The Big Winds Weblog

The Starboard Gemini, a tandem windsurfer, got put through its paces last week. Here’s the video.

Some goings on and special deals at Big Winds.

Board Tested: 2009 Naish Glide Date: March 25, 2009 Location: Columbia River Gorge Conditions: Wind: 12-15 Water: 42 Air: 45 Rider: Steve Gender: Male Height: 5′10″ Weight: 150 lbs Skill Level: Expert surfer, expert windsurfer “The stability on this board is awesome which was somewhat surprising due to the relatively narrow tail. The solid feeling [...]

Rider: Dane Gender: Male Height: 5’5″ Weight: 135 lbs Skill Level: Advanced kiteboarder Board Tested: 2008 North Pacific Round Squash Wave 5’3″ Kite Used: 2008 Cabrinha Switchblade 3 8m Date: June 4, 2008 Location: White Salmon Bridge, Columbia River Gorge Conditions: 18-28 mph, huge glassy swell North Pacific is a local Hood River surfboard company [...]

Rider: Daryl Gender: Female Height: 5’2″ Weight: 120 lbs Skill Level: Expert windsurfer Board Tested: 2008 Naish Pro Wave 65L Sails Used: 2008 Naish Session 3.4 – 4.7 Dates: Winter 2008 and Spring 2008 Location: Kanaha, Maui, Hawaii and the Columbia River Gorge Conditions: High-wind wave and swell riding A great board for smaller riders [...]

Rider: Jodie Gender: Female Height: 5’2″ Weight: 115 lbs Skill Level: Advanced windsurfer Board Tested: 2008 Starboard Kombat 79 Wood Sail Used: 2008 Naish Session 4.7 Date: May 27, 2008 Location: Event Site, Columbia River Gorge Conditions: 15-25 mph, flatwater, medium chop, small swell Two nights ago, Jodie had an opportunity to ride the Starboard [...]

With the help of Mac, one of our expert kiteboarding instructors, we just finished giving the royal treatment to the 2008 North Rebel 08. As we did with the Switchblade 3, we extensively detailed and photographed the Rebel and uploaded the results of our investigation to our photo gallery at Flickr. The Rebel is North’s [...]

Kiteboard Tested: 2008 Naish Sol 128 Kites Used: 2008 Switchblade 3 6m, 8m and 10m Dates: Spring 2008 Location: Columbia River Gorge Conditions: Mellow 10-18 mph, moderate 16-24 mph, and intense 22-34 mph Rider: Dane Gender: Male Height: 5’5″ Weight: 135 lbs Skill Level: Advanced Kiteboarder Even though it’s still quite cold out there, I’ve [...]

Board Tested: 2008 Naish Global Wave 78 Sails Used: 2008 Naish Force 4.2 – 4.7 Dates: Fall 2007, Spring 2008 Location: Columbia River Gorge Conditions: “Fully powered-up to light and funky.” Rider: Steve Gender: Male Height: 5’10″ Weight: 150 lbs Skill Level: Expert windsurfer Steve is a lighter guy than Joe, and he wants to [...]

Board Tested: 2008 Naish Global Wave 78 Sail Used: 2008 Naish All Terrain 4.0 Date: May 6, 2008 Location: Rowena, Columbia River Gorge Conditions: 26-39 mph winds, swell riding Rider: Joe Gender: Male Height: 6’2″ Weight: 185 lbs Skill Level: Expert windsurfer Joe tested the 2008 Naish Global Wave 78 the other day, and I [...]

Board Tested: 2008 Naish All Terrain 95 Sail Used: 2008 Naish All Terrain 5.0 Fin Used: Stock Naish All Terrain 28 cm fin Date: May 5, 2008 Location: Rowena, Columbia River Gorge Conditions: 8-21 mph winds, swell riding (marginal conditions) Rider: Joe Gender: Male Height: 6’2″ Weight: 185 lbs Skill Level: Expert windsurfer Joe is [...]

Boards Tested: Aquaglide Amundson 11’3″, Naish 10’6″, Naish 11’6″ Paddles Used: Naish Stand Up, Werner Spanker Dates: Spring 2008 Location: Central Columbia River Gorge Conditions: Flatwater paddling Rider: Daryl Gender: Female Height: 5’2″ Weight: 120 lbs Skill Level: Expert windsurfer, intermediate paddler Rider: Andy Gender: Male Weight: 85 lbs Age: 12 Skill Level: Intermediate windsurfer [...]

We just finished putting together a photo gallery of 2008 Naish Sol, so if you’re at all curious about the state of this fine kiteboard, here’s your chance! The Sol is the go anywhere, do anything, all-terrain model from Naish’s 2008 lineup. The aggressively rounded nose and tail are a result of what Naish calls [...]

It’s no secret that baggage handlers can be rather unforgiving when it comes to the proper care and feeding of your precious windsurf board. International travel can be an especially trying endeavor, and it’s wise to do everything in your power to give your gear the upper hand in any mistreatment scenario. Sailing a remote [...]

We’ve just uploaded a new photo gallery that meticulously documents the 2008 Cabrinha Switchblade 3. The Switchblade is Cabrinha’s go-to kite for wakestyle riding, with a smooth powerband and a pulley-less bar system that eliminates all but the slightest trace of bar pressure. The Switchblade offers all the safety and depower you would expect from [...]

We love helping people find the best gear for their needs, and we know that shopping for a rig can be an overwhelming experience. For instance, in our current 2008 lineup we have more than 30 types of boards from six manufacturers. Each of those 30 boards includes numerous sizes and constructions, such that we [...]

Every summer in Hood River, Windfest proves to be the ultimate opportunity for visiting the Gorge and trying out the latest technology in windsurfing. With free clinics and lessons, anyone from beginner to advanced can swing by and have some fun! Last year, even Robby Naish himself couldn’t resist the pull of Windfest! Windfest takes [...]

Phew! It’s taken us awhile to recover from another whirlwind summer here in Hood River, but it looks like we’ve finally gotten our wits back amongst us. Thusly armed with such concentration and a laser-like focus, we’ve now added our entire 2007 windsurfing demo fleet to our website. This used gear saw one season of [...]

Often overlooked, the lowly harness may be the most important safety item in your setup. If you’re still using your old windsurfing harness for kiteboarding, it could be time to consider upgrading to a true kite harness. What’s more, if this has been your first season of kiteboarding, by this point you might be ready [...]

Geez, is it August already? In two weeks it seems our season here in the Gorge will start wrapping up, but that’s just in time for those of you in the Midwest and on the East Coast to get your autumn blast! And hey, you might be planning a windsurfing trip this winter, or maybe [...]