British expat Tanya Saleh (tanyak297.blogspot.com) reports from day one of this rejuvenated American classic…
Pistol River is a spot near a town called Gold Beach in the very southern part of Oregon, USA. The Pistol River Wave Bash used to be a regular pilgrimage for US sailors on their wave tour, but the last time it happened was 10 years ago.
Sam Bittner, Maui resident made the huge leap and commited to make it happen once again.
For those of us who arrived a few days before the start of the event; we have been totally blown away with just how windy this place is non-stop, day after day. The guys have regularly been sailing 3.7s fully powered.
Wednesday was the first day of competition and full single eliminations were run across all categories.
The majority of the entrants have either come from the Gorge or Maui resulting in a star studded event. In addition to that Sam Neal also came over from the UK, and last minute surprise – Timo even came over with JC.
Again the wind did not disappoint – the guys were on 3.7’s/4.2’s all day and heats were run through until dark. The action was pretty awesome to watch and should get even more interesting when the Shadow Box Jump Off takes place over the weekend.
Men’s first round results:
1st Kevin Pritchard
2nd Francisco Goya
3rd Kai Katchadourian
