Windsurfing at Jericho Beach
Located right in the heart of Vancouver, B.C. is a sandy beach popular among wind sport enthusiasts—Jericho Beach is a large park that combines lots of activity choices with the natural beauty of treed copses and ponds. This area was once the site of Vancouver’s first golf course, but was later commandeered by the Defense Department in the late 1930s for a seaplane base. By the 1970s the area was turned into a park. The eastern section of the beach caters to swimmers, while the west end to sailboats and windsurfers under the auspices of the popular Jericho Sailing Association.
There are several places to take sailing lessons and rent equipment…from sailboats, paddle boards to windsurfing and kayaks. We took lessons from WindSure and had a great day…until the very end that was. I was coming into the beach and decided to step off my board about 20 feet from shore…apparently I did not push the mast hard enough in front of me and it came crashing down on top of my head as I entered the water.
Dazed and confused I pulled my board to shore and sought medical attention. A had formed a nearly golf-ball sized lump on my forehead, along with a pretty good gash. The first-aid station was extremely helpful and thoughtful. They cleaned me up, gave me a couple of ice packs and suggested I head to the hospital. I would have to be incapacitated and/or physically dragged to go to a hospital. 🙂
Jericho Beach is a large park with lots of amenities and things to do. There are a number of picnic areas and volleyball courts with an expansive beach outside of the sailing center.
If you’ve been to Jericho Beach in Vancouver, let my readers and I know what you enjoy most by posting a comment below.
Amenities
- Concession (east end of beach)
- Washrooms
- Play Fields
- Tennis Courts
- Picnic Tables
- Sailing Center
- Swimming raft
- Plenty of Parking (this was paid, but I think B.C. passed a new law where all parks have free parking, but don’t quote me)