Things To Do
Gold Beach, OR
Windsurfing Oregon |
| Windsurfing Oregon-Southern Coast |
History of Windsurfing
In 1968, two southern Californians created a new sport. Jim Drake and Hoyle Schweitzer put a sail on a surfboard and called it 'windsurfing'. The sail connects to the surfboard on a universal joint, allowing the sailor to steer the windsurfer (as Hoyle and Drake called the combined board and sail) in any direction. Thus, the sailor can ride out into the waves and surf them back to the beach. But that is just the beginning. Complex moves along a wave, as well as flipping the entire rig up into the air are the trademarks of a seasoned sailor.
Europeans embraced the sport en masse in the 1970's, creating a demand for equipment, and helped this new sport gain ground on the global stage. Windsurfing became an Olympic event in 1984.
Oregon has its share of windsurfing enthusiasts-along the Columbia River in the north part of the state and also the Pacific Coast. Lake Floras near Langlois, and Pistol River/Meyers Creek outlets into the ocean near Gold Beach are the places to go to windsurf in southern Oregon.
Robby Naish
Windsurfing Legend
Robby Naish is regarded as one of the pioneers and legends of windsurfing. His father was a competitive surfer who moved his family from California to Hawaii. Before his teen years, Robby began his windsurfing adventure, as the sport itself was just beginning. He won his first World Champion title at the age of 13 and continued to do so into the early 1990's. He is famous for such cool moves as the 'Table Top' and the 'Forward Loop'.
In the last decade, Naish has created and markets his own windsurfing and kitesurfing equipment.
Pistol River Wavebash
It's Back!
2010 marked the return of the Pistol River Wavebash to Gold Beach. After a ten-year hiatus, the promoters had pulled out all the stops to make the Wavebash an event to remember. The legendary Robby Naish, as well as new legend Kevin Pritchard, joined Dana Miller from Pistol River, just eight miles south of Gold Beach, to windsurf at one of the most photographed beaches in the world-the Rock. These were joined by sailors from Hood River, OR, Argentina, Canada, and Europe. The wind was strong and the waves kicked up enough for sailors to ride high into the air, above the ocean. The Inn of the Beachcomber was the place to be to rub shoulders with Pritchard, promoter Sam Bittner, judges, magazine photographers, and other competitors. All agreed that the final championship run-off, the wind, waves, and number of competitors made the Wavebash a success that exceeded expectations. Now that you know, make plans to attend the Wavebash next year!
----------Wavebash Videos!----------
Downloading the movies listed below can take some time, though well worth it if you want to watch them full screen and show them to your friends. Get a preview of the movies below by clicking in this link:
Open the Popup Window
Robby Naish
You can download a QuickTime Movie of Robby Naish (runtime-5 min.), filmed at the 2010 Pistol River Wavebash by right clicking on the word "download" and following the menu option to 'save target as', 'download linked file', or 'save as quicktime movie'. Note to windows users-after downloading, you may get better results by opening the movie in Windows Media Player.
Pistol River Wavebash Championship Finals Video
You can download a QuickTime Movie of the final showdown with Kevin Pritchard and Francisco Goya (runtime-14.5 mins.), filmed at the 2010 Pistol River Wavebash by right clicking on the word "download" and following the menu option to 'save target as', 'download linked file', or 'save as quicktime movie'. Download will take several minutes!
Pistol River Wavebash
Practice Day
You can download a QuickTime Movie of the Pistol River Wavebash Practice Day (runtime-16 mins.), filmed at the 2010 Pistol River Wavebash by right clicking on the word "download" and following the menu option to 'save target as', 'download linked file', or 'save as quicktime movie'.
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