A Modern Gorge Quiver –
How Less is More
In 1990, my Gorge quiver was a neon mountain of bravado piled high over my Volkswagen Rabbit’s rooftop. Boards, sails, protruding poles — they screamed, I’m a windsurfer. All day. Every day. It’s who I am. Aren’t I cool?
Flash forward 34 years, and “cool” is gear that fits inside my manly minivan. Bye bye neon windsurfing mountain. Hello multiple wind sports: a foil, a paddle, a wing — strategic choices that smack of fatherhood, fleeting water time, and an ever present ticking clock.
That’s why this year’s Gorge quiver resonates as a breakthrough. I rode through the winter, hit the water on no wind days, preserved my in-season balance, and improved my aerobic output. But the real change has been attitude. With this quiver, I haven’t been skunked. I drive to the beach knowing I’ll hit the water. Isn’t that cool?
Here’s the quiver that’s turning the clock back for this 51-year-old. And yep, I’m still a windsurfer. Proudly. But at the heart of it, my mojo relies on consistent water time. This gear gets it.
EDDY’S
UN-SKUNKABLE GORGE QUIVER
0-8 mph Winds
Flat Water Pop Up Practice
Broccoli
Eat your vegetables. Flat water paddling is not my favorite activity. I am not pumping onto foil … yet. Meanwhile, my wife says my paddle/pump flurries look like I’m humping a whale. But the workout is better than the gym. 30 minutes and I’m gassed with a big off-season bonus: all those little balancing muscles in my ankles and feet, those that atrophy over wintertime, stay primed for summer fun to come. So when there’s no wind, I put in the work. I eat my broccoli.
Why This Gear?
KT Dragon Fly 8’2” SUP Foil Board: Utility. This board is THE reason my quiver feels un-skunkable. 128 liters of fun for flat water paddling, light-wind winging, and learning to downwind SUP foil.
Quickblade Ono Ava 105 Paddle: Powerful and forgiving. The drive I need. Lightweight too.
Unifoil Progression 200 Foil: User friendly, with a broad range — especially on the low-end side for getting me flying. It also feels surfy once up.
8-18 mph Winds
Wing Foiling
Session Saver
Get wet. Not enough wind to windsurf. Not enough swell to downwind SUP foil. Grab the wing and, holy cow, rise rise rise. Winging on a long, narrow downwind board is a light-wind revelation with a gear saving kicker: I can downsize my wing. My 5.0 is my light wind one-and-done. It’s the only wing I need.
Why This Gear
KT Dragon Fly 8’2” SUP Foil Board: The narrow shape releases to rising speed as if on a greased runway. An 8-12 mph tease breeze means I hit the water knowing I’m gonna fly.
Duotone Slick 5.0 Wing: Its boom tricks me into thinking I’m windsurfing (not winging). So does the Slick’s focused power. The draft is stable. In hand, it feels like a sail. It is a sail. It’s a sail. It’s a sail. It’s a sail.
Unifoil Progression 200 Foil: The power to get up in light winds, and fast, nimble and stable.
Steady Winds 18+ mph
Windsurfing
Comfort Food
Give me my cape. Slashing, soaring — delusions I’m young in full bloom. Windsurfing’s rush to risk ratio enables ’em. If light-wind winging is reggae, windsurfing is Metallica. And at heart, I’m still a metal head. That, and I like that windsurfing is so physical. 90 minutes at full tilt, and I’ve earned the beer.
Why This Gear?
Duotone Grip 3 79: It’s big enough to get my 175 pounds planing when Gorge wind speeds average 16 mph. But its compact shape and tri fins keep me planted when winds let loose. One board. Done.
Duotone Super Hero SLS Sails 3.7, 4.2, 4.5: Coming off a featherlight inflatable wing, it’s refreshing to grab sails that don’t feel heavy. The Super Hero’s also boast enormous wind range, and rig in seconds. Oh, and thanks to light-wind winging, my 4.5 Super Hero is my “big” sail. My 370 mast is my “big” mast. Yahoo.
Gusty Winds 15+ mph; Wintertime
Downwind SUP Foiling
Humble Pie
Give me my diaper. That I’m learning to downwind SUP foil means I stay warm hackin’, huffin’ and puffin’ straight through winter. When it’s spooky 5-35 mph winds, it’s refreshing to hold a paddle. As in, unlike a wing or a sail, I don’t ever feel overpowered holding a paddle. All I need is swell energy. Gusty winds? Whatever. Then come the hard earned payoffs: first flights, extended air time, linking a swell or two. Oh my gosh. I’m getting this … Sploosh.
Why This Gear?
KT Dragon Fly 8’2” SUP Foil Board: At 128 liters, it’s exceptionally lightweight, and rises easily. Do I make it rise easily? Not yet. But plenty of experienced paddlers have hopped on to demonstrate. I’ve raised my middle finger to each of them.
Quickblade Ono Ava 105 Paddle: A powerful catch is key, and this paddle delivers it.
Unifoil Progression 200 Foil: I like its blend of rising and riding.
2-8′ Surf
Surfing
Dessert
Mecca. This surfboard is not used in the Gorge. It does not belong in this collection. And yet, the payoff for all my wind sports is the confidence they provide me when it comes time to ride this board on a breaking wave. If I’m grabbing this KT surfboard, it’s a special day. I’m smiling.
Why This Gear?
KT AR (All Round) 6’0″ Surfboard: At Big Winds, we have access to the entire KT collection, which includes their coveted surfboard lineup. I’m a fan of the AR, which paddles great, catches everything, and keeps my quiver simple.
