Winter Kiting

[reyrivera]

Nice post, just exactly what I'm looking for.

I'm from Santa Cruz, CA. and will be travelling to Florida (1 week in Orlando, 3 days in Fort Lauderdale). We don't have an exact travel date, but will be there in the winter season, so flexible time to set everything up for a decent kiting session there.

Tons of questions have probably been asked, sorry if I'm repeating the same questions. We will probably have to do some driving to get to the spots, so we don't mind driving, good for sightseeing as well.

1) Which spot is good for a flat water beginner? I'm an intermediate kiter from Santa Cruz. My wife is a newbie and I'm still teaching her (she won't ride if I'm not around to support her).

2) Which spot is good for a mellow wave kiting session? I would like to try and ride some of the friendly spots when my wife is too tired to kite.

3) Kite sizes, which kites to bring in the winter season? Will a 5 meter be too small and an 11 meter too big? We ride Caution Mayhem kites.

Me: 170 lbs. intermediate kiter, waves and flatwater
Wife: 120 lbs. beginner kiter

4) I'll probably end up buying a cheap used board there to avoid the airline hassles. What are my options for renting kite boards in the area?

Thank you in advance for your replies.
Rey

[mcdunc]

Thanks Rick,

Sounds like I will just have to come down there and see. LOL.. It's nice to know that I can do the SE Florida driving fairly easily day to day. I like the suggestion of moving around a bit. However, I don't see my wife tolerating too many moves . Probably one spot before Christmas (4-6 weeks) and one spot afterward (10-12 weeks) might work. (I will return home for Christmas) Got any advice along those lines?

I know you are an equal opportunity Florida kiteboarding supporter, so I am not asking you to say one spot is better than another. I like all kinds of water conditions, although I haven't had a lot of experience wave sailing. The Lake Winnipeg waves here are wind generated, spaced very closely together, and can be rideable on 20+ knot days, but are not anything like long ocean swells. Anyway, I am always willing to learn something new. Great info thanks.

Dunc

[ricki]

Dunc, I would look over the conditions in images from competitions in various areas at:

http://fksa.org/forumdisplay.php?f=115

Jupiter and points north don't necessarily have to be really big but if a strong NE wind is on for a while, as happens in some fronts, you can have some big waves (head high to twice that + at times), and daunting shorebreaks to pass through. If you like wave sailing and are used to it, fun times are on. If not, may not be on. These conditions come and go over time. As you move south inside the lee of the Bahamian Plateau and as the reef system shallows, the large waves ease off. The shoreside population goes up of course at the same time. Off Pompano to Miami waves are usually broken up more, i.e. choppy in aspect but easier to get through within reasonable limits. From Biscayne Bay down through Key West, the fore reef and sheltered flats on the Straits side limit wave development near the Keys substantially, i.e. near flatwater conditions.

From all that you might want to find accommodations in Ft. Lauderdale to Deerfield, understanding that launches are tight here but it makes a great place to drive from. For the later part, perhaps you might want to stay down in the Keys, perhaps Key West. You could always drive down part of the way during the first part of your trip and form your own impressions. If you are willing to deal with slightly cooler conditions, there is a great deal more to Florida than the SE coast of course.

[ricki]

Hey Rey,

Well we don't normally have the strong winds and waves of Santa Cruz. Then again, it is quite a bit warmer here and the white pointers visit very rarely.

From Orlando, depending on conditions, you could drive about an hour or so east to Ponce Inlet or about 2 1/2 hours west to Ft. DeSoto near St. Pete.. I would do a word search for "Orlando" and find other posts dealing with these options. There are some Intracoastal sheltered waters lacking waves that might work for your wife around Cocoa Beach and other areas with lessor waves often at DeSoto.

In Ft. Lauderdale, the launch there is for upwind riders only and won't be suitable for your wife. You might consider running down to the Miami Flats for a sea taxi run out to some real nice conditions (shallow, calm, warm and wide open). Or, head down to the Keys. You won't be down in the SE for very long, hopefully you'll have wind but it may not happen in just a few days depending on the cold fronts.

For what it is worth Rey, I would advise hooking your wife up with a pro instructor. I've been riding 11 years, advise various training organizations, was certified to teach seven years ago and still would be reluctant to instruct my wife. Not because we wouldn't get along either, just because it is that important a process. Something to think about.

For board rentals, talk to some of the shops or schools in the area you are going to be in and see what you can work out. I am not that familiar with the current Caution line of kites. Are those high depower C kites? Best advise is to bring a wide quiver, particularly given two riders differing by 50 lbs.

[reyrivera]

Thanks Rick, very helpful information.

About my wife, chances are, she will probably not ride at all. I have been looking around for some good winter training session for her, thinking about going on a trip to South Padre this winter or Hatteras in the spring and hire an instructor there for her. She told me that if we are going to hire an instructor for her, we need to go to a wide open beach area with mellow constant wind conditions. Northern California has good wind seasons, but they are not beginner friendly spots. We only have a few beginner friendly spots, but the wind conditions there are not that good. I set her up with an instructor a few months ago, but the beginner beach settings were not ideal.

Mayhems are bow kites with short bridles, wave specific kites.

My wife rides a 3m Waroo, 5/7 Mayhem.

She shares the small kites with me and I ride a 9m as my regular size and 11m Mayhem as my light wind kite.

Thanks, hopefully we'll get to meet some of the locals there this winter.

[mcdunc]

Thanks Rick,

You have been very helpful. I will keep digging and checking out places. It's nice to know that someone will reply if I have a question. Driving part way down the Keys, looking around the area, and getting accommodations near Ft. Lauderdale/Deerfield sounds like a great place to start. After the first month we may have a good idea what suits us the best, and if, when or where we want to move. So much to see and do, so little time..

Can you suggest a longer term rental agent? or is there a board where this type of accommodation is posted? I know the Net is full of Realtors, and possible rentals, but local knowledge is key.

Dunc

[ricki]

Hello Rey,

I would expect winds on the order of 10 to 20 mph, possibly both higher and lower. Frontal winds around 20 to 25 mph + can be common at times particularly in the Keys. Coming from Santa Cruz, you are likely used to the higher spectrum. Some schools in Miami and down in Islamorada and Key West take students offshore to sand bars. Shallow, calm areas with nothing nearby to hit or avoid as a rule. They make nice learning environments.

[ricki]

Hello Dunc,

For rental properties on the SE mainland you could look into:

http://www.vrbo.com/ (used this to find some nice digs in the Keys)
http://www.rentals.com/
http://fortlauderdale.apartments.com/

[clamike]

There is also the Cayman Islands. Just an hour from Miami. 15+ knots on 80% of the days between Nov-April. Wind and water never below mid 70s. Shallow water lagoons and reef break waves from the same launch. The new hot winter spot, check it out.

This was our last season's achive:

http://www.windguru.cz/int/historie....no=1&model=gfs

[mcdunc]

Wow!
A lot of orange yellow and green to be seen there Clamike. Thanks for the heads up. How often do flights make the trip from Florida, and what's the average cost per flight?
Dunc