Craig wrote:Looking for info...JT or greater wtf collective...sorry to hijack.
heading to tofino for may long. Wondering what gear is best to take...i can't take it all as it is a 1. Family trip 2. Surf trip 3. Lastly a ws trip for me... i have a wavecult 88. Couple of sails?4.5 and 5.4? I weigh 175 to make a comparison and have little wave riding exp on the ws'er. Reasonable longboard surfer.
spinmaster3000 wrote:I haven't sailed there, personally, but I always pack as much gear as I can. I've never sailed on waves with anything larger than a 5.7 and do think those two sails will cover a decent range of (good) wind. 88L board will be pretty versatile! Bring what you can and if there isn't enough wind for it, surf!! It's usually boards that are more of the issue, but if you can only fit one sail (they'll likely rig on different masts, too) then I'd check the forecast and make a call from there....4.5 for me is 25 knots + and the 5.4 is probably a more natural size to pair with that board, besides, if you're overpowered on the 5.4, you can really flatten it out with your outhaul.
My two cents....sorry if it's not all that helpful.
jtorva wrote:My Advice for Tofino,
I have only sailed there once with 2 different sessions so my advice to the spot is very limited. Firstly, if there is limited wind say 15-20 knots i would stay on a big board (90 lt for myself) The waves aren't always the greatest there so you want a bigger board to catch as many waves as you can. If the wind starts to really pick up say 25 knots or more id drop down to a smaller board, in my case a 78lt quad.
I tend to rig bigger in general but i found it best to rig on the big side there as there can be some weird wind close to shore and you need the power to get out. The first session i was at North Chestermans and rigged a 5.5 in about 18 knots of wind and found i was struggling to get out. The next day in similar wind at Mackenzie beach i rigged a 6.3 and had an incredible 2 hour session ripping around.
This weekend I plan to sail at Long Beach, i'll probably launch from Incinerator Rock. It's a much more open beach with less wind shadows and will work on multiple wind directions. There is a NW wind in the forecast for Saturday afternoon. My guess is i'll be on a 5.5 and 90lt FSW board. I'll let you know how it goes.
Lots of good advice. I have spent a little over 3 weeks out in Tofino in the last year (mostly summer with weekend trips in March and May) so I am still learning the area too, but here is what I would suggest:
- Think of taking windsurfing gear to Tofino as insurance - you likely won't use it (but you have it in case it cranks)
- First time wavesailing - size up one board size (more float will make getting out, positioning to catch waves and catching waves WAY easier)
- 5.4 is likely the largest you want to use for wave sailing (slog out and use the power of the wave to assist with planning); bigger sails if you want to windsurf (use mainly the power of the wind)
- Afternoon lower tides this weekend will likely favour Long Beach over Chesterman (north or south) - tide of 1.5 to 1 m greatly reduce the amount of sailable water in the inside at Chesterman (both)
- You can choose wave height at Long Beach on a west swell (dominant swell forecast for this weekend) as the further north of Incinerator Rock you go, the smaller the swell will likely be
- Chesterman (both) can have more wind than Long Beach, but less wave (which in combination can be a good thing for your first time 'playing in the waves')
Brad R wrote:Watch out for the nasty rips at incinerator Jordan... Sometimes difficult to waterstart in them
Haven't noticed too much right at Intercinerator Rock, do you mean down by south of the launch near Lovekin Rock?
Hope there is something in this that is of use to you. Enjoy your trip!
You too JD!