Rain, floods, forest fires, smog: outdoor enthusiasts have had a rather difficult summer. This is also the case for followers of kitesurfing : the wind was rare and the forecasts were not particularly reliable.
“This is the worst summer I’ve ever seen!” “, exclaims Jean-Sébastien Gagnon, who presents himself as someone “who has been chasing the wind for more than 15 years” and who owns a distribution company for equipment kitesurfingCORE Kites Canada.
It was simply not possible to trust the weather forecast.
“It means that, as a kiter, you look at the forecasts as usual, you plan your week by telling yourself that it won’t be windy, you plan a business appointment or with the orthodontist for the small and when the day comes, you look outside and it’s windy! »
But more often than not, the forecasts promised good wind conditions and when the day came, nothing. Not a breath.
For Kiteforce, a shop and a training school kitesurfing of Montreal, this lack of reliability is particularly problematic. She schedules the training sessions a few days in advance, when the wind conditions look favorable.
When we see that winds of 10 knots are forecast for a few hours during a day, with good direction, we can organize courses. But ultimately, it wasn’t as windy as expected.
Lou-Mai Plusquellec-François, instructor at Kiteforce
Progression Kite, in Lac-Saint-Jean, experienced the same situation. “I always look at several applications to get an idea: Windy, Windguru, Weather Network, indicates Hugo Garon Bouchard, founder of the Progression Kite school. But even with all these platforms, all these applications, it was difficult to predict. They use the same data, in the end, it looks the same. »
He wondered whether climate change and weather systems linked to the El Niño phenomenon were contributing to muddying the waters for meteorologists.
Jean-Sébastien Gagnon asked himself the same question. “I started to doubt the weather forecast. There was something wrong. »
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
The season is not over, enthusiasts can still do some kitesurfing for a few months.
Jean-Philippe Bégin, meteorologist at Environment Canada, nevertheless believes that the forecasts are as reliable as before. “We use the same tools and the models are more efficient,” he says.
He notes, however, that Environment Canada pays more attention to violent wind conditions than to the light and moderate winds that can be enjoyed by water sports enthusiasts. kitesurfing. “Our mandate is to protect the human lives and property of Canadians,” he recalls.
This is how Environment Canada checks the accuracy of its forecasts for violent winds, which it does not do for moderate winds.
Usually, when we make significant wind forecasts, we are pretty spot on.
Jean-Philippe Bégin, meteorologist at Environment Canada
Jean-Philippe Bégin adds that regional forecasts do not take into account local conditions, such as the proximity of bodies of water (sought after by water enthusiasts). kitesurfing). These local conditions can have an effect on the winds, especially when we are talking about light and moderate winds. This makes it more difficult to have accurate forecasts.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY AÉROSPORT LES ÎLES
In the Magdalen Islands, the winds are generally favorable for kitesurfing.
Seek the wind
Beyond the accuracy of the forecasts, it was the virtual absence of winds that hurt this summer. “There were fewer windy days,” says Lou-Mai Plusqellec-François. At the beginning of summer, during the month of June, we normally expect a little wind and there was almost none, almost zero days. It was very surprising. »
The trend continued in July. “We had great weather, but not much wind, unfortunately,” says Hugo Garon Bouchard.
August was a little more normal. “But we still had a long period of two weeks without any wind,” notes Mme Plusquellec-François.
Fortunately, the season of kitesurfing is not finished! “We continue to give classes until the end of September,” says M.me Plusquellec-François. Afterwards, the water begins to cool down, it is less easy to give lessons to beginners. »
Enthusiasts can continue for a few months. “As long as it’s above 10 degrees, it’s still very comfortable to go in the water dressed with a good wetsuit, a hood, gloves and boots,” argues Hugo Garon Bouchard.
The wind still needs to be there.
For that, we can look towards the Îles-de-la-Madeleine. “We generally have good wind,” recalls Simon Barrette, from Aeroport les Îles. But this year, we had less in July: the heatwave killed the wind. On the other hand, in August, it was windier than usual. »
” This is where it happens ! », he concludes.
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