The water was cold! 46 degrees. Brr! It was my first time surfing in booties, gloves and a hoodie! It actually wasn’t too bad. I could surf for just over an hour before my fingers and toes felt like they were burning and freezing at the same time.
We heard there were some waves out at the coast and that’s all we needed to hear for motivation. We packed up our vehicles and headed out to the Oregon Coast.
I remember the last time I was in Oregon, the cherries were so delicious. We had to pick some up for the trip, even though they only lasted for 5 minutes!
The Oregon coast is just under two hours away from Hood River. It has a completely different feel to it than the gorge and is full of lush greenery. Once you reach the edge of the mountains you have a amazing view of an endless beach.
Our first stop was a cool little beach called Shortsands. It was full of surf and drift wood. To get there, we had to walk along a little river where the trees were home to hobits or looked like elephants. We searched in the tress to find hobits but didn’t have much luck.
The winds were howling just the day before the annual festival, but I guess it is now a tradition for the wind to disappear on the actual day of the “Wind-fest”. Despite the absence of wind, the Windfest was a happening place to be. There was freestyle clinics by the local women rippers Zoe and Roxanne, Intro to SUP with Michi Schweiger, and all windsurfing brands had their demos and new product out to try.
I had fun catching up with my sponsors such as my Dakine team manager Bill.
I had a great time sailing at the Hatchery. It is a little sailing spot on the Washington side of the Gorge. It is a windy spot to rig, rocky spot to launch, but a good place to meet up with old friends.
My dad had the chance to come see me sail and to be my personal photographer! 
If your in “the Hood”, stop by Big Winds at 10:00am on Thursday, July 2nd! See you there!
Thanks for all the support in Germany! We can’t wait for a wonderful event.
Germany, July 4th, 2009
The Butterfly Effect announces its first ever all women, non-competitive, water sport event in Germany. It will be a one-day downwinder of windsurf, kite, SUP, surf, and water sport clinics at Kiel, North Germany. A downwinder means to set out in a distance from one location down the coast to another location. Usually, it is a short mission that is challenging but safe to push the level of women in water sports. All women are welcome from any skill level. It is for free! We are encouraging women to pre- sign up at surf shops in Kiel, Lübeck, Hamburg, Münster. This event is uniquely designed to promote women in water sports.
Downwinder Details
The downwinder begins from Heidkate and continues to Brasilien_ (west wind), with a break at Kalifornien. Heidtake is one of the hot spots of Kiel. It’s a wide sandy beach with a beautiful atmosphere. The distance of the downwind is around 2.5 km from Heidtake to Kalifornien and 2 km to Brasilien. The wind usually blows from west direction and it is suggested to bring a sail around 5.0 m or kite size around 7m to 9m. For stand-up paddling any size is fine. It is possible to join the group from Heidtake, Kalifornien or even being part on the clinic at Heidkate.
Mermaid photo gone bad…
The first ever Butterfly Effect Maui Movie! It’s in the works by Dan Barreiro, so stayed tuned! We will be doing video release parties around the globe and hopefully in a town near you! We have amazing footage from land, air and sea. Be sure to get your hands on one, its’ the start to a beautiful “effect”.
Samba Maui from Tatiana Howard on Vimeo.
