kitesurfing in SF

[maybuck]

If anybody out there wants a ride out to one of the Bay Area beaches Thursday-Sunday....would love to get some advice on local conditions, find a buddy for safety etc. I'm fairly new to the sport -- I hear Alameda is the place to start, but if the wind isn't right, would like to explore other areas where a guy like me with good kite control but poor upwind skills can get out and have some fun without things getting too nasty....

Cheers,

Jeffrey
917.770.912

[BayAreaKite]

Jeffrey,

This is a good probability for wind during that time, but maybe not at Alameda. Other sites may get decent wind, but upwind skills are more important at some of the other sites than they are at Alameda. At Alameda, you've got a huge, 2-mile long beach downwind which gives you plenty of room to come in if you need to. Most other sites offer no such buffer.

Can you elaborate on your upwind skills a bit?

Ollie

[maybuck]

Hey Ollie, thx for reply....in terms of upwind skill, I've managed to cut upwind a tad, edging the board and making my way partially back to launch--but, I'm still not able to stay up for more than 30 seconds at a time, so I don't go out anywhere where I don't have decent space to play with downwind. I suspect at a more remote site, it might be possible to venture out a little at a time, staying close to shore, and just coming back in quickly until one gets the lay of the land and hones more upwind chops--I guess that's the sort of alternative (in tandem) I'm looking for if Alameda is down.

Cheers,

J.