VANCOUVER ISLAND WINDTALK

Hi all, my wife and I just moved to Sidney and are excited to get out there in kiting in all seasons. Or at least I am.

I am 190lbs 6'2" and have a Cabrinha Switchblade 12M. I am thinking of buying two more kites it don't know which sizes as I am unfamiliar with the wind on the island. We are close to island view beach and will also be going to Victoria, Sooke and Nitinat depending on the wind, so any help recommending two other kite sizes would be much appreciated.

Also, are you able to kite all months on the island at the above mentioned sites at some point (knowing this may mean only one or a few days in a month) And traveling to whichever location has wind, or is there a month range where there is commonly no wind?

Thanks in advance,
Stan

Fling Wing wrote:any help recommending two other kite sizes would be much appreciated.

ok ok, I know:

something smaller than a 12

so how about 5 and 9 nah, 5's to small for a heavy guy but maybe the wife? or 6 and 10 ....or 6 and 9... or 4 (for the wife?) and 8... or 6 and 8 ...or 7 and 11.2...do they make an 11.2? Is that too close to 12? I love that number tho, it just rolls off your tongue......11.2

I love kiting questions, more

Welcome to our paradise, it's almost full so don't tell anyone else

Kus has it covered there, just get all the kites.

You will probably use a 10m the most but you will also want a smaller kite.

And as for living in Sydney, keep you kites in your car because your going to be driving a bit in the summer. Cook st your best bet. Island View will have SE for a few more months.

The Ocean Rodeo 8 meter has proved its worth to me over the past month .
Has a huge range . Thanks OR for making such a wicked Kite""

SE and NE common in winter mOnths at island view and willows beach. Thermal Westerly winds in the summer at Dallas rd, or gordons beach in sooke. I'm 175 5'-10", perfect all around kites for me 8M and 10M. But I'd be limited for Some winter storms.

You're just in time for the Spring I.V. season ... Squally but fun. The previous posts have it right ... We experience a lot (hopefully) of sessions with 15-30 knot winds, so a rangy kite/board combo. will give you the most time on the water. I'd say an 8 meter would be a good start. As Summer gets closer afternoon thermal winds become the norm. (Dallas rd. / Gordons / Nitinat) & you need to decide if you want to push for the higher wind sessions (25-35+ knots) in which case a 6 or 7 M kite is required ... OR are you headed for the bread & butter sessions (15-25 knots) with an 8 - 10 M kite ... Your 12 is perfect for Summer I.V. sessions & avoiding a 'skunk' on other days. Look through the 'Sessions' log & track what others have been using. Keep in mind we have a group of 'Hard core' kiters that appear on those extreme days (30-40+ knots) using ~ 5M kites & lightning quick reflexes. So once again consider adding an ~8 & ~10 M to your quiver. (to start) http://www.bigwavedave.ca/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=7

I fly a 10m and 8m Razor almost exclusively. With a 6 or a 7m rise in the quiver and a surf board I can be out from about 12 kn up to 40+.
Ocean Rodeo Rise is a great all around free ride kite with huge wind range and a lot of hang time. The Razor is a Free-style C-ish kite with lots of boost and great for those wave days we sometimes get around here. Lots of used stuff around and great deals on the new stuff! Check out the shop in town!
http://www.oceanrodeo.com/

Hey Fling, I'm the same specs as you and last season* (Apr to Sep) I just used a 9m 2011 SwitchBlade with a twintip and that worked great.


*a bit warmer time of year...

Thank you everyone for your information. It's a big help! Seams like there is a big and very helpful kiting community out there. All the more reason to love the island even more than I already do.

My wife and I are in Mui Ne Vietnam now and are pretty new to the sport. I absolutely love the feeling and look forward to kiting on the many beautiful spots the island has to offer.

I look forward to seeing you out there and thank you for taking the time to reply to my questions.

Cheers, Stan