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Old 10-18-2008, 11:03 PM
JustinZ JustinZ is offline
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Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Miami Beach, Crandon, Matheson
Posts: 24
Default Anyone have experience kiting in Stiltsville?

A few months ago I was fortunate enough to get a small boat and now that the wind is on tomorrow, I am looking forward to finally doing some kiting in Stiltsville. I have been kiteboarding for almost three years now but I have never been able to get out to the flats.

I was hoping someone could help me out with some details, like where is the best place to anchor my boat while kiting? (I guess it needs to be somewhere deep enough for the boat's draft but close enough to a shallow spot where someone could stand to launch their kite - with the launch assistant on the boat's bow). Should I anchor in the vicintiy of the houses or should I stay far away? Also, I am assuming I should stay downwind of the boating crowds over there but I am not sure, is this correct?

Any other stiltsville suggestions I am all ears.

Hope everyone has fun kiteboarding out there tomorrow.

-Justin
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Old 10-19-2008, 02:10 AM
ThomasByrne
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Default where to kite at stiltsville!

Yo Justin its Tom from matheson. I've anchored up to kite out at stiltsville a bunch of times. There is a main channel in the stiltsville flats, i think 5 or 6 of the houses are on it. if you take the main stilts channel from west to east (the direction heading out to the ocean), at the 2nd to last house on your left you can creep up into the flats that are on the side of the channel. If you get up to the house and hug the east side of it, it is deep enough to get up into the flats where you can anchor up and kite, theres like a bunch of deep pools in there you'll see them. What I do is anchor off the back of the boat so I can inflate and launch the kites off of the front, its much more convenient.

Its gonna be blast, watch out for sea urchinsc

TB
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  #3  
Old 10-19-2008, 05:30 AM
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ricki ricki is offline
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For the first few times out there it would be good to go with someone that knows the area, like one of the sea taxi operations or a friend. The flats are easy to get to but channels through them can be deceptive. Also, be careful with the tides some boats get stranded at low tide on the bar or shallower flat areas. You don't want to get stuck too far away downwind or down current. Being too far down current AND in deep water is not a good thing, particularly if your boat is hung up on a low tide. Tidal current can move off the flats into deep water with some speed. Kiters use this to add to apparent wind at times but you don't want to get flushed into deep water and not be able to get back by accident. If you get stuck in shallows at a lower tide or just motor into the wrong area and start tearing up the bottom that is illegal as well and can result in some hefty fines. You're at the northern limits of Biscayne National Park. Also, motoring out at dusk or after dark is not a good idea either, even commercial guys get out in good daylight that know the area well.

More information including charts and aerials appears at:

http://fksa.org/showthread.php?t=1263
http://www.key-biscayne.com/kb/recre...tsville2.shtml
http://fksa.org/showthread.php?t=3519

Tide info for the Biscayne Channel area:
http://www.mobilegeographics.com:81/locations/1359.html

It is a great place to go to but there are some precautions to follow too. Running with guys that know the area for the first few times is a good idea.
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