Foiling prodigy Jeffrey Spencer heads to Hood River and competes in The Gorge Paddle Challenge

When it comes to wind sports, Hood River has been a mecca for years. The wind howls down the River Gorge and the constant current going against the wind creates great bumps for downwind runs. The Spencer brothers made the trip for the Gorge Paddle Challenge - in which Jeffrey beat his younger brother Finn by just 2 seconds in the downwind wing race. We chatted to Jeffrey to find out all about their trip & the race.

Hey Jeffrey, congrats on your win! Things must be pretty competitive with your brother Finn?

Absolutely! He beats me often in practice races and if he was on a slightly larger wing I think he might have kept ahead in the race.

It looked like the conditions weren’t ideal in the downwind wing race, how did you go about managing the light wind

In the week leading up to the race, we did several runs in extremely marginal conditions to practice. A couple of times we even had to wait for wind in the middle of the run since it was too light to foil. It definitely prepared us for the race which was windy in comparison.

50 wings on a start line must be carnage! What was your tactic in getting a good start? Was the start a reach or dead downwind?

I planned to find clean wind to get out front because it was hectic with so many people but right before the horn I ran into a small patch of seaweed and had to stop to pull it off. After that, I was in the back and had to ride straight through the pack which was challenging. I saw two people collide right in front of me but luckily I was able to avoid them and make it through without crashing.

Tell us about the equipment you chose on race day. Is the Dart good for speed or is it more of a ride what you have situation?

The dart is a great wing for speed. It has a fast acceleration and controls exceptionally well when in the power zone. Since the wind was so light I chose to ride a 6-meter classic wing over the 5-meter dart but with a bit more wind the dart would have been the way to go.

I’ve heard it was a pump fest to the finish line between you & Finn. Talk us through how you edged out that 2 seconds over him.

The wind was lighter than either of us expected before the finish line and I think my wing being one meter bigger made the difference. If it was the other way around Finn would have made it through that last leg much faster.

To complement your win you got 2nd place on the wing course race, again in light winds. How did it compare to having the upwind legs?

Having the upwind legs is great, it is fun to make the tightest line you can around the course. My favorite part of course racing is the strategy at the start line so it was nice to have one downwind and one upwind start.

My Instagram feed has been filled with foiling paradise Hood River clips recently with dock starts, Steam Boat waves, downwinders, wings, kites, paddle & more. You must’ve been exhausted with so many opportunities for water time? What else did you get up to?

There are so many different types of foiling you can do on the river so that was what we were up to every day. Hood River has steep bumps to jump off of compared to Maui and the docks are better for foiling as well so we tried to make the most of every day on the water while we could!

The Steam Boat party wave looks like a right laugh! Do you think the captain is annoyed about everyone thieving his/her wake yet?

The captain is actually super nice about it and sometimes the boat will even take a route to make it easier for the people riding. The sternwheeler is such a unique experience and it is awesome to see them excited about foiling.

Let me apologise for asking this but it has to be done… Can we expect to see Spencer brother double backflip attempts in the near future having witnessed Titouan’s?

I think so! Not sure when exactly but it is definitely something we are thinking about trying.

Thanks for taking the time Jeffrey!

Results for the men’s wingfoil downwinder:

  1. Jeffrey Spencer
  2. Finn Spencer
  3. Christopher MacDonald

Results for the women’s wingfoil downwinder:

  1. Cynthia Brown
  2. Marie Rose Kissinger
  3. Julie Scheyer

Results for the men’s wingfoil course race:

  1. Christopher MacDonald
  2. Jeffrey Spencer
  3. Sam Shannon

Results for the women’s wingfoil course race:

  1. Fiona Wylde
  2. Marie Rose Kissinger
  3. Sensi Graves
By Jack Galloway

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