Next up is Nitinat, which is a small “first nations” community on the shore of Lake Nitinat. It’s a small village of 280 souls. A thermal wind blows every day mid-morning through to sunset. To get here isn’t an easy trip, you get the ferry from Vancouver over to Vancouver Island and then it’s about a 4 hour drive, the last 35kms along unpaved logging roads. The lake joins the Ocean at its mouth. We stayed 3 days in the Nitinat Motel, but most people who visit camp in the campground adjacent which is also conveniently the launch for wind and kite surfers.
So would I go again? Most definitely, yes. For purely windsurfing I’d spend more time around the Gorge and Pistol River and this would also reduce the cost as you can fly Virgin to Seattle and not incur the one way hire car charges. Would I have done things differently? No not really, the scenery is breath taking, the people we met were friendly and helpful and it was interesting to go places I’ve not been too before. We stayed in bed and breakfasts, which often in the US have self-catering facilities as well and this helped us manage the cost.
What gear did I take?
- RRD Wave Cult 83, which I used at Pistol River and The Gorge. A Wave Cult 75 would have probably have been a better choice for my 75kgs the 83 is such a versatile board it allowed me more options.
- RRD Twintip 100, which I used at the Gorge and at Lake Nitinat
- Ezzy Wave Panthers 4.0, 4.5, 5.0, 5.5, I used every sail during the trip. Locals also pack 3.5 too.
Nice to see lots of RRD and Ezzys on the water at the Gorge, Ezzys in particular are a popular choice for US sailors.
Thanks to Jane for patiently taking pictures!