[Paddlewise] Lake Chelan trip report

>From: "Robert MacDonald" <RMacDonald_at_udl.com>

>Subject: [Paddlewise] Lake Chelan trip report



>Regarding the winds:  Typically, the further inland you are, the later the
winds pick up.  See Frank Bethwaite's

>book "High Performance Sailing" for an incredible discussion on wind
formation.  That being said, the winds you

>ran into were just plain weird, and didn't seem to fall into any particular
pattern.  Was there an overlying

>condition, a low (or more likely, a high) pressure zone moving through the
area?



Well, part of the problem was that there were no forecasts available to me
after I had launched.  (I brought a radio, but there was no coverage).  I
expected the winds were due to uneven heating from the sun along the sides
of the gorge, but I don't really know more than that.  But I'd agree with
them seeming "weird".  I was told that the day before, the winds through the
gorge were picking up very late into the evening and peaking out around
midnight!



>Regarding avoiding the winds:  Crawling along the edge of one of these
long, narrow lakes or fiords avoids the

>worst of the winds and chop.  Of course, having to cross to get from one
campsite to another makes it tough, but

>you can always try to arrange the crossing for a time when the wind has
dropped.  By close, I mean CLOSE!  If

>your paddle doesn't hit the shore now and again, you are too far away.  On
tidal fiords, this helps beat contrary

>tidal currents, too.  This works best on very steep shorelines, with lots
of tiny bays and points.  They don't

>have to be very deep bays, just a "scalloped" edge to the coast is all that
is necessary. You travel a little

>more distance, but the speed and effort put in is so much less than
punching through the wind and chop in the

>middle, it more than makes up for it.



Generally, the shoreline was in fact very steep (like a 45 degree angle or
even steeper).  I did notice what you are saying, ie that the chop was less
_in places_ very close to shore, although in some places the reflected waves
created even more chop near the shoreline, especially where there was just a
rock wall descending into the water.



Thanks for the comments



Evan Dallas

Woodinville, Washington
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