Kite Race Sooke to Clover Point Van Isle

[Zig Zag]

This summer I'd really like to organize a long downwind race from Gordon's Beach in Sooke all the way to Clover Point. I'm a member of the Royal Vic Yacht Club and will be asking for their assistance in hosting this. There hopefully will be a couple chase boats and a start / finish line with people taking times for those interested in the win! as for prizes lets hope I can get a brewery to sponsor a free pint!
I've never raced a kite but race often in my sailboat Zig Zag.. and I wanted to see if there are any details the local Squamish guys to pitch in! I thought it would be really nice to have a large display timer for the start for those who have never raced before. Otherwise RVYC will be raising and dropping flags as per usual with any other race.

Any tips or pointers would be appreciated!! We will be welcoming anyone interested in doing a downwinder without the race in mind from all over the PNW so please spread the word!

Cheers.

[Don_C]

Well ZigZag, that's an interesting proposal.

Myself and a couple others organize the racing in Squamish. I and a couple of others have done a number of long downwinders including crossing Georgia Strait. I've also raced many Swiftsures so know the area you are talking about.

What you are proposing is probably possible. With a favourable wind and current it would be an hour and a half or two hour trip, however there are many things to be considered:

The most challenging part of a trip like this is deciding when to go. Most likely you would not know until a couple of hours before departure. In July and August it is possible to predict the westerly in Juan de Fuca. The tricky part is to make sure the wind fills in all the way to Clover Point. I would need to confirm with the local kiters, but I think one can not really predict if, and when that will happen. So, that means the day before you might say "tomorrow is the day" but you likely won't know if the wind has filled in until sometime after noon. That means you need to get all the riders to Gordons, and all the support boats to Gordons, very quickly. I think you would want to launch ASAP so the trip can be completed prior to the wind tapering off in the late afternoon. Of all the long downwinders we've done I can not remember one where we've picked a day more than one day in advance. Most of them have started within two hours of deciding to go, on the same day we decided to go.

Support boats are an issue. You need very fast boats. When we crossed the strait from Gibsons to Naniamo the crossing took 1 hour and 9 minutes. Whenever there is a bunch of wind, there is also a sea running. So you need fast, reliable, boats that can handle the seas. We've thought that a good rider to boat ratio is 3 to 1. Maybe we are a bit conservative, but when problems occur, and the kites end up in the water, with commercial traffic bearing down on them, you need to get them out of the water fast.

Safety equipment is an issue. We carry handheld VHF/GPS units with registered GPS locater digital emergency signal capability. Not everyone has this sort of equipment. But maybe it is not necessary for everyone either. Not everyone has a personal flotation device that they are accustomed to using either.

The challenge for kiting the route will be the correct choice of kite and board. The wind is often much stronger near Race Rocks than in the Juan de Fuca or near Victoria. Riders should be on similar boards, with similar skills and speed, so that the group does not spread out.

So, there are a few considerations. With a little planning, along with kiters and support boats that can get ready very quickly, this should be a cool downwinder.

I'd be keen to go, and have a whaler that makes a great chase boat. If a suitable day came up I think we would leave Vancouver in the morning and do the downwinder in the afternoon.

Please PM me and we will talk further.

DC

[Zig Zag]

There was a couple dudes who successfully completed the same course this month.. read the forum here... http://www.bigwavedave.ca/phpBB2/viewto ... 4834#34834

I'm planning on making this a casual race but could consider a seperate start for those with race boards..

[Zig Zag]

Well we made this happen on July 20th!

a group of 8 kiters were followed by the Royal Vic YC's zodiac.. we made it all the way in about 3hrs 15minutes.

winds were ranging from 14- 35 from Gordons beach then once out in the striat a solid 25 until Race Rocks where it peaked... but once around the corner the long reach across was getting lighter and lighter... one kiter started and finished with swimming but had lots of fun and a total success!

Next time is tentively schedule for later in August but we hope to keep it a small event with only 10 kiters max. We found that once somebody bailed they ended up super far away quickly so next time a few more rally points will be organized and breaks scheduled so peoples feet can get a break.

Pictures can be found here and the thread http://bigwavedave.ca/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=6652

[Don_C]

Good to hear Mr. Zig Zag. Long downwinders are pretty fun.

[Don_C]

Good to hear Mr. Zig Zag. Long downwinders are pretty fun.