Sailing has been a big part of my life since the late 1960’s when my (then high school sweetie) Ed taught me how. We sailed all over the Atlantic off Hollywood Beach, FL until our honeymoon in 1970. Then we chartered a sweet sloop and explored the Abaco, Bahamas out islands.
Over the years we were crew or captain on many ocean races and sailed our Hobie Cat and our Cal 25 for fun and adventures. In the early 1980’s I wrote a weight training/endurance article for WindRider magazine in trade for a sailboard. Surfing and sailing – what a combo.
I did not love it at first try – but after about 6 different sessions over many days I remember clearly that “aha” moment when things clicked. I was hooked. What an amazing way to “surf” when there were little waves. In S. Florida there always seems to be a steady breeze. I would drag my little kids along (literally) – these days there is no way I’d do that without flotation devices – ahh, the 80’s were another era altogether. 
Finally, after almost 40 years I am the proud owner of a Starboard Windsurfer. It is inflatable and easy to travel with. Where do I plan to take it for my first warm water adventure? Back to the Abaco, Bahamas out-islands, of course.
A great feature of the 12′ 6″ Touring board with Zen technology is that it can easily be paddled so that SUP fun can partner with windsurfing fun.
Once I am back from the Bahamas and home in Ben, I know I will have plenty of days spent up at Elk Lake. Before Hood River and the Columbia Gorge brought sailboarding to new levels of speed, planing and and now – foiling, Elk Lake was the scene of its share of riding the wind. I am hoping to inspire more people to join me this summer!
Watch the video here:
Elk Lake, is about a 35-40 minute drive from Bend, Oregon and though the Elk Lake Lodge is open year round, the lake and road are usually open from Memorial Day weekend til the first snows in the Fall. Typically the lake is flat in the morning and the winds kick in during the middle of the afternoon. Most windsurfing happens after 1 p.m.
If you paddle and/or windsurf this lake, be sure to tuck some ice cream money in your board shorts and stop by the Elk Lake Lodge on the West side of the Lake (opposite Sunset Beach). The buoys are set up as a race course for standup paddling right now. It’s gonna be fun to windsurf big boards or paddle.
It’s one thing to sit on the beach and watch the sun kiss the ocean with gold. It is quite another to be skimming over the Pacific on a beautiful catamaran – like the 
A beautiful and easy solution to the problem of plastic straws! Jamie has this to say about her copper straws. “After seeing video after video and email after email from Svein Rasmussen (Founder of Starboard) and my colleagues about the condition of the ocean, it was easy to change my habits. I’ve always been pretty good but there was room for improvement. Being the type of person that I am, I feel like I need to do what I can to spread the message of reducing our habit of single use plastic. I have no problem now suggesting a restaurant carry paper or no straws – or giving a bartender a hard time for giving me a straw after I have requested not to have one. Straws are simply a habit – and straws are one of the most prevalent beach plastic polluter.
We loved planning our day on the sheltered patio just outside of the pool area at the Columbia River Inn. Over coffee in the morning or a local wine in the evening (beer for me) we never tired of the view.
Some people that have inspired me would be my friend Nappy Napolean, who still paddles well into his seventies. He just loves to paddle! And he is such a great ambassador for the sport. I think the fountain of youth is to keep moving, and he is a classic example of what you can do.
I came in 8th out of 24 in the Molo solo and won two M2M races on the one man this summer. I also participate in the Hawaiian Sailing Canoe Racing series with Team Hui Nalu. We sail the entire main Hawaiian Island chain over the course of the summer. I have been canoe sailing for 18 years and it is just amazing. I raced the Napali one man race and the Napali Challenge 6 man race recently.
SO! I had been escorting people for the M2O for a few years, Armie Armstrong from NZ, Annabel Anderson, and a Brazilian Prone paddler last year. I have crossed the Kaiwi channel more than 50 times between OC1, 6man and sailing canoe, but never on a SUP. Kristin Thomas and Jen Fuller from California were my Facebook friends and I knew they were good paddlers, so I threw it out to them to do a team together.
Cali Paddler takes their community building efforts further through their Paddle Pledge program. Clarke explains it like this, “When Cali Paddler launched in 2015 we established our Paddle Pledge. Where we take 5% of all proceeds (not just profits mind you) and donate quarterly to wonderful groups and non-profits that make a solid difference in our waterways, on our beaches, and with our wildlife.
