VANCOUVER ISLAND WINDTALK

Victoria to Port Angeles Sail Across, planned for Saturday, July 7th 2018, weather permitting. Departing Cook Street beach around noon, returning on 5:20 PM Coho from Port Angeles. I will provide the escort boat, (33’ cruiser) need someone with a large pickup truck or van to load gear up in Port Angeles and bring it back to Victoria.

This event has happened years ago - would be interested to hear from the veterans on your experiences / recommendations.

Indicate your interest in this forum ~

I'm curious how it works with customs? Kite/Windsurf with your passport?

Passports or Nexus Cards will be required for all persons. Only not needed if you don't make landfall in the USA or associate with any US vessel, and turn around and sail back to Canada. Bring a credit card as well for ferry back and any extra expenses.

Other recommended safety gear:
:Handheld smoke flares (x2)
:Waterproof VHF radio

Pickup vehicle will need to board the 10:30 AM Coho ferry from Victoria, so will need to have all changes of clothes, sail bags, board bags etc loaded at Cook Street by 9:00 AM on the Saturday.

pretty sure you need to enter the states at a 'port of entry'.. therefore a beach may need a border guard on site...

I looked into this years ago when planning the Gordons to Clover run and logistics of entering the states made it almost impossible.

good luck!

US Customs and Border Patrol will meet the sailors at Hollywood Beach, just east of the Coho ferry terminal / City Pier in downtown Port Angeles. Faster sailors can kill time in the harbor area and wait for most of the rest of the group before landing.

Aim for a landing around 2 PM on the Saturday, and the Customs agents will have time to attend to us before they must go to meet the Coho ferry at 4 PM.

Cool idea. I am supposed to go on a family trip to Sproat Lake that day, but will see if I can postpone it a day. Sounds like a fun adventure.

I have admired the wind waves breaking on the tip of that spit, plus the butter in behind it. Nice opportunity to try them out.

You sure that Hollywood beach isn't in a wind shadow? Would suck to end the big trip with swimming in. Looks like a good landing spot would be at base of the big spit, seems to stick out a lot.

The 33' support boat is good, as long as you have a way to get people aboard easy in big seas, show the cap'n the photo below of Race Rocks (thinking about it....in a big boat have to be careful to not be upwind of a rescue, yikes....may be worth practicing before the big day). Make sure you have enough life jackets for all participants should things go bad (more to meet the regs than for safety concerns)

Other ideas / thoughts from the couple of these I've been on:

-- with how light thermals tend to be early in the day, noon start may be ambitious?

-- VHF *must* have a wrist lanyard or better a chest mount. It is very difficult to keep a kite in the air while trying to talk on a handheld. Even worse with hood/helmet/ear plugs, etc

-- backpack/fanny pack are not optimal. Cargo shorts with big side pockets are ideal for storing a water bottle, power bar, etc.

-- high viz pinnies would be helpful, if you get into a rescue situation

-- whistle on a lanyard and a reflector mirror are small bits to carry that can help in a rescue.

-- helmets? I am envisioning banging head against surging boat while attempting rescue. [not sure where line is between nerdy kook kiters and reasonable safety measures ;-) ]

-- ensure solid procedural protocols: assign a front and rear person (most experienced kiters); no one passes the front person, rear person leaves no one behind. Ensure they are very visible.

Buddy up: you are responsible for your buddy, don't leave them for any reason.

Establish all the what if's in advance: if someone breaks gear or can't complete, the convoy stops until they are in the boat (otherwise you leave your safety boat behind and the group becomes scattered)

Hand signals for the things you may need to communicate (impossible to hear each other and boat with kites in the air). Slow down, speed up, rest break, adjust course, turn back, abandon mission.

-- build in a rest break every 30-40 minutes.....locked into one stance muscles can seize up, not like regular kiting or a downwinder where you're changing it up. Also good to get some water in you, lay back and rest for a minute.

-- entry criteria: minimum years experience or proven capabilities? safety inspection of gear to ensure adequate quality? The convoy is only as strong as the weakest link. I was the weakest link on G-Cook downwinder, Rod saved my butt when I lost my board in big seas / current off Race Rocks.

Great ideas, John. Safety is essential for a successful crossing. Could look at landing at base of Ediz Hook instead of inner harbor, in case of light winds. Don't know about wind shadow at Hollywood Beach, but suspect that a prevailing westerly turns landward in the inner harbor, so expect a northwest to north wind onshore there. Can decide on day of event what looks best.

Good points about gear, and buddy system, and signals for support boat. Will need to limit crossing to 10 sailors, so that support boat can handle it all if necessary. Support boat has inflatable dinghy on hinges at stern, which can be lowered to facilitate boarding, plus swim grid ladder on starboard side. Dinghy can also retrieve sailors and gear from the water and bring them to the stern. Anything above 20 knots wind out in the Strait is a no go for the escort boat, as it would be too hairy to safely pick up swimmers etc. Should be okay for a go around noon to cover the 20 miles, and the wind out in the Strait should be blowing 10 - 15 knots by then. Later in the day more wind but the fog bank can roll in, so don't want to be looking for stray sailors in that.

Sailors must have immersion quality wetsuits to prevent hypothermia in event of equipment failure and time in the water.

I think Dwayne Strong did it years ago?

I organized the cooke/ victoria downwinder about 5 years ago. Here are some thoughts

- Your 33 ft cruiser is at risk of capsizing in the swells in the middle of the straight with cross winds. I nearly rolled a 25 ft Rib. This is the wrong boat for the job.

-Pay oak bay search and rescue to tail instead. The cruiser is too slow and not manueavable in big seas. You won't be able to rescue anyone with that, just watch them drown.

-Group spread is the most dangerous thing that WILL happen. You need to find a way to keep the group together. Everyone should be within 100 meters of your boat

-Ride surfboards, they provide some floatation in the event of a separation from kite.

-Group before the shipping lanes and after the shipping lanes. Cross the lanes as quickly as possible. Do a head count before and after. Monitor the shipping lane channel and talk to the ships.

Try not to kill anyone. This event needs some more safety planning.

Thanks Luke, I will look into the Oak Bay Sea Rescue Society idea to see if they can float a crew, and costs associated. Weather will be the deciding factor for any escort boat, with the trip scrubbed if winds are to exceed 20 knots out in the Strait.

Definitely want to keep everyone together and come home safely! Probably two escort vessels would be a good idea, to handle contingencies.

Thank you all for your responses and it was worth looking at this idea to see if it was viable. My feeling is that it is, but for a smaller group or even just one sailor. More practical, I think, to organize a downwinder once again along our southern coastline.
I’ll leave this discussion to others who may want to take up the challenge!

Luke- bang on

Make sure surfboards all have footstraps even if you are a proficient strapless rider. Dress way warmer than for a normal Cook / Gordon's kite session. This is not a day in the park. Pretend it's January in 40 knots. When you are way out there it is a different world and you will think "what the hell are we doing here?". Luke's points are spot on. I was a rider and was amazed at the difficulty of the kiting especially approaching Race Rocks. I was freezing by the end of the run and pretty tired. You will likely need a range of kite sizes so pick a kite with a big range and ability to depower and sail well in 35 knots. Good luck and Godspeed! ..ok maybe some of those statements were a little extreme but you have to realize the gravity of crossing the Straight.

I'm thinking straps would cause more problems then they would solve. It puts your feet in a pretty static position leading to mad cramps and then they get in the way as you tire and try to switch things up. Just my opinion.