Yesterday the wind has been kind of weird. It didn’t come in really smooth but super gusty with short lulls and gusts. It wasn’t really too much fun riding out there so I stopped after an hour or so. Still we got some cool shots … the background is just mindblowing! There’s this massive wall right on the other side of the bay and you’re surrounded by almost 2000m high mountains. Unfortunately the weather is cloudy at the moment which screws the wind up a little bit.

When there’s sunshine the thermals kick in with about 25 to 30 kts of wind and it’s just smooth. There’s a big spit with flat water on the one side and a river on the other. Further downwind there’s an estuary with channels you can ride and gras in between. On the leeward side there’s terminal for cargo ships. If you’re just getting started with kiting there’s a rescue service. It costs 15 bucks to ride here for the day which I think is alright for what you get. They’ve prepared the spit quite a bit in the end. There’s sandbags to secure your kites, carpets to protect your feet and gear from the sharp gravel, toilets and a kite-center. The food in Canada just like the food in the States super delicious. A burger is a burger out here and not a small meatball with a bun like the stuff you get in Germany! Love it!

These thermals are supposed to work from April until September. I reckon when you aren’t afraid of a little bit colder water (a 5/3mm wetsuit is just fine) it’s a great location to travel to! The guys said that it was windy for 34 days in a row – until I showed up of course! Anyhow tomorrow it’s supposed to be sunny and we’ll pretty sure have good conditions for the racing!

Check the event page for more information: http://www.squamishwindsports.com/regatta2010/
Here’s the spot on Google Maps.

Stay tuned for the race!

Sebastian