Magdalen Islands, where kitesurfers go to fly
Pros say world-class conditions for the sport found off coast of Magdalen Islands
The Magdalen Islands, which are known for red cliffs, rolling dunes and powerful winds, have become a magnet for kitesurfing aficionados.
Fans of the sport who have travelled the globe looking for ideal conditions say the archipelago in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence is "world class."
Christian Labbé is a professional kitesurfer who has competed in dozens of competitions, some of which were overseas.
For the past decade, he has been making the 1,300-kilometre trip to Magdalen Islands from where he lives in Bromont, Que.
"I've been coming here for 10 years because it's a beautiful place," Labbé said.
"We can go from one place to another every day, the lagoons, in the sea, from one end of the islands depending on the winds and what we feel like doing on a given day."
Éric Marchand, who says he registered Canada's first kitesurfing school in 1998, said the industry on the Magdalen Islands has seen steady growth in past few years.
He believes it's the best place in Canada for kitesurfing.
"The wind is always there, very steady and very predictable," he said.
"We have very shallow lagoons here, so to learn and to practise safely there's no jellyfish, there's no sharks."
Tourist attraction
Each summer, hundreds of people kitesurf on the Islands, according to the local tourism board.
Ian Franklin, 66, and his wife, JoAnn Franklin, 60, decided to try kitesurfing during their 20th wedding anniversary trip on the Magdalen Islands. They took a lesson and spent part of a sunny Sunday morning learning to manage the large kite.
"They told us it would be pretty easy to get started so we said, 'Okay, let's go!'" said Ian.
"It looked like a fun adventure, a wonderful way to enjoy the water and the wind here," said JoAnn.
The Franklins plan on trying the sport again when they return to New Brunswick.
"It'll probably take four or five times before you get good," said Ian Franklin.
Veteran kitesurfer
Normand Mcguire uses a different kind of board called a hydrofoil.
When you're out on the water you're all alone and quiet and it just gives you the ability to relax completely.- Normand Mcguire
The fin cuts the water, lifting the board 15 to 30 centimetres off it, reaching speeds comparable to those achieved by certain sailboats.
"When you're out on the water you're all alone and quiet and it just gives you the ability to relax completely," said Mcguire.
"You just leave everything that could have been on your mind on shore."
In 1995, Mcguire started to fly stunt kites and loved being pulled hard by the kite. Eventually he discovered that large kites meant for pulling people over water, sand or snow existed.
"Being out there, being pulled by the wind is just a really nice feeling of liberty and somehow great power," said Mcguire.
Mcguire spends a good part of the summer on the Magdalen Islands living out of a converted, red, full sized school bus. The back doors open onto a storage space that is packed with gear.
Mcguire says he particularly loves the kitesurfing community in the Magdalen Islands where people are always willing to swap tips and help one another out.
On the day he spoke with CBC News, he pointed out an eight-year-old boy who had tried kitesurfing for the first time, and another group of his friends in their 60s who are also kitesurfers.
"We all kite, we all share the same passion," he said. "It's just the passion of the wind of being pulled by it that drives us together."
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