Winds Create Problems and Opportunities

Southern California Edison crews worked to restore power while windsurfers celebrated the waves Wednesday as gusts reaching 40 mph whipped through the county.

The winds were strongest in Camarillo, where two power lines were downed, causing 25 area businesses to lose electricity for part or all of the day.

Around the rest of the county, winds of 25 to 35 mph were felt throughout the valleys and beaches.

The Coast Guard posted a gale warning in the afternoon advising most ships against sailing. Earlier in the day, a small craft advisory had been in effect.

That didn’t stop local windsurfers such as Derek Turner of Ventura from heading to the beach to brave the waves.

“This is perfect for us,” said Turner, who is president of the Full Sail Windsurfing Club.

Turner sailed for more than three hours Wednesday morning and spent the afternoon hanging out with fellow windsurfers. He was one of about 40 local windsurfers who flocked to the beach despite the Coast Guard’s warnings.

“That’s the call for us to come down here,” he said.

But Ventura Harbor remained quiet as sailors turned into landlubbers for a day.

“Nobody wants to go out at all,” said Scott Parrish, a Ventura Harbor Reserve patrol officer. “I don’t think there has been a boat out of the harbor all day.”

Although the wind knocked down several trees around the county, no one was injured, said a spokesman for the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department.

One of the trees was at Reino Road and Teardrop Court in Newbury Park, where traffic was blocked as crews worked to clear the road about 3:30 p.m.

There were no wind-related traffic accidents, though the California Highway Patrol declared a wind advisory for the county at 1 p.m.

Camarillo Airport’s air traffic was reduced by half, airport manager Tad Dougherty said.

But it was business as usual for hairdressers, who said the wind didn’t hurt their trade.

Dolores Lantz, receptionist for a Westlake Village beauty salon, said the breezy weather had not caused anyone to cancel an appointment.

“I don’t think it’s ever going to affect women’s hair,” Lantz said. “That comes first.”

Gusts are expected to lessen today and into the weekend.

For today, forecasters are predicting partly cloudy skies, mild breezes and temperatures in the 60s during the day and the low 40s at night.