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Barbados

Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2009 12:53 pm
by baypirate
Any tips? Booked there for early Jan, wondering if anybody can share any thoughts. Will probably need to find a surf board for rental, other than that looks like a ridiculously nice place, 80 deg and 20s winds every day. Hopefully, I'll break my kite travel skunky streak.

Re: Barbados

Posted: Sat May 29, 2010 12:20 pm
by monkeyboy
I'm heading to barbados on Tuesday, can you give me any tips from your visit, i.e. can I rent everything out there, or do I need to drag all my gear with me, which I don't mind doing if I get wind every day :) where are the best spots? are they easy to get to? what kite sizes etc

many thanks

Marcus

Re: Barbados

Posted: Sun May 30, 2010 1:46 pm
by baypirate
Marcus,

southern tip of the island is where the wind is. I think this place is best, by a hotel called Silver Point:

http://www.kitebeaches.com/kitesurf/loc ... _rock.html

there is a shop next to this hotel and it rents boards, not so sure about kites.

next door there is another hotel called Silver Sands - HORRIBLE HOTEL - but it has it's own center and that's where I got my board from, I think you can reserve in advance and was cheaper etc.

http://www.club-mistral.com/en/

(not sure whether this is the same, but same location http://waveriders.co.uk/destinations/ba ... tesurfing/)

Then again, Silver Point Hotel / Silver Rock has the better wind and crowd. If you have a non-kiting significant other,Silver Point Hotel has a nice terrace right on the water front, with shade, WiFi (now and then) etc.

Wind - not sure in May, do check but in their "main season" (our off season), it's typically 10-12m wind, basically from low teens to 20, blows in the morning, tapers off at noon, picks-up agian in the afternoon. I, however, got skunked in bloody Jan which is supposed to be 100% month, kited like 6hrs in 8 days...

Nice waves, less punchier than our Coast for same size for sure. At Silver Point DON'T fool with the shore break in front of the hotel, you miss a jibe/turn board goes straight on the rocks, under a bloody lip, gets beaten for hours until you get down there to get it.

There is a current running roughly parallel with the shore, from Silver Point downwind to Silver Sands, but then it turns offshore at the end of Silver Sands beach, do ask locally, not sure it's seasonal etc.

Hope this helps.

Re: Barbados

Posted: Sun May 30, 2010 2:45 pm
by monkeyboy
Great, thanks for the advice :) I have read some places rent kites as well as everything else, and based on the fact that it's off season, I'll give that option a go versus taking all my gear and potentially not using it!!

thanks for taking the time,

cheers

Marcus