Anderson Lake ?

[Faceplant]

Going to Darcy for the long weekend. Anyone ever kite or sail Anderson lake?
I met a dude at Nicola a few years back and he said he'd done it. Using a boat to get to a windier spot on the lake. I'll have a boat and would love to kite it.
Any experiences shared greatly appreciated.
Looks like it could blow good.

[Craig]

There is an orchard (private) about 2/3 of the way down the lake on the Highline road. Also can put in at the McGilvary property/beach. Best would be the Seton Portage end. There is public access on the east shore which has a good direction to the wind. A friend used to own a property there and would sail. Said it was gusty. This is ~30k by dirt road. This is my research from investigating a propery for a cabin.i have never sailed there....

[Faceplant]

Gusty can be fun. Just got to keep your eye open for the squalls. Kited South chestermans before on a SE and that was not fun at all. Waste of time (on this day). Wind would blow 20kt, then drop to 5kt for a few minutes. Repeat repeat.

Thanks for the Anderson access info. I will bring the gear and hope for some wind at the Seton end. IF all else fails go for a beer. "Ye who rings the bell buys a round for all"

[Brian C]

We windsurfed on Anderson Lake about twenty years ago, and loved it. A group of Squamish sailors used to go there when the weather was bad in Squamish but good at D'Arcy and Lillooet.
We sailed from a launch which was directly across the lake from a big, very obvious rockslide. It was about 1/2 way between D'Arcy and Seton Portage, on the west side of the lake. Access was via the Highline Road (best in 4WD). You had to drive a few km past the hamlet of Marnie (a trainstop with a few cabins). I vaguely recall that you climbed up out of Marnie and when the road crested you looked for a spur down to the water. It went down to a flat area with a few campsites and an old train stop (signed "Bedrock"). The launch was good for windsurfing but maybe a bit too treed for kites.
This location was known for good wind exposure and nice lake waves. I don't recall it being gusty there. A couple of cautionary notes: we saw zero boat traffic so you need to be self sufficient for rescues, and the water is glacier cold much like the Squamish river mouth. It's a spectacular spot if you get to sail it. Good luck!

[Faceplant]

That sounds cool.
Forecast is not looking great. I'll bring my gear regardless. Plus, I'll have an 18 foot boat. I'm hoping if it's windy I can wrangle my buddy into being my assistant. Maybe even attempt a boat drift launch if the shore is sketchy.

[Faceplant]

Thanks again for the input. I ventured out on the lake Saturday morning via boat. It's a long lake with a few bends and turns. It seemed about 5km from Darcy the wind started to get stronger and more consistent. I ended up 12km down the lake with the boat, and it was definitely kiteable but I didn't have anyone to help with the boat. No places on the shore to launch.
Apparently the drive to Seton Portage takes 1.5 hours or more. I opted to stay in Darcy all weekend.
We managed to hook up with friends who had their wakesetter. First time for that. Lot's of fun wake surfing.

[Ryan]

Thanks for the information. Which direction does the wind blow in summer? I'm assuming it's a thermally induced wind? So cooler south and warmer north so a SW?

[Brian C]

Yes it is primarily thermal, so it blows inland (roughly south to north).
I understand that it works best when the weather is poor in Squamish and sunny in Lillooet. That was the setup that we had when we visited many years ago, and I still have good memories of the sailing. The water conditions were similar to Nimpkish - another long enough lake to set up some fun swell.

[Ryan]

Thanks, I'm going to try my luck when the forecast is good.

[Brian C]

Let me know if you want a guide. I would love to go there again but don’t have a 4WD vehicle anymore. The Highline Road and the spur down to the launch would be tough without one.