
Thanks Mike, hey how tight are your straps either side of your foot? Much tension either side as you move your foot in and out of the strap? Standard screw hole widths or otherwise?
ReplyDeleteThanks Andrew
Hey Andrew,
ReplyDeleteI use the standard screw hole widths, but I also wear boots when I sail. The sides of my feet are in contact with the straps when sliding them in and out. I know Tyson has his rear strap pinched in a little bit from when we did the board tests. If I was barefoot, I would do the same, but with the boots it was a little hard to get in and out. Play with the size. If you keep flying out of the straps, they are either too loose, or too tight. There's a sweet spot where they'll keep you in pretty well. For me it's where I can get my entire foot into the strap. Check out the video to the right side of the blog called Mike Burns 2010. There are a couple shots where the Go-Pro flopped down and was pointed at the deck. Right around the 4:00 minute mark in the video you can see pretty good how far my feet are in the straps.
Mike
Nice video and nice moves! Your were really lucky with the wind: perfect score.
ReplyDeleteMy first experience with the Gorge was this early july : in 17 days, we had only 7 days of wind over 20 knots...I used my 100 liter Freeride board and 5,5m sail !
Next time, I will have a good freestyle board around 90 liters like you.
" 76"
Thanks Doc,
ReplyDeleteThe locals kept telling me that this year was the windiest July they could ever remember! One guy said he sailed every single day from the 4th of July on. Did you go chase the wind or did you only sail one spot? Between Doug's and the Hatch, it was windy somewhere every day.
Mike
Hi Mike, Thanks for this post about the gorge. I am too a freestyle windsurfer from Montreal canada and heading to the gorge for a 5 weeks trip in july. I was wondering what spots are the best for freestyle ? You mention doug's beach as a really good flat spot and hatchery as being really tchoppy in your previous post. I will bring a 100 liter fs board and 82L wave board so maybe not exactly the right size to sail in a river with current so I might be chasing freestyle friendly flat spot and on bigger days to get the best swell. Thank ! Greg
ReplyDeleteHi Greg,
ReplyDeleteWe'll be arriving in the Gorge on July 29th. Maybe we'll see you there!!
Yes, the Hatch is VERY choppy, just a mess, and most days, extremely crowded. Alsmost every run there is someone either swimming their rig in the freestyle slick on the inside or there's someone BAFOing just downwind of you and ends up pushing you too close to shore to throw anything. But that's the spot you'll find another freestyler to sail with every day you're there. The hatch does have a flat spot on the inside, but the wind shuts off just as you get to the sweet spot an anyone down in the water or sailing downwind of you will mess up the run. So it takes a little practice to figure out where you need to do your trick. Across the river, the chop is actually pretty nice and tame for starboard tack at the Hatch, so when i sail there, I usually hang out on the other side of the river. Depending on the water height for that day, you might be able to stand on starboard tack, or maybe not.
For me the most enjoyable spot is by far Doug's Beach. You can stand on both tacks, and not too crowded so you can concentrate on your sailing. Some days the chop in the middle is big enough to try some backloops/pushloops, but there's always easy standing freestyle spots on both sides. Typically, the wind will start off at the Hatch in the morning and then move out to Dougs in the afternoon. The event site is also another option, but it's usually less windy and very gusty there because of an island upwind. I'm going to try out Rowena this year too. I haven't sailed there yet because i'm so addicted to Doug's, but I definitely want to try that spot too. It's out near Dougs, but on the opposite side of the river.
So all in all, Dougs is by far my favorite spot. As much as I complain about the Hatch, it's still such a cool spot. The more you sail there, the more you get used to the psycho chop and traffic. I'm only there for a week at a time, so I want to maximize my water time. But for 5 weeks, you'll be able to get the Hatch dialed in and have lots of fun. I did have a day at the Hatch last year where the wind "died" and everyone went home. My buddy and I rigged 4.5 and 4.7 and had one of the best days of sailing in our lives. Just the 2 of us for a couple hours before some more folks showed up.
Have a great trip!! Make sure you say hello if you see me there!! I'll have my 85 ltr bright green Skate and North Idols.
Mike
Thanks a lot for your answer Mike ! I'm really looking foward for this gorge trip, we have a bad spring for wind here in montreal... I'll be in the gorge from july 15 so we'll probably share some sessions at Doug's :). Btw there will be 2 other freestyler from Montreal. Yeah !
ReplyDeleteGreat Greg!! Looking forward to it!! Yeah, our spring in NY hasn't been so windy either. Only 3 days in May!! Normally I have between 10 and 15. Maybe June will be better, but so far only 1 day this month. And that was Slalom.... Can't wait for Windy Gorge!!! So far wind every day we've been there. 4.5 or 4.0!! I bring the 5.0 too to squeak out every last drop just in case it doesn't last as long as I'd like. If it's not 5.0, there's zero wind....
ReplyDelete