VANCOUVER ISLAND WINDTALK

xmyxlife wrote:Hey Kus dont know if i could be of any help out there, but if you need a hand loading gear or rescuing stranded sailors or anything let me know. If you have an extra boom bra or sofa pillow i'd lend out the carve 145 too if needed!

Tomorrow's confirmed and yeah, be glad to have a little help, not sure if the newbies will need such as small board but sure, bring it, we'll pad it if it gets used. C u then

On my way! Just driving over the hat

Are you guys still doing stuff like this? Just took windsurfing lessons in Hawaii with my bf and we really want to get into it! It has been a month and want to go again so bad! I have tried looking up where to get lessons and cannot find anything. Any ideas or know of anyone who does lessons?

sent you a private message

thought I might as well post this for anyone else interested, I might have done this years ago to save all these poor people from buying garbage:

Do you know any people or companies who do lessons? I messaged the place in port alberni since I am from there and I go up quite often but they are not doing lessons!
Any tips or advice would be great on what the next step is. I wanted to take a few more lessons before I bought any gear but I am wondering if my boyfriend and I should just buy some cheap gear and go out on our own. I just dont know what to buy (big board, small sail probably), where to buy it or where to go

Reason I was doing it was to get people started, there are no lessons available I know of except thru a couple of guys in Parksville, not sure what they charge or if they are still doing it. I have all the gear here to look at for you so you can learn what you need. Yes, buying a set sounds easy but there is a lot of garbage available out there. If it is two of you, it may be worth buying a decent board, then re-sell it. The problem with learning is you don't need the beginner board for very long and never go back to it but you do need it for a while.....problem....and no beginner boards seem available a lot.. Then you will likely proceed to a 110-125L board for learning to waterstart and this will also be a good slalom board for both of you for a long time, unlike the starter board.

What to buy: not some old crap (cuz it may not work with other gear, is inherently unstable and rolls or is a bitch to fit on the roof rack due to length and/or weight but beginner boards are usually heavy , but a wide board with at least 170-200L volume that has a powerbox or tuttle fin box (one or two bolts that go right thru the board), a centerboard is good for stability and tracking upwind for learning but not necessary, if your boyfriend is heavier make sure you got close to a L per pound; a 5.0 - 5.5 sail for him, maybe 4.7-5.0 for you, wavesail (they are tougher and can take abuse of falling into them , not monofilm sails-all clear plastic, or cambered sails, little plastic thingies that attach to the mast to rotate the sail)
-a two piece 400 or 430cm (vary in 30cm increments) black or blue mast (if it is one piece or purple or lime green or yellow it is likely an artifact) of any sort that has carbon in it...it will say it on the mast, 30% is economy model and fine, 65%+ is great.
-a boom with a clamp on it that surrounds the mast entirely! has solid front and rear floating plate, check for white powder all over the aluminum which means bad corrosion, maybe ok for learning but not going far offshore
-a chinook style downhaul (thingie that lets u pull down the sail, one that fits a rubber universal that plugs into the board's base plate), lots around
-If you do buy a newer board, buy a mast protector (actually protects the board) and boom bra and maybe consider putting a temporary pad on the nose of your board
where to learn: Alberni is not (yet) open and may not be best for learning right now, tough launch and not very flat and traffic friendly. Nitinat early in the day is the place to go or Hood River Oregon (Event Site or The Hook). There u can also load up on gear but even big gear (boards) is tough to find there.
SE or W wind Willows Beach sand is nicest on gear and feet and has no kelp, Ross bay is great on a Westerly with little to no waves, a bit gusty but not bad; Island View beach on a SE when low tide (little or no waves) or/and it is ebbing so you don't have to fight the current so badly; bad gusty but only local fresh water choice is Elk Lake.
for more options look at the WIKI on this site

Good luck

If you buy old garbage gear it will take forever to learn. And life is short.

and if you're considering Hood River for some lessons, I'd keep going south from Portland a few more hours and go to Floras Lake, Oregon - great place to learn the basics, cheap lessons with great prices on rental gear (kiting is much more $$$$ there), loads of choice for the appropriate board and rig for the moment, clean wind, and knee to shoulder deep with a soft sand bottom all the way across the lake in the learning area.

more force 4 wrote:and if you're considering Hood River for some lessons, I'd keep going south from Portland a couple more hours and go to Florence Lake, Oregon - great place to learn the basics, cheap lessons with great prices on rental gear (kiting is much more $$$$ there), loads of choice for the appropriate board and rig for the moment, clean wind, and knee to shoulder deep with a soft sand bottom all the way across the lake in the learning area.

well, yes, (you may find Flora's Lake more easily on the map) but that's another 5-6 hrs not just a couple, not everyone drives a learjet type sprinter machine

Don't know what Kevin is doing this year for lessons and rentals down at Parksville beach. 250-951-9873 is the number on his card from last year.

Hia,
I tried sailing a few years ago out in Halifax and had a blast with it. When I got here 3 years ago I picked up everything I needed off Usedvic (turned out to be a one of a kind competition slalom set up?) with the intention to hit the water. Now one of my sails (5.7) has some pretty nasty torn panels and my 6.7 will work with a little sail tape for a beginner. I finally have time to go out but don't really have a clue what I'm doing. Is there still any beginner groups going out or any of those work shops mentioned on the first few pages of this post??

Not sure if Kus is still doing these, but if the sun ever reappears just head out to Nitinat for the weekend, there will be plenty of helpful people there to get you going, cheap sails for sale on the beach to replace your busted ones, and the best conditions for learning perhaps in the world. Plenty of info on the forums and the wiki about what to expect there and how to get there. Good luck!

Cool, I've been meaning to head up that way for a while, so might as well bring my rig!

nanmoo wrote:Not sure if Kus is still doing these

got a few inquiries lately, may start these again in September, never know, will post if I do. You can shoot me your email in a private message and I will add you to the distribution list, justin

Today would be a great day for some intro session for new sailors, anyone interested in helping me set this up? My problem is that I can't walk too great these days so if I had some help with loading/moving the gear to/from the beach I could get these going again All my beginner gear is ready to go, in fact could do one today if anyone's into it.

Hey Mark , My arm is sore, I think i have gout from drinking to much " Could you pump my kite up for me?:)