As Portland heated up in the morning, conditions east in Cascade Locks were flat. The forecast was for light winds to start midafternoon which would mean no racing on the event’s final day. Discouragingly, by 10:00 am, there was a zephyr from the east. It would have to abate before the westerlies kicked in, which surprisingly, they did. The AP flag was lowered 11:20 am, the race committee headed out to the course and the breeze filled in to a gentle 8-10 knots. The skies were perfectly clear and with temperatures in the low 80s, racing began with 2 races completed on the final day. The light air favored both a different side of the course and a different set of sailors as the leaders were shuffled in several classes from the previous 3 days’ racing. In the first race for the Full Rig championship, the leaders headed to the right side of the course, with current favoring it for much of the previous days. However, a persistent left shift toward the Oregon side caught leader Chris Barnard on the wrong side of the course having to cross back toward the middle beneath half of fleet coming in from the left. He still managed to round the top mark in 12th, picked up several boats on the first downwind leg by playing the course to the left of the middle and came around the gate in 5th, which he held until the end of the race, securing his Championship for the 2016 North Americans without sailing the final race. When asked what the key to the day was, he simply said “stay in the current and sail fast”. Eric Bowers had the best day of the leaders, recording a 4,1 to clinch 2nd place with Max Gallant, Malcolm Lamphere and Derick Vranizan rounding out the podium finishes. In the Radial Gold fleet, as the leaders struggled in the tricky light air conditions, Corrine Peters of the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron recorded a pair of twos moving her into second place for the regatta. Similarly, Lindsey Baab, with a strong 1, 4 finish on the day, won the tie breaker for 5th. Leo Boucher took 3rd and John Kirkpatrick 4th to complete the awards in the gold fleet. In the 4.7 fleet, the top place came down to the last race with Jacob Fisker-Andersen edging Abbie Carlson by 1 point with a bullet. Conrad Miller held his third place position, also recording a 1st place finish on the opening race of the day. Congratulations to all of the competitors for completing a challenging event with the Gorge delivering nearly perfect competitive conditions. CGRA would like to thank the competitors, coaches, families, race committee and shore staff for making this a great event. Special thanks goes to the ILCA NA organization for their outstanding support throughout the regatta.

Early clouds gave way to sunny conditions with temperatures near 80 degrees. Winds were in the teens to low 20s peaking in race two. Champagne sailing conditions in the Gorge. The race committee got off the 3 prescribed races for each fleet, starting at 11:00 am, returning to the beach at 3:00 pm. The courses were set closer to the Washington side, which was also favored by most of the fleets as they played the shifts up the right side of the course. Being in the localized pressure both upwind and down provided opportunities for big gains on the course. Chris Barnard held his position on top of the Full Rig fleet but was challenged on the day by Eric Bowers who recorded 2 first place finishes moving into second place after three days of solid racing. Max Gallant and Malcolm Lamphere are close behind with 6 points separating these three competitors. Haddon Hughes continued her dominance in the Radial Gold fleet with 2 bullets followed 10 points back by Leo Boucher who moved into second place. Al Clark and John Kirkpatrick are tied with Cameron Feves close behind in 5th. In the Radial Silver Fleet, the racing was tight with 3 different sailors earning bullets. Jack Hogan, from Alamitos Bay Yacht Club, in his first full day of racing, scored a 1st and a 2nd for a strong showing along with Alexander Ellis and Spencer LeGrande. Abbie Carlson scored two firsts to move into a tie for 1st place. Jacob Fisker-Andersen holds the edge with 5 firsts to Abbie’s 4, but with one more day of racing, the top spot is up for grabs. Conrad Miller maintained is 3rd place position with a 3,2,4 day. The 4.7 fleet has really shown their commitment with the majority of the fleet starting all of the event’s races in some very challenging conditions. Sunday is starting with glassy conditions at 10:30 am, with the potential for a light breeze to fill in early afternoon. With 1 more race, an additional throw out will be awarded. Meanwhile, it’s coffee and conversation in the boat yard. One bored sailor, with a coach boat full of spectators, demonstrated wake boarding on her Laser daggerboard. Look for it on CGRA’s Facebook page.

The morning’s low clouds persisted throughout the day with temperatures peaking at 70 degrees mid day. 3 races were run for all fleets finishing the final day of qualifying for the Radial Fleet. Winds moderated from day 1, averaging in the high teens with lulls to 10-12 and gusts in the mid 20s. Chris Barnard continued his dominance of the full rigs with 2 bullets, but Malcolm Lamphere from Lake Geneva finally broke his streak with a 1st in the day’s final race. Most of the fleets favored the Washington side of the course during the day and race 3 was no different. Malcolm and Chris came off the line toward the slightly favored pin end and quickly tacked to port. At the top mark they rounded close together with Malcolm heading toward the Oregon shore and Chris staying in the middle of the river. By the gate mark, Malcolm had built a lead which he held to the finish. Currently, Chris stands in first with 5 points (1 throughout), Malcolm is second with 14 followed closely by Max Gallant from Royal Vic with 16 points. Erik Bowers from the Minnetonka Yacht Club had a great day with consistent 3,2,3 finishes moving him into 4th place. The top 5 is rounded out by Derick Vranizan from CGRA. The split Radial fleet saw the two leaders continue to battle with Haddon Hughes logging a perfect day with three first place finishes. With each of their throw outs, Al Clark and Hadden are tied atop the standings with 5 points each as the racers settle into the gold and silver fleets for the final two days of racing. The racing for the next 4 spots is incredibly tight with only 3 points separating these competitors. Of particular interest is the impressive showing of the young women. They comprise 19 of the 82 competitors but hold 5 of the top 10 spots. In the 4.7s Jacob Fisker-Andersen moved to the top of the leader board with 3 first place finishes, trading top spots with Abbie Carlson who finished 2,2,2 on the day. Conrad Miller had a solid day to hold his position in third place. Saturday’s forecast is for winds in the low to mid 20s, with early morning clouds giving way to clearing skies this afternoon. Another great day is on tap for the Gorge.

At the 10:30 am Skipper’s meeting, Regatta Chairman Bill Symes predicted pleasant sailing at 10-15 mph. The first ripples were just appearing on the water. By 3:35pm, when the 3rd of the 51 minute races started, the wind had been clocked at 27 mph. Another typical Gorge Day. The challenging 1st day conditions, with the typical Gorge westerlies, created steep waves upriver at the bottom of the downwind leg. The conditions favored the fit and the fearless. While the top of the fleet finished unscaled, there was a fair amount of carnage elsewhere on the course. As Nick Pullen, the 2015 Master’s PCC Champion put it: The Gorge served up one big can of whoop ass today. It was spectacular! The Columbia Gorge Racing Association is sponsoring the 2016 Laser North American Championships, last held in the Gorge in 2012. Then full rig champion Chris Barnard, US Sailing Team Sperry, is staging a double as he leads the first day’s racing with 3 bullets. Max Gallant of Royal Victoria Yacht Club is in second, with 8 points followed closely by Derick Vranizan from CGRA rounding out the top 3 with 11 points. A real surprise is that the 82 boat Radial fleet is being led by a 56 year old Canadian, 2013 and 2015 Master Radial World Champion, Al Clark. Coming back from his 2012 second place finish to fellow Canadian Isabella Bertold, he is certainly proving that age comes before beauty, recording 3 bullets during a challenged day of racing. The top three are in a tight race with Haddon Hughes from the Texas Corinthian Yacht Club scoring a pair of bullets to finish the day with 5 points followed closely by John Kirkpatrick from Sail Newport (RI) in 3rd with six points. The 4.7s braved the conditions with Abbie Carlson of the Seattle Yacht Club leading the fleet with two firsts for a total of 4 points. Jacob Fisker-Andersen from the Florida Yacht Club is one point back in second with Conrad Miller, Willamette Sailing Club (Oregon) in third with 9 points. Friday promises to be great racing day with more moderate breezes in the mid to upper teens, in cooler, cloudy conditions uncharacteristic of Gorge sailing in July.

Speed Through Check-In

 

Speed up the check in process - before you arrive on site:

• Double check the sail number on your registration
• Under 18? Print and have your adult sign your Minor Release Form

Pre-pay online:

• Trailer tags: $5 per day per trailer over 10’, no charge under 10’
• Guest Wednesday Dinner Ticket
• Guest Saturday Dinner Ticket

Payments on site are best made with cash or check.

 

Unloading and Parking:

Monday and Tuesday limited CGRA lot parking, best for unloading only.

• Park cars in the grass and lined parking spaces to the West of the Visitor Center
• All trailer parking is in the grass to the west of the Visitor Center. Purchase tag online
• No event parking in the Visitor Center/Sternwheeler parking lot

Tuesday P.M.  – Sunday: CGRA lot closed to car parking. Unloading only in grass parking area.

Stick around after sailing to enjoy that famous Gorge hospitality! Here's what's on the menu:

Prior to check-in, bring your sail to the big tent in front of the CGRA Race Office for inspection and stamp of approval (make sure your sail is class legal, your numbers are correctly applied, and your Laser Class Association membership is up to date). From there proceed to the CGRA Race Office to pick up your regatta packet, parking passes, and space assignment for your Laser. Your assigned space will be your Laser’s home for the duration of the regatta.

As those of you who’ve attended past CGRA events know, our beach parking and launching area is a bit constrained. So beginning Monday, July 18th, this area will be used exclusively for boat storage (no parking). All car and trailer parking for the event will be in the grass parking lot just west of the Visitors Center.