Back in the day... History of Vancouver Island sailboarding

redbaron · Post by **redbaron** » Thu Jun 15, 2017 6:03 pm

It's a windless day in Hood River and Im just flipping through some vintage magazines.... It's amazing how much the sport has progressed and how much it's popularity has dropped off.

I found a couple relic of articles about the island in a couple mags:

redbaron · Post by **redbaron** » Thu Jun 15, 2017 6:06 pm

Another one

redbaron · Post by **redbaron** » Thu Jun 15, 2017 6:08 pm

Some up and coming events from 1989!!!!

rocdoc · Post by **rocdoc** » Thu Jun 15, 2017 7:34 pm

Don`t know if a lot of those planned events actually happened in 1989.
But anyway, belated apologies for not making the Wave Social Event on May 20-22, 1989. Had to go to Alaska for four months to work on Shoreline Cleanup Assessment for the Exxon Valdez oil spill.

nanmoo · Post by **nanmoo** » Thu Jun 15, 2017 11:21 pm

I can't believe they held a contest at JR but more importantly blew up my secret spot Esq. Lagoon!

Pretty cool.

winddude · Post by **winddude** » Fri Jun 16, 2017 9:18 am

pretty cool, looks like they're running a beachstart slalom race at cook streetin that one pic

downwind dave · Post by **downwind dave** » Fri Jun 16, 2017 9:59 am

sigh, what an era... and when you tell your kids you could once get 9 different colours of nose pieces for your Razor blades they just don't get it.

KUS · Post by **KUS** » Fri Jun 16, 2017 4:31 pm

I participated in the 88 bear creek blowout, I think the 89 one went ahead too

Sandy Beach · Post by **Sandy Beach** » Tue Jun 20, 2017 10:33 pm

Thanks for posting, redbaron.

Page 4-The Victoria and Vancouver Island launch and beach locations- is like a 'Cole's Notes' of our BWD wiki:)

.........The time before BWD.

Interesting articles! They offer so much history to many of the people and places of our island wind community....many pioneers of the sport who are still ripping, either on windsurfers, kiteboards or both

I think it's good to reflect on vintage reads like these.....as it's important to know about, and respect the history of the sport, people and places....and to know how things have evolved and changed.

Hope you are getting lots of T.O.W. at Hood River and the coast !

Sandy Beach · Post by **Sandy Beach** » Thu Aug 10, 2017 9:42 pm

Another oldie but goodie. Seventeen years ago, Tom Sullivan featured windsurfing in 'Around Our Shores~Islander' while 'Surfing Nitinat' in September 10, 2000.

This is when pastadude, windsurf247 and I met Tom S. , Vic Evans and many other Nitinat wind regulars as part of the 'Nitinat Windsurfing Society' who helped maintain the forestry campground. It was running as a co-operative organization with an annual membership fee for camping and keeping things/porta-potties clean and stocked up. Just before the kiteboarding era and pre-IKO.

"It's a treasure, said former Olympic windsurfer and White's general manager, Richard Myerscough" about Nitinat. "We're lucky to have it."

"The long drive on washboard-surfaced gravel roads is all forgotten as Tom Sullivan takes advantage of the wonderfully predictable 25-30 knot winds on Nitinat Lake"

Windy mid-island paradise.

more force 4 · Post by **more force 4** » Fri Aug 11, 2017 5:28 pm

Sold my old half-ton pickup yesterday. Took a photo of the windshield sticker, I'll never see again. If the logo is anything to go by, windsurfers far outnumbered kites then

It was a great time at the Nat, immaculate clean camp!!

JL · Post by JL » Sat Aug 12, 2017 10:45 am

John R. & Grant W.

Sandy Beach · Post by **Sandy Beach** » Sat Aug 12, 2017 12:49 pm

Riders on the storm! Johnny Reid and Mr Watson ripping on their windsurfers in a gnarly winter storm. Awesome, JL

JL · Post by JL » Sat Aug 12, 2017 2:22 pm

Here is a classic:

Back in the day... History of Vancouver Island sailboarding

Back in the day... History of Vancouver Island sailboarding

Nitinat campground - windy origins

Hardiest of wind addicts!:)

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