VANCOUVER ISLAND WINDTALK

anyone heading up thurs-fri-sat? the weather looks borderline and i need to convince myself its worth it

.....good idea.....

Best to stay home.Not a great forcast.Roads crappy,bugs are back.All that!

I'm heading out there thurs/fri with my gf, but not bringing any gear, just going to check it out for the first time. From the strange looks people give me when I tell them where I'm going to camp, I take it that the area is pretty...undeveloped.

dont leave home without your gear!

at the moment my gear is incomplete...though I could complete it with some wily use of duct tape and a few convenient knots to make up for my missing mast foot, and missing extension of my boom...and I think I've got a pair of water wings to take the place of my life jacket...

Hey Jude...(I bet you get that a lot eh ) You can usually find all sorts of bits and pieces up at Nitinat. People have all sorts of stuff they're willing to part with or lend out for the day. I'd take whatever gear you have and see what happens.
See you up there!
Rob

I'm thoroughly iffy on going to a spot I've never been, after not having windsurfed for 10 years (I'm only 25 now, I was 140lbs when I last windsurfed...), with gear I've never used, with one sail (6.5 I think) and borrowed gear.

Speaking of which, does anyone know what foot I need to fit in a mistral screamer? Couldn't find any model number or literage...aside from the fact it'll float 205lbs.

I decided to go up just for the camping anyways, I'll be stoked just to see people out on the water. Worst comes to worst, I'll go back the weekend after!

hey jude, you'll be kickin urself if you don't bring some gear

also, it's not really that under-developed ... there's a store/gas station and a motel a few minutes away in the village

heh, I'll be lucky to remember to get all the camping gear in the car, muchless my mix-and match set of gear. I'm gonna settle for the camping, and I'll try not to kick myself too much when the wind picks up.
But if anyone has an older boom, mast base, foot for a mistral screamer, and seat harness, I'd be willing to drop a few bones for them. Hardly looking for the latest in carbon fibre / composites or anything. I should be at the campsite from thursday noonish til friday afternoon.

OKAY.......

Very wind starved here.
Does anyone know what the condition of the road is right now after all the rain we have had?
Also what is the weather looking like for Nitnat this weekend?
I too do not want to make the trip if it is iffy.
So if there is any seasoned nitnat travellers out there that can provide some guidance....please HELP !

Thank you thank you!!!!

well i'm guessing that road will be a whole lot less dusty ... which is a good thing right?

Hey if anyones got room can I get a ride? I've been dieing to get back out to Nitinat! You can contact me at

Cheers!
-Adi

Road ususally gets more potholes after rain, if you have low-profile tires it will be slow! Weather is looking good now, but it can change fast with the unsettled weather pattern we are in now. I'm planning on going for 3 days if the weather looks good Sat morning - but don't trust the forcast more than 1 day ahead unless a monster high pressure builds (and thats not forecast).

Worst can happen is that it pours and your campsite floods a foot or so(why does the tent floor feel like a waterbed?) then you throw everthing in the vehicle next AM and head for dry home.

Jude, the lake looks pretty intimidating to a newby when its blowing 20 plus (it sure did to me, anyway, I used to get butterflies), but it really is a safe spot to learn. THe very worst that can happen, like if you break a mast or something else not repairable or get completely exhausted, is that you get blown down to the sandy beach at the end of the lake about 2km away and have to walk back the road to camp. Someone will usually give you a tow in before that and if conditions are windy enough, there is often a parade of newby kiters walking back that way! The water is cool but not cold, but you should have some type of wetsuit for this time of year.

See you up there!

is that you get blown down to the sandy beach at the end of the lake about 2km away

well that's a little more comforting, I used to have a bad habit of sailing more broad reach than beam and close reach/haul, but a little walk is worth it when you get that extra broad reach run in.