Sep 23, 2008
Author: Photos by Scott MacDonald
"After four days straight of sailing on my 4.0, I still couldn’t get enough on our last day in Shippigan, staying out forever, not wanting to come in." -Tom Soltysiak
EAST COAST ROAD TRIPPIN'
“The northern coast of New Brunswick reminded me initially of the Magdalen Islands in Quebec. The windswept terrain of grasses and small trees is dotted with cottages built in the distinct style of eastern Quebec and the French-speaking maritimes. The fishing industry that has supported these villages for centuries continues to be the lifeblood of this region, so when the bar is empty one evening it shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise when the bartender told us everyone is out fishing.” – Kuba Soltysiak
 
“We woke up early to go score a short 5.0 session on Baie de Chaleur, near our campsite. We returned to our site for lunch and reinforced our 2 tents, securing all the ropes and pegging down the tents and flies excessively. We followed the advice of some locals predicting strong afternoon winds from the North West, and drove 15 minutes to Point-Canot, where we were greeted by our first gale force session. After the late evening sessionand a beer we drove across the short bridge to Shippigan for a pizza. I remember looking out the car window with the other guys as we drove past our campsite to see only half a tent remaining on our site. We ended up sleeping all packed in one tent as the other one was garbage with broken poles that tore through it in the wind. The next morning we packed everything before going sailing and rented a cottage on the water hoping the same storm winds would continue.” – Philip Soltysiak
My brother Tom and I sailed a cold lit morning session on Miscou Island. The wind was strong and onshore, it was tough sailing with full wetsuits and hands going numb. Lots of good crashes.” – Philip Soltysiak
“After a night on the town to celebrate Phil’s birthday, only Scott, our DD for the night, was conscious enough to realize it would be a good opportunity spend the night in the car. The rest of us woke up to a collapsed tent, soaked mattresses, and nearly drowning in our sleeping bags as we were oblivious to the passing storm the night before. Scott was able to hook us up with a friend of his who put us up for the rest of our stay in Halifax, helping us to avoid another episode of this for the rest of the week.” – Thomas Soltysia
“The Nova Scotia coast around the capital city of Halifax has a very active surfing scene, but there are also great opportunities for windsurfers. On less windy days, nearby Porter’s Lake, just across a some dunes from the ocean, offers a thermal that can push the wind up a few notches.” – Kuba Soltysiak
“A lack of wind allowed us to spend a day playing tourist in New York. We explored the city all day, finishing it off with some large slices of New York Cheesecake at Timues Sqare.” - Thomas Soltysiak
“Although the wind didn’t materialize during our stay on Long Island, we got out onto the water for a local windsurfing competition taking place in the park at which we were camping. It was a fun to get back on the water to play around in the light winds before heading north to Cape Cod.” – Thomas Soltysiak
“Cape Cod immediately struck me as a very prosperous area of beautiful houses in the Cape Cod style, many restaurants, ice cream parlours, and of course, large sandy beaches. However, the option of staying at a State Park for a mere $14/night makes it a great affordable place for a windsurfing vacation, as long as it’s windy.” -Kuba Soltysiak
"Parc d'Oka is a sailing spot just West of Montreal, and was the last destination on our trip. With a pricey entry fee, we decided to save some cash and hide Kuba, Scott and Tom in the trailer, and myself in the back seat. When we past the gate Phil and I had some fun whipping the trailer around in the parking lot with the guys in the trailer. All we had to tell them was "Man, there's potholes everywhere in this park!” – Josh Wood
“To For me, the best part of windsurfing is possibly not even the windsurfing itself but the lifestyle around it. Road trips to the end of the continent in search of good spots, enjoying the time with friends, meeting local sailors, and then stopping at remote beaches when the wind blows and discovering new spots.” – Kuba Soltysiak
"As a photographer I feel the most significant photos are the ones that tell a story and convey more then just a single moment in time, showing a developing experience and working together to serve a specific collective purpose. It's not always about getting the sickest action shot or that all new angle, but more about finding a subject or a story that gives meaning to your photos. That's exactly what this trip gave me. It was a pure, raw story of a group of friends brought together by windsurfing, setting off on a trip in search of nothing but good times." – Scott MacDonald (photographer)
TRIP FACTS:
MilesDriven: 3,315 Money Spent: $3,730.30
Total days: 20
Boards: 6
Sails: 19
5:00 am wake up calls to drive: 6
Lowest Temperature: 41 degrees Fahrenheit / Highest Temperature: 100 degrees Fahrenheit
Most commonly used phrase: “Re-calculating, when possible, make a u-turn” – Garmin GPS
Here is the map of our route: CLICK HERE!
A few more shots:
 
 
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