This IS NOT New Brunswick...And There's Wind To Prove It

For someone as passionate about windsurfing as I am, it's baffling that I live in windless New Brunswick. It's akin to an oxygen breather living on Mars....not a good idea.

Yesterday was a classic windsurfing day in les Îles de la Madeleine. I got up in the morning and peered out the back door just in time to see the wind pick up my 30 pound stand-up paddleboard and flip it (on the lawn). It was a good omen.

In fact it was windy at 7 a.m. like we almost never see in Nouveau Brunswick....and it got windier as the day progressed. I left the house at around 8 a.m.and departed for the island of Pointe-Aux-Loups, a favourite among the hardcore planche-a-voilisteux. When I arrived people were just getting ready to hit the water. The first on the water was Julien Livernois, and he had rigged a very small 4.0 metre sail and attached it to a 75 litre quad finned wave board. In Cambridge-Narrows terms, he rigged something so small that I might only be able to use such equipment but once a year (i.e. post tropical storm Arthur). He seemed to be doing just fine in the side offshore SSW winds.

I decided to photograph the windsurfers for a while before rigging my own windsurfer: 4.2 metre sail and 77 litre board. It was the right choice for the conditions even though one of the Maine dudes was fully powered on a 3.7!

It was very interesting to see how the conditions changed as the morning progressed. The tides, although not substantial in les Iles, had a definite effect on the waves. As the morning turned to afternoon the waves/shore-break became friendlier (i.e.smaller) but the wind continued to stay strong. While taking a rest on the beach I happened to witness one of the Quebec windsurfers walk past me dragging his windsurfer and sail. Blood was pouring down his face from a cut jut above his eye. Apparently he was trying some aggressive manoeuvers and clearly had a landing that didn't agree with his forehead. Many windsurfers wear helmets (I did on this day) but this unfortunate fellow didn't. At least he didn't knock himself out and drown.

 After a while it almost seemed like the wind was dropping, so I decided to pack things up. It was but an illusion as the wind was still howling when I returned to Havre-aux-Maisons and Cap-aux-Meules. When I passed the lagoon, there wasn't a soul on it. I still had some energy left so I decided to go for a wee turn there. I rigged the same equipment as at Pointe-aux-Loups, but I was definitely over-powered on the lagoon. It was a blisteringly powerful wind.

If you take a look at the reading in the chart below you'll see that it was windy. The 3 p,m. reading at the Havre-aux-Maisons airport was 40 to 70 km/h. That's windy. It's also very gusty which made riding a bit challenging. The difference between 40 and 70 is rather noticeable (like drinking coke versus pure rum). All things considered it was a very rewarding day. The fact that it was windy, sunny and warm made it a rare treat.

I wish New Brunswick would treat me so well (as a windsurfer). Alas, it may never happen, but in New Brunswick we have spruce trees of which les Madelinot could only dream. My oak trees would floor them....but I'd rather have the wind.

P.S.:to Wendy, don't worry...I'm not moving here, but I (we) will continue to visit and 'rêve le rêve'.

Is Coveting (a car) A Sin?

Today's blog can only be viewed as a follow-up to yesterday's commentary on little pink houses. If your house looks a tad boring, why not spruce things up with a custom painted car?

I have yet to see any cars in New Brunswick painted like a galleon. This could be your big chance!

I'll give the first person to paint their car like the New Brunswick flag a bottle of wine AND your car will be featured in my blog (viewed by up to five luminaries).

Bienvenue À Skittleville!

For all of you who own white houses, or all of us that own drably weathered shingled houses, consider this image and how it makes you feel. I'm not sure how you feel when you see brightly painted houses, but I know that I love them!

There are 13 000 inhabitants in les Iles de la Madeleine and I'd estimate that half of them live in non-white houses. Of that half, I'd say half of them live in creatively painted abodes. The overall feel is happiness, or joie de vivre.

Have you ever looked around a parking lot in Fredericton and noticed that almost every car/truck is either white, grey or black? It's true, and it's boring as hell. I commend Joan for her red Echo because it's uplifting. Ditto for David's green Morgan or Kersey's Volvo (gorgeous!). Wendy and I once went to buy another Ford Focus wagon but we didn't buy the one we were looking at because it was grey. It was simply too depressing a shade of grey. There was nothing wrong with the car and the price was right.

Colour matters. We see in colour, so we might as well celebrate our gift. Why eat white bread when we can have Skittles? Ladies and gentlemen, grab your paint rollers and get at it, or at the very least put some vivid racing stripes on your white, grey or black car!

Grand Hareng Bleu?

Because one can't windsurf all the time, the Gods invented bird watching. I've been lucky enough to windsurf most days here but there have been some oiseaux oiatching days too. In truth, every day is a oiseaux oiatching day, because my parents trained me to constantly oitch for birds. They also trained Julian and he became a hawk 'expert' at a young age.

The big surprise this year is that I've only seen one marsh hawk (busard St.Martin). Typically I would see them almost daily...not sure where they are. All the other feathered culprits are here: gull, terns, plovers, sandpipers, starlings, gannets, ducks, crows, ravens, and great blue herons.

Today's heron was in a marsh just off the side of the highway. I was able to make this photo through the passenger side window. My $200 wheelbarrow car also makes an excellent wildlife blind. Really, I'm so glad that I didn't trade the car for something less useful.

Yesterday I was windsurfing with a gannet at Chemin des Chalets. On two occasions I had an airborne gannet within 50 feet of my windsurfer. Oitching birds oile oindsurfing....oiah hoo!

A Drive Through La Grave

For those of you who have never been to les Iles de la Madeleine but have a curiosity about the place, I offer you this little tidbit. I made a short film, in the form of a drive through movie, of the area in which I'm staying. It's called La Grave, on the island of Havre Aubert. La Grave was once a fishing village. Now it caters to tourists but it has managed to keep some of its historical character/charm.

The film is nothing special in terms of artistry/cinematography, but it's still of some value to wonderers and wanderers.

Finally...A Picture Of Me Windsurfing!

Rider: Ian Varty                      Noted Sports Photographer: Wendy Nielsen

As an elderly balding man with a gut, I don't have much of an ego or any real narcissistic tendencies. That said, I'm always happy to see a picture of myself windsurfing.

This picture, by noted sports photographer, Wendy Nielsen, was taken at Chemin des Chalets (Gros Cap, Cap Aux Meules) a couple of days ago. It was a bump n' jump day which meant that the water was neither flat nor majorly wavy. Every now and then you could pick a wave and get some air. This was friendly ocean sailing.

Like A Human Nemo (one-eyed)

I was windsurfing in the ocean yesterday when I noticed that my prescription sunglasses were beginning to fog up. I pulled them away from my face to allow air to get at the lens, but the lens then popped out and fell into the abyss. Ack.

I now have one and a half pairs of glasses on the bottom of the Iles de la Madeleine ocean. I have a pair or two at the bottom of the Washademoak. I have a pair somewhere under the St.John River.

So, would someone please invent watersports sunglasses that float and have lenses that don't magically pop out? I'll be your first customer.