VANCOUVER ISLAND WINDTALK

crazy! walks like that transcend the "shame" label and move into the realm of cross-training or duathalon!

I avoided the end beach at Nitinat twice, once when I managed to swim/drag sideways enough to get out of the wind and swim into the Native village. The other time I grabbed the most downwind jibe buoy set up for some slalom racing to stop my drift while I got enough energy to waterstart - and I was smart enough to wait for a gust. I had exhausted myself trying to uphaul in waves when my waterstarts didn't work in the marginal conditions. I am so glad I didn't quit the sport then, if I wasn't so stubborn I might have!

Ha, after dribbling on, only about 4 more posts to 200!

Time to revive the beach buggy! I recall that surfers had beach buggies. Undoubtedly to drive surfboards back up the beach when they had gone too far down the line. An old wreck of a vehicle, uninsured, that drives only on the beach. No one owns it; it's just there if you need it. If you use it, get some gas in it some time. Or if this is a problem for someone, well, how about an old bike stashed in the bush? Unfashionable bikes are free these days so several could be leaning against trees at strategic locations down the lake. I was thinking of bringing a bike and just leaving it at the campsite for all to use for this summer anyway. Why not lots of bikes? You're blown away, you drop your gear, and walking out you soon come upon a bike. Cool. You ride back to the camp in ten minutes, drive to your gear, drop off the bike, and haul back to the campsite. Continue surfing for the rest fo the afternoon..... just a few old bikes.
Personally, I don't do the walk anymore unless something has gone terrribly wrong with gear of injury. But it would still be real handy to find a bike after some unpredictable catastrophy. Just a thought.

I dunno about bikes, there's enough garbage in and around that area I am afraid as I don't think they would last long and nobody would fix em. Also there is miles of beach where you cannot ride easily or get to a road quickly.

Usually someone is well aware that you have/had a problem, they just cannot get to you easily. I liked the idea of a small site trailer complete with small zodiac sponsored by the volunteer organization at the Nat...perhaps continuously funded by a "breakfast window" at the trailer manned by a variety of shift volunteers who'd also secure/operate the zod. They had one at Nimpkish, worked really well but it finally calved I think and nobody had $$ to repair.

I was gonna donate my old travel trailer and a large first aid kit but that whole idea kinda got sunk with the society

The Jet ski's used by N.shore (?) & Strong kiteboarding do an excellent job of recovering people/equipment @ Nitinat......

Funny, last time I was at Nitinat I was thinking an old beater bike or two left for convenience of getting to store would be great. Leave it at the notice board when your done. It would really need a trailer too to be functional for groceries, ice, and water and thats getting harder to do. No way I want to pack a bike back and forth in the truck each time. One at "Bozo Beach" for stranded newbies would be kinda funny. (With instructions to ride around the road, not try the beach KUS!) It would have to be neon pink or something embarrasing..... I doubt the 'garbage' factor would be a big deal, I'd be happy to pack them out at the end of the season. Keeping tires patched might be more difficult I expect. Anyone got such a beast we could try?

A safety boats even better (though not for fetching ice), but much more $

My rig and I got bumped by a barge at the hatchery an eon ago. Rig went under the barge, I broke the world swimming record for the 200M sprint, which I still hold to this day!
If this isnt bad enough It made the "video of Shame" that night at the North shore bar and grill.
infamous for 15mins
Oh.....and I avoided the expedition of shame on Sunday when the navy picked up my kite from the Juan de fuca when the quick release on my chicken loop failed. Its amazing how far a kite will fly on its own.