VANCOUVER ISLAND WINDTALK

Why isn't there one?!

Kus this one has your name stamped on it !

Its never windy enough!

I'm sure the kite schools struggle with the remoteness, forecasts that don't always pan out, and down days, but it's probably even worse with a sport that isn't the latest "thing".

insurance. equipment. are the biggest.
kiteschools already have enough on there plate.
strongkiteboarding would like to stay focused
on teaching kiteboarding.

It has been tried in the past and never really took off. You can teach someone to sail in an hour who has never done it before. Then with most things its just TOW. Once people progress into higher winds its really only waterstarts that people have trouble with and gybing. Which are usually taught by buddies or can be taught with a simple explanation. How did everyone in the sport progress? I presume most didn't take lessons after they learnt how to stand up, catch the wind and finish in the spot where they launched from.

There is a perfectly good windsurf school in Parksville

hey bamfieldave - what do you want to learn!??

My reason for asking is mainly to promote the sport. I also should have worded it a bit different as in school/demo boards and sails. how cool would it be if you could demo boards and sails from a school at nitinat! Being a newbie i started out with all the wrong gear, just didn’t know (still don’t for a lot of things lol). Advanced sailors would also benefit from being able to try different gear, sails, boards before purchasing. Knowing what to use in what arena seems to be the difference between ripping around having mega life altering fun or swimming really far.
And opps didn’t know about the one in parksville, will look into that. thanks

yeah i see where you are coming from , it would be nice to have a one stop shop to address these issues- but with the size of the consumer pool it just is not going to happen. Another way to look at it is the sport is into a weird non-corporatized peer supported phase where you will really get the most ahead by being pro-active and reading forums (like this one!) watching videos and chatting up your bros every chance you can. there are tons of guys here that love to spout advice on gear and technique (but ya get what you pay for lol) . as for demos, you pretty much will need to take a holiday to Hood River or Maui to try new stuff.. guys selling stuff thru BWD can sometimes meet you at the lake to let you take a run on something.

downwind dave wrote: there are tons of guys here that love to spout advice (but ya get what you pay for lol)

This is a rhetorical statement.

WINDSURF SCHOOL

bamfieldave wrote:Why isn't there one?!

what would YOU charge to sit at the lake and wait for some guy who needs his kids (or his already annoyed wife) babysat I can just imagine the length of line-up for $100-150/hr like the kiting school charges...At $50/hr it would not be worth your while....I used to do intro lessons for FREE at Willows and had on average 3 people show up. I suppose in the summer season it would improve and yes, you could go to Parksville for a drift, but I think a school AND rental/demo at the Nat beach could succeed.....barely, cuz beginner gear is not intermediate/advanced gear so you would have two sets of everything.....You would have to pay for the beginner stuff with lessons, the other stuff with rental charges. The insurance thing would be along the lines of: declare bankruptcy if someone sues, make sure you are incorporated and at arm's length. I am not yet too beaten up so I will be in Oregon in summer but once lame or retired this might be a fun idea to try... again.
DEMOS

downwind dave wrote:as for demos, you pretty much will need to take a holiday to Hood River or Maui to try new stuff.. guys selling stuff thru BWD can sometimes meet you at the lake to let you take a run on something.

very few people have taken me up on demo gear offers, boards or sails. When they do they usually immediately buy something as a vast improvement over their crap gear .....if they can afford it....sadly most windsurfers are very, very poor indeed I had a guy try a brand new out of the bag sail, then barter with me to buy it cuz the sail was "used"....

bamfieldave wrote:how cool would it be if you could demo boards and sails from a school at nitinat! Being a newbie i started out with all the wrong gear, just didn’t know.... Advanced sailors would also benefit from being able to try different gear, sails, boards before purchasing

What's the up-side for a dealer/school?? I recall doing a whole demo weekend at the Lake, about 7 people took out gear at peak season on a windy 3 day weekend while I hung around the rigging spit waiting for any interested parties. Some of those that did it seemed didn't happen to have the right sail size/board with them so they demo'ed the gear for a few hours (some, not all)
The other issue is manufacturers won't provide demo deals anymore, only pro/wholesale deals. Once gear is used, everyone figures it must be 70% off retail and it is tough to sell. If you can use it as rental gear, THAT is the only way you could break even or make a COUPLE of dollars doing demos. With a small consumer pool, you cannot possibly expect to carry every board and sail size/color etc. and then be rid of it at the end of the summer. Therefore I demo my personal gear to encourage sales.

GEAR ADVICE: As for that nobody generally will admit the sail or board they have is a dog or was overpriced or sucks in some other way. ...Also, perhaps they bought new gear after owning total crap, so of course it is the cat's ass...and if not, who likes to admit they made a costly mistake I do, I don't mind telling you about what I know so hit me up when at the lake I have some pretty strong opinions but I don't slag what I haven't tried

Someone who's been in the industry for awhile as instructor and resort manager, I have some insights. The main reason is economics. Nitnat is very remote so your customer base is limited. There probably wouldn't be enough students only interested in learning intermediate to advanced skills. It's way to far to draw a first time beginner for a few hours of instruction. Windsure in Vancouver woks because they have a large urban population to draw from, running kids summer programs all summer. Resorts work because the income is largely made up from rentals (and very low developing world wages). Places like Hood river and Maui work because they arecrazy well known, have a large number of qualified instructors, and have other draws to the area as well with an established tourist industry, Nitnat is only windsports.

If you are a certified instructor with CYA you do have liability coverage.

Lastly and most upsetting is instructors end up getting real jobs so they can afford the gear that they teach on

The only realistic way to run a school at nitnat would be through sponsorship, but these dollars go to the guys on tour.

Nudge... where's trident...

Thanks guys! Question answered