wind wisdom?

[Bill S.]

I recently spent some time in the Gorge with a great group of Minnesota friends, where, predictably, there was the usual bickering about where, when and how big it was going to blow in view of all kinds of (too much?) data and pseudo-scientific opinion circulating on the ubiquitous Blackberries, iPhones and wind-pagers. Having engaged in this sort of thing in the early days (Tighe and Scott: remember LAWA?), I generally steer clear of trying to out-tech Mother Nature these days, especially in the Gorge where micro-climates rule and the moment you leave what seems to be a dying breeze at one site it often cranks up and blows hard till dark and your friends, worked from a major session, tell you later at the bar, "Dude, you should've stayed!"

Better sometimes to find a nice place to chill, open a cold one, watch the tree tops and wait--at least when you're on vacation. As so often happens in the Gorge, when the gradients are strong there will often be a session just about anywhere you find yourself.

Nonetheless, I went with the group's flow and, while we drove up-and-down the river a bit in search of the elusive "epic sesh," the scenery as always was spectacular and we had a great time in typical 3.7-5.0 Gorge conditions.

I am thinking about this when I return home, about how much technology has changed our "life-in-the-wind" experience, when my daughter returns from sailing camp and says that her instructor taught them:

"Those who are impatient with the wind will have bad things happen to them."

As evidence of this, she cited a boy at her camp who came unglued during a lull in the wind and, trying frantically to scull his dinghy to the next mark, tipped over and had to be rescued.

Cheers,

[Chris Lock]

Seems like we live in a world of information overload these days. The problem with that is that we can get conditioned to always need to know everything, to try to always be in control, which heightens our dissapointment when things dont go the way we want and leads to an expectation of immediate gratification thats not always realistic.

Dude, wha?...............yep


I kinda miss the days when you just called the weather line and they said "15-25 today". K, good enuf for me, lets go. No wracking your brain trying to interpret all the squiggly lines and truckloads of data, second guessing mother nature (a silly endeavor at best), you had kind of an idea, you went to the lake, most of the time it blew, sometimes it didnt, dont think we got skunked any more or any less than we do now.

I think especially when chasing something as unpredictable as the wind, that part of fun, the intrique, the ADVENTURE, is not always knowing how the next sesh is going to pan out. I'm sure its what keeps us wind junkies coming back for more, besides, waiting for it to pick up is a good excerise in rolling with it in these git er done times.

Yeah, we definately need more rollin' with it.

[chanrider]

The more experience I gain the more I realize how subjective windsurfing and kiting are. One person’s good day is another’s bad day. It depends on a lot of different factors many of which are highly personal and not even related to what the wind happens to do on a particular day.

I remember a few light wind days kiting in Padre this spring and the kiting was ok but windsurf conditions appeared totally appalling. But there were still some really good freestyle windsurfers out goofing around… I thought what in the world could they be working on? Fact is there was probably a lot they were working on and having fun too. They were doing tricks I had no idea what to call but they looked pretty good. Just when you think the conditions have ruled out any possibility of having a good time someone goes out there and proves you wrong!

[steveb]

Truth is even with all the modelling software and powerful computors the weatherman can't predict the next days going to be tomorrow with 100% accuracy.
Seems to me just when man thinks he's got it figured out mother nature changes the rules and slaps us down again.
I like that with the technology we can, to a degree, plan a little now.Try to clear schedules with a greater probability of a sess. But it's still not gauranteed.

So tomorrow I predict there will be weather. Whether or not the weather is the weather we want will be unpredictable . Whether you like it or not.

[BSMITH]

Dude, you should've stayed!

I snapped my boom right where they were filming Levi. Look for me floating by in The Windsurfing movie II!

[Chris Lock]

Icon man makes the big screen!!!!!!

[Kevinousdigian]

I agree with your sentiments about patience, perspective, and that more often than not the experts still can't predict the wind. Most of my really good sessions this year are because I figured out it would blow despite what exp. or NOAA showed and hit ML or another lake. That 10 day MRF is very useful for longer-term planning. I bet that when it shows a strong cool front coming through a week in advance it is spot on in at least 3/4 of those times. There have been several times this year it showed the strong wind a week in advance and even on the day of Exp and NOAA predicted 7-15 mph winds. It wasn't until the wind was blowing 15-25 that they upped their 'forecast'. It should be reassuring that the same folks are also predicting what is going to happen to the earth in the next 10-100 years...

[Reds]

I think we all know that the technology is just a tool and the real god is out there waiting to be experienced in the natural world.

[Randy]

Thanks all for such inspirational comment. I read it this morning before going out into the wind and was fed throughout my ride.

Wind is such a challenging experience. Your thread, coming from the Gorge, reminded me of Bart Vervloet's slogan from 1987, "Attitude is Everything". I was often amazed at those who'd complain at 5M wind, sticking their noses up to it for 3.5M wind.
I witnessed my father gradually loose his brain through a rare dementia, and I very rarely heard a complaint...even to his last 'wind'.
I'm reminded of a Zen student complaining to his master about the boredom he experienced from meditation. The master promptly shoved his head in the river water repeatedly until the student was at the verge of losing consciousness. At the completion, he asked his student if he was still bored.
Those of you who know Phil Money from Windsurf Inc. in South Padre, know his motto is "no whining".
There's something about our approach to life that parallels our approach to wind. We can look at it as a gift or an entitlement. When seen as a gift, the technology is a marvelous aid that allows us to make room for participating in more wind opportunity. It doesn't guarantee what the wind will be, since from this perspective, there are no guarantees. Personally, I like to ride from the perspective of "no guarantees", on the gift of the given, no matter what.
I have been amazed at how things change when I change my perception. For example, when the wind dies, if I step into disappointment, it generally becomes less or flukey. Yet, when I shift my perception and attitude to a new channel, in gratitude for just being on the water, almost inevitably, the wind returns. This can't be a mind game. There can be absolutely no expectation. It's full surrender to what is. It also works when the wind gets out of hand. Oh...and now the gift of this.
A healthy approach to wind is a great foundation to a healthy approach to life. Pay attention (look at models, talk to friends, etc.), show up (when it comes, meet it) do your best (always move just past your ability in challenge) and for sure, know that you don't control the result...no matter how much technology you've got.
Anyway, as you can see, you guys touched a passion of mine. It's the practice of gratitude and the art of "no complaint, no complaint". I feel this in the spirit of this community thanks to Tighe's stewardship.
A final note, from those of you who've heard enough bad attitude and complaint from me...this is difficult moment-to-moment practice. It's not like one day we get a grateful attitude and life's just peaches. Yet, I will challenge you all to see if you can hold back joy when you move to gratitude. If the disappointment of expectation eats away, especially when waiting for wind at a destination center, simply move to the harmonic of gratitude and see what happens.
Wind and water and gratitude and joy are harmonic. They reside in the moment. Complaint, fear and expectation contribute to disharmony and reside outside of the present moment.
If this practice is something that interests you, it's what Just Be It is about, finding that gap between thoughts where the essence of the ride is. Again, thanks Bill for inciting me to deeper insight.
This is challenging practice. Again, I'm just sharing what's worked for me. No preachy preachy, so excuse me if I've come across thinking I know anything here.
It just seems "no complain, no complaint", and "find the gift in the given" seems to apply whenever encountering our participation with wind.

[tom_latcham]

I really like the no complaining comment Randy. We can't control the wind. We can only seek to harmonize with it. What a miraculous gift. To be alive and have a mind that can experiance this amazing planet. Sometimes my thoughts bring me down the wrong road and I complain. I need to focus on how wonderful it is to be alive and have the opportunity to kite. To live in a time when we have the leasure time and equipment that makes it possible. Thanks for this important reminder. Have you seen Jerry's bumper sticker. Stop global whining.
TL

[Tighe]

thanks Randy for the reminder. It just keeps coming at you, doesn't it? The richness is overwhelming at times. The biggest challenge is to hold onto the essence of gratitude when you are in the grips of some pain, when all you have is the appreciation for the lesson that will in time become apparent.

Funny as I tucked my daughter in I explained your concept to her and used the example of the cool summer we've been having and how many are complaining. She said she loves this summer because there are no mosquitos and that bonfires and hot tubs feel better. I learn so much from her.

The journey is such a gift.

thanks Randy

[Randy]

Yes, that's probably the more difficult lesson for a parent...that our children have been presented to teach us life's more difficult lessons. There's a sense of wonder and acceptance that I'm envious of.

I heard someone say that we're either appreciating or depreciating. Finding the surprise in the familiar seems key to successful aging, and when we can't seem to struggle to find something to be grateful for, it's ok to fill with joy for having a "no mosquito July evening". Your daughter's wisdom is similar to that of Thich Knat Hahn's suggestion to 'feel' back to a deep pain. His was a very bad toothache. He guided us deep into that pain and then had us fill with joy for 'having a wonderful non-toothache' day.

My three year old grandson, Kai, had an encounter with a snowboard bag. The bag won and he had to deal with a broken leg. When he visited this summer there wasn't one complaint about the incident, the cast, or the change of 'his moment'. I found this in stark contrast to the typical media's focus on complaint and what's wrong and filled with gratitude that his parents have kept the technology of TV from their home.

I'm so happy that yesterday I had a "no kitemare" day.