Posted: Sun Oct 17, 2010 7:13 am
Revised after doing some double checking!!!!
The spit is Indian Reserve on the western half and a Municipal Park on the outer half; each is about 500 m long but the public park has most of the beach of interest for sailing. You do need to cross reserve to get there unless you go by boat (obviously not if gale/storm force!). I've talked to a couple of people from the reserve and they are generally happy to be able to watch windsurfers/kiters off the spit in stormy conditions. You can always stop and ask someone or phone the band office first if its a weekday. Being friendly and asking permission works wonders. There is a powerline runs down the middle of the spit, 100 m upwind of the leeward beach (and remember its also 100 m downwind from your landing if you ever do a downwinder from IV). I watched the poles bending around threatening to fall over during one 40 kt gale. Its also dead offshore in a SE, but if you got into trouble you'd wash up anywhere from a few hundred metres downwind around the James Island ferry dock (Saanich side) to, at the worst case from the very tip of the spit, a couple of km downwind to Lochside Drive. Your gear might not be happy though, much of this is rocky. I can't see anyway you'd end up down the channel or on James/Sidney islands, so its not really dangerous from an 'offshore wind' perspective, provided you make sure the wind isn't veering to southwest. I'm assuming anyone contemplating this spot for speed runs in gale force winds on kite or windsurfer is expert or well on their way. 240 (below) has some cautions about debris hidden under the surface. I recall that same 40kt + blow that Windsurf 247 had an awesome bump/jump session a little further downwind, from some access he found off Lochside Drive.
The spit is Indian Reserve on the western half and a Municipal Park on the outer half; each is about 500 m long but the public park has most of the beach of interest for sailing. You do need to cross reserve to get there unless you go by boat (obviously not if gale/storm force!). I've talked to a couple of people from the reserve and they are generally happy to be able to watch windsurfers/kiters off the spit in stormy conditions. You can always stop and ask someone or phone the band office first if its a weekday. Being friendly and asking permission works wonders. There is a powerline runs down the middle of the spit, 100 m upwind of the leeward beach (and remember its also 100 m downwind from your landing if you ever do a downwinder from IV). I watched the poles bending around threatening to fall over during one 40 kt gale. Its also dead offshore in a SE, but if you got into trouble you'd wash up anywhere from a few hundred metres downwind around the James Island ferry dock (Saanich side) to, at the worst case from the very tip of the spit, a couple of km downwind to Lochside Drive. Your gear might not be happy though, much of this is rocky. I can't see anyway you'd end up down the channel or on James/Sidney islands, so its not really dangerous from an 'offshore wind' perspective, provided you make sure the wind isn't veering to southwest. I'm assuming anyone contemplating this spot for speed runs in gale force winds on kite or windsurfer is expert or well on their way. 240 (below) has some cautions about debris hidden under the surface. I recall that same 40kt + blow that Windsurf 247 had an awesome bump/jump session a little further downwind, from some access he found off Lochside Drive.