I'd avoid buying any gear sight-unseen. You can put a good used kit together, more or less local to you, by using the buy/sell on this site, the coastalbc classifieds, usedvictoria, etc. That way you can personally inspect what you're buying, and if you're buying from someone in the local wind commu...

Experiences vary, I guess. I have had my Class C since '04 and built my rear-mount rack in '05. Go to the Gorge for about a month every year, haven't had any of the problems Markus mentioned: - The rack only makes for two extra feet, for a total of twenty six, so extra cost at the ferry is negligble...

I've got a custom rack that holds all my gear vertically off the back of my RV. Nothing wrong with carrying everything on the roof, but I prefer the relative ease of loading and unloading gear while standing on the ground, especially in high winds. You'll see a lot of variations of this method in th...

Nanmoo, was that you wearing boardshorts and a rashie at Doug's last Sunday (Quattro quad, Hot Sails "Fire", Chinook alloy)?

Jim Steele's reply to my e-mail inquiry: The plan is still to offer this service on the national Weatheroffice site (marine section), but there will be an interruption of the service for a period of time as we transition things over. The Pressure Slope is on the list of marine priority changes for W...

Flog. Short for "f-ing sailing log!" Generally muttered in anger to oneself upon reading others' sailing logs and realizing one made the wrong call. e.g.:"After twitching all morning and fearing a skunk 'n funk I opted to do chores around the house, only to later read all the flogs of...

I really like the Gaths. I started windsufing in '03 and had a Gath hat by '05, but I never wore it more than a couple of times because of the usual excuses. In the fall of '08 Mike B. and I were out at S. Chesterman's in 3.5-4.0 conditions with big, dumping surf, pretty much survival sailing. It wa...

I use BWD's tables often. It has to be stressed that the number of posts on this topic represents a small fraction of actual users. My brother-in-law is a golf course superintendent in Victoria and I know he uses BWD's forecasting tools.

It's not looking good for wind this afternoon.

Port Alberni economic development manager, Pat Deakin, is trying to find some windsurfers and kiters (who are willing to sign releases) to be in a promotional video that is going to be filmed Tuesday, August 18, in the harbour. The film crew will be in town all day, but this footage will be shot aro...

Yep, that's Sean. Really nice guy, and not too shabby on the water.

Be sure to demo a Fanatic Freewave 86 from the Gorge Surf Shop. Talk to Adam or Gary (or Scotty if he's actually in the shop). Great people to deal with. I'm the same size as you and I own the 77. I use it in all the applications you mentioned, from 3.5 to 5.7, it's a great all-around board. Powerbox.

Pressure slope always factors into my decision whether to go to Nitinat. Lennard Island always factors into my decision to go to Combers, Long Beach, or Chesterman. Wish it updated more often.

I'll be taking the Coho on June 18, returning July 3. Most likely will stick to the Gorge, camping at Toll Bridge Park. If you find yourself at the Hatch, Doug's or the Wall, look for a Slumber Queen motorhome with BC plates and a custom board rack on the back. My wife's pregnant, so it would be gre...

This is the first year i've done any winter sailing and it has definitely been worth it. The drive from Port Alberni to Columbia Beach is only 45 minutes, and it's nice to be on a paved road. The conditions on a big day can be Gorge-like, and i'd rather be on a 4.0 there in a dry suit than on a 6.0 ...