VANCOUVER ISLAND WINDTALK

Has anyone been saling or kiting near Campbell River? It usually looks pretty windy when I drive through there but I'm not sure of good launches for windsurfing other than going South all the way to Comox. I'm hoping for afterwork wind (lots of wind), plus it will help me decide which neighbourhood to move to. Tricky launches are Ok but hopefully something side-on to on without too many hidden fin bashing rocks. Any tips will greatly improve my quality of life. Thank-you.

I have heard miracle beach is good on a SE.

3 kites outs at Saratoga yesterday, nice waves and strong wind.

Here's where I've tried so far: (working South)

McCraight/Bear lake: Northwest, check Fanny Island - thermal. Very short reach but pretty good fetch. Looks like it might be hard to launch a kite. About 45K North of CR. Good if you want to work on tacks and gybes because you can't go very far before you reach the other side.

Rona:Might be better for kiting because of the rocks but if you stay between the boat launch and the pagoda/pavillion thing there aren't any really bad rocks. Shore break on the higher tides but beach angle is gentler and breaks the waves down at lower tides. SouthEast winds. Very tangly kelp in the summer/fall.

Storries Beach: SE: pretty on shore, some rocks -- not that great. Prefer NW but then it is flat but OK for tooling around -- only windy enough on NW a few days a year.

Driftwood: Both NW and SE. Only place where there don't seem to be any rocks. My kiter friend wouldn't launch there on the SE because of the powerlines. The current can really flow there and I had a long walk one day when the wind dropped. Otherwise it seems fine.

Saratoga: Can be kelpy and have shore break with lots of logs in the fall. Have sailed there in NW and SE. BUT for some reason it can be windshadowed when it's still windy everywhere else thereby wasting your time when you are out windchasing.

(Haven't tried Williams Beach)

Goose Spit: Awesome. Thank-you so much to those responsible for the webcam.[/b]

By the Rona looks very Columbia beachesque on a SE. There is a park on the water side just south of Erikson with washrooms and parking. I haven't sailed there but having been working in Campbell river for the winter it has looked killer several days, a nice wave there too like CB. Farther out when the tide is running and the current is up there look to be some Gorge like swells out there, Campbell river could be a sailing paradise, can't wait to try it, too bad SE season is almost over.

Could be. Sure gets windy. Aside from the rocks, log jams, currents, being alone with the killer whales, and the kelp.

I forgot, we tried Willow Point on a really strong SE. Were way over powered but at high tide it has a nice wave over the reef.