VANCOUVER ISLAND WINDTALK

Does anyone have wind-sage experience for Nicola Lake for this week (Aug. 29 -)? Or is the Gorge a better bet. (This will be a family camping/sailing trip with beginner and jibe-happy sailors.)

Manzanita (OR)has some beginner spots and waves for those who want. Heading down on Tuesday.

Sailed Nicola yesterday... OP 4.7! Nice big swells (4ft+).. warm water. Gotta love it. They SAY if its about 6° diff between coast and Merrit... it can blow. I don't sail there enough to be sure.

nice score Vildernessgurl!

i've sailed nicola a handfull of times so i can't really comment on the consistancy of the wind - what Vildernessgurl said sounds gewd to me ... but what i can tell you is it's a whole lot more family/beginner friendly than Manzanita! ... jeez, the oregon coast is cold, salty, sandy ... nicola is sunny, warm, freshwater.

the gorge would prob be your best bet for consistant wind ... my 2¢

family camping......Nimpkish/Nat can't be beat; Maryhill @ Gorge is a nice base camp: Park info: 509-773-5007 or 4395 are the numbers I have for contact, reservations etc.. I have found Nicola is not camp friendly unless you go to Monck Park (or you don't mind semis ripping past every 10 minutes day and nite) where the wind is NOT as good inshore but is a nice campground. The Nicola water is almost as bad as the Gorge I found in the past with all the fertilizer in the water, makes me retch after every long sesh but maybe this has improved over the years. Also wind can be VERY gusty and spotty, somewhat unpredictable but waves can for some reason get awesome . If you have kiters, Stump Lake might be a better camp and beach bet, gets similar wind, smaller waves, beach camping where there are no signs . If it's nice out, Harrison can be great, camping at Bear Creek is cool

thanks all, the weather forecast for Nitinaht has improved from abismal to marginal, Nicola lake sounds good but gusty, and well the gorge is the gorge, but that 6 hours of driving with my children in close proximity...
waiting for the next weather forecast update

hi vildnesgirl
"OP 4.7! Nice big swells (4ft+).. warm water. Gotta love it. They SAY if its about 6° diff between coast and Merrit..."

as per Kus' comments, did you sail from the campground (which is where I would be sailing from) and was it gusty?

whoops, soory about the typos vildernessgirl

I sailed from the south side off the highway. Theres a pullout with windsock and a windsurfer memorial. Monk is really nice, but sorta small.

It was gusty allright! But in a fun way...

http://www.weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/city/ ... ric_e.html

is a forecast for Lytton, they say to watch. For some reason, Merritt has no annemometer reading?

I thought the water there seemed pretty clean and BELIEVE me, lol... I spent enough time IN it to know

I also got a good session on Nicola in late July...from the pullout on the highway (not Monck Park side).... same thing = overpowered (5.5M was good on the sides but should have been 4.7M in the middle) and big big swells (relative to Nitinat). Water was warm in a shorty. I have heard the temp differential thing too. But tried that twice and got no wind. Seems to me if it is blowing inflow (ie SSW at Harrison or Hope) up the valley and it is hot and sunny everywheree it works there. iWindsurf would be helpful there.

you'll know once you cross the Coq if Nicola is going off...if it's hot and inflowing, at all you'll get some but how much is the question. I have never been able to predict that place but have gotten blown off the water there before