Nitinaht Lake Windfest 2007: Through the eyes of Bucky Aschcraft!

Posted Thursday August 29th, 2007

Friday, August 10, 2007

Dale and Judy were the very gracious hosts, and coordinators for the Windfest; whatever you need while kiting in Nitinaht they are the one to see for that. So, we parked at their general store for the night and waited 'til morning to see the parking situation at the camp better. As morning rolled around, I met up with Dale who took me down to where we would park the bus. It was definitely a tight fit, but it would work. The best part of the drive down were the looks we got.

Actually, let's back up. The best part about rolling down there was passing this windsurfer, who was not as subtle as he thought he was. As I passed this guy, I kind of noticed he was giving us (or maybe kiting in general) a nice salute. I passed by him and couldn't resist, so I backed the bus up and had to take a picture. He didn't even flinch either, he just stayed the same. Well, Congratulations MR WINDSURFER! you finally made it and got some exposure in wind sports, but it definitely wasn't your talent that got exposure. It was your bad attitude!

I would be pissed too, if after 20 years I couldn't jibe or jump either! Here's a thought ... Come try kiting with us! I WILL PERSONALLY TEACH YOU!!!! Maybe kite lessons will help your attitude!

Soon after we parked the bus, we heard the roar of an airplane engine. Could this be the famous water planes that land on all of the lakes, or someone about to crash? Nope, it was a private air show for those lucky enough to be at Nitinaht Lake. This guy came by just rocking it with loops, rolls, and negative G- rollovers. He put on a great show that lasted about 15 minutes and then just flew away. I heard it was the father of one of the windsurfers there. However, after calculating, I had to figure that the pilot must have been close to 90 years old? I could be wrong though.

As the day went on, we set up demos for people to try and we got some rave reviews!

We demoed out about a dozen kites, all of which came back with great reports. Dan, from Squamish, had never tried the Waroo Pro or the Bullaroo before, and when he came in he didn't want to give them back, and he wasn't joking. Anyone seen Dan on a new kite at Squamish? Ha ha ha.

After the demo that afternoon, we started a large bonfire on the beach. DJ Alex was rocking it out with all kinds of music that kept the party fueled with his trusty sidekick LEE as his assistant.

The bonfires were by far some of the best parts of the trip. So many people just chilling, and the vibe "delicious" was all over the campground!

Canadian people are some of the most-incredibly nicest people in the world. (It is no wonder they don't have any enemies!) Bonfires would generally go on until about 4 am, or until they ran out of wood.

The first night I spent on the beach in a tent loaned to me by Mark, and it was awesome! I fell asleep to some rockin music and then woke up to an awesome spectacle. Fog over the mountains with greenery in the middle and a guy paddle-boarding right by my tent.

The next morning, we woke up and they decided we were going to run the long distance race. While many were not scrambling for kites because the wind wasn't blowing, they opted to have time with each other reading the newspaper.

After a while, the wind decided to pick up and they ran the race. Long distance racing, as opposed to boarder cross, is very different and the course was just that: long!

It took most people about 30-45 minutes to finish the course. It took me about 30 minute and I came in 11th. This is because there were several people who didn't follow the rules and just got near the buoy, but didn't go around it. My personal favorite was the guy who was so weak in his riding skills that he body dragged around it. Hey dude, it's called kiteboarding, not kite-body-dragging!

For those of you who just got within 100 feet of the buoy and counted that as going around it, I send you a big thumbs down! I won't mention any names, but their initials are GROM GORMLEY and JOSH GRIFFIN!

I will however, happily admit that CAROL BOLSTAD smoked me like a cheap cigarette on a Saturday night. She beat me fair and square, when I was in the 4th place position. This lady rocks, and if you see her on the water you better watch out! Not only does she rock, she's got the most difficult job on the planet being a mother to many, and she is fast on the water. Tony, you are good too!!!

After the long distance race was over, the wind was cooperating so much so there was a free-ride session, not much of one but it defiantly wasn't worthy of a freestyle contest. So, once again we started the bonfire, and ironically it was done with a kite pump! That night we hung out with some of the locals, listened to music, looked at the stars, got in the sauna and even went for a swim in the lake. This is quite magical too!

While sitting in the sauna a guy named Reed, a local kiter, joined us. He told us about the phosphorescent in the lake and how they react to heat and our bodies. He told us our body would light up when we moved through the water. As I didn't much believe him, we had to try it. So we got into the sauna for about 15 min and then ran into the lake. While it was not immediately visible, there were some signs. As we got deeper we could see that when we would walk all the water around us would start lighting up. These were not bright lights or neon glowing around us; it was just very visible that you were moving in the water. Kind of like what air bubbles look like during the day, bright and very visible. I was stoked with it, but couldn't stay on for very long because I am a wuss when it comes to cold water. As much as I wanted to sleep outside again that night I could not because there was a bear in the camp that afternoon that had gotten into someone's camper, and I was a bit scared. So, I opted to sleep in the bus!

Saturday, August 11, 2007: Nitinaht Windfest 2007 Day 2

The next day, the freestyle event was held along with the boarder cross. The boarder cross was a blast, and the event was set up very well. However, the wind was not on our side. I ended up taking a 15m and a surfboard, which should tell you how the wind was. The entire event went quite well for the boarder crossers. Everyone got through and I think everyone had a good time. I did however see "Capt. Bodydrag" out there again. Did I mention how much I loathe this guy for doing that? I mean dude, if you aren't going to use your board to ride around the designated marks then just do the whole damn race without one. It's only fair ... Kite"BOARDING" not Kite"BODY-DRAGGING"!

The freestyle event could have been better, but you've got to hand it to those who were out there. I won't elaborate too much on this because Nitinaht didn't do what we had hoped. So, I will say that the people who placed deserved it because not only were they riding the biggest kites ever, they were also pulling double duty by running up the beach to regain ground after one tack.

Shortly after this, the awards ceremony was on. Kris Kinn ended up winning third place in Women's Freestyle and Women's boardercross.

Carol Bolstad also rocked out a first place in Long Distance.

The rest of her clan, including husband Tony, won everything else. NO LIE. I saw that crew up there more than the event organizers. I think they must have won about 15 awards that day.

Sunday, August 12, 2007

The next morning, we woke up and decided it was time to say goodbye to Nitinaht. However, first things first: we must say goodbye and give a couple of shoutouts to the new friends we made ...

Adrian – The coolest mechanic ever! Well, technically he's not employed as a mechanic but he did help us with the bus a lot. He had to be one of the most down-to-earth, original, cool, and level-headed people we met. "Solid" is the best way to describe him. He also donated a stick he found, in the forest, to the bus. We are stoked to have it!

Richard –Kind of funny how you weren't so vocal the next day on the beach in front of that girl? What happened? ... liquid courage gone?

Shannon Gormly – Your tool kit rocks! May we worship you forever!

Dale and Judy – The best people we met in Nitinaht. Your hospitality, caring, and passion for this sport will take you guys far. Thank you so much for everything you did for us and we will definitely be back next year! Dale, I am sorry we thought you were a middle-of-the-forest ax murderer! Given the situation, it was a fair conclusion, no?!!

Mark Sprungmann – We would have never been able to do it without you. Your hospitality and personality have won us over, and you are number one in our book. Thanks so much for the support, dedication, and stoke. You have a beautiful family, and should be extremely happy. Thanks for taking time away from them to host us around "your neck of the woods."

We will be back next year!

~ Bucky Ashcraft

Even though the summer is winding down, the tour isn't over yet! Stay tuned for more RV chronicles!