If you’re a competition-level kite pilot living anywhere in the Pacific Northwest, you’ve just gotta LOVE going up to the Steveston Sport Kite Competition up in British Columbia.  Yeah, it’s a haul up there, but it sure is fun!  Therefore, all the Northwest Sport Kite League (NWSKL) contestants will be heading north across the border for the comp up at Garry Point Park in Steveston on the third weekend in July.  Why don’t you dust off your passport or birth certificate and join us up there?

Sure, there are lots of “alibi” reasons not to go, but none of ‘em really hold any water.  Yeah, it’s a bit of a ways up there – we’ll drive at least an 800 mile round trip (from Portland, OR) and that means a couple of fill-ups while I’m out on the road.  And there’s the cost of lodging, and food, and all the other lame excuses.  Still, it IS a very good competition, with some especially good friends.  And they have that Canadian Beer everyone seems to like up there.  And…  Hey guys, besides - it’s the very LAST LEAGUE COMP of the League year!!!  Okay, I guess we’d better plan to go!

Garry Point Park is really a spit of land that sticks out into Georgia Strait.  That big hunk of land across the way there is really Vancouver Island, and yes – it’s salt water between here and there. And, the park is a multi-use facility with a fair amount of foliage, but having enough flat grassland for a decent competition field and no trees to speak of, so the winds off the water should be pretty steady. There’re plenty of services nearby, too – so no problem getting decent food, or coffee, or a snack or cold beverage.

For those who’re going to compete, get your registration form from the British Columbia Kitefliers Association (BCKA) website here. All the information about the competitions will be available on the BCKA site – your very best info source for this event, though I can tell you right now that the Pilot’s Meeting will be held on the field at 9:00 AM on July 22nd. By the way, pay special attention to the blurb on the website about fees – particularly the part about the $10.00 maximum event fees NOT applying to the Indoor comp fees. I almost didn’t catch that one. And if you need any additional information about the event itself, be certain to email Ron Hardie using the link on the BCKA site.

And for those who are NOT going to compete, you might like to know that Vancouver, BC is the third largest city in Canada (behind Toronto and Montreal), and there is an untold number of fun things to do in this place. And if you’re something of a nature lover, even smallish Garry Point Park itself offers some pretty nice hiking trails and a decent beach.

Okay – back to kiteflying, with a few words about some of the fine people you might meet in Vancouver.  I’ve not had the chance to meet Ron Hardie at this point, but I have certainly had the pleasure of meeting a couple of the other “locals” from the Vancouver area.  One of the nicest people I’ve ever met on the flying field anywhere is Cal Yuen who ails from Vancouver, and I’ve no doubt he’ll be there with his capable hands in the innards of the festival somewhere.  Secondly, all of the NWSKL competition pilots know to beware of Egan Davis... That man is an incredible pilot already, and he hasn’t even begun to “peak” yet. Yep – some pretty fine pilots live up there.

Finally, before we’ve finished here, I need to reiterate:

• This is the LAST of the nine comp events for NWSKL in the 2006 season.
• There will be plenty of excellent pilots in attendance at Steveston – all “in the hunt” for points in the AKA standings.
• The competition will be hot, Hot, HOT!!!

    See you up there...

   Dave "Geezer" Shattuck