should I move and where

Sonny · Post by **Sonny** » Mon May 12, 2008 1:59 pm

jono wrote:I'd say if you want flat/fresh water kiting move to Alameda.

You must know a secret spot in Alameda, I have never seen flat/fresh water at Alameda ever windsurfing or kiting in my 15 years. Other than spring, I would not call Alameda a great kiting place, I don't see too much kiting going on in the summer.

elli · Post by **elli** » Mon May 12, 2008 4:30 pm

If you have to commute a lot then close to SFO or OAK I would say. SFO is close to third ave, great spot with good wind in the season. You can also live in San Francisco, and then you have BART (train) to SFO which makes commute to the airport really easy if you live close to BART. It takes longer then driving, but you donít have to deal with traffic and parking which normally sucks in San Francisco. San Francisco also has a couple of kiting spots in the city beaches.

If you think you will be able to kite sporadically depending on unpredictable schedule, then third is the call since it is the most consistent IMO, definitely way more windy days then Alameda and probably best in the bay or close to that. Check ikite meters, they tell the story. It also depends if you want waves, that changes things a bit, makes east bay a lot less attractive.

Bulldog · Post by **Bulldog** » Mon May 12, 2008 8:13 pm

Also, Sherman does not have the longest season... Chrissy, 3rd, Berkeley, and OB/the coast have WAY longer seasons. Sherman is reliably windy from May through Labor Day only.

However, Sherman is the only place on the list remotely like the East Coast in terms of summer water and air temps.

I hate to say this, guys, but anyone who's only kited in places with endless beaches thinks most of our kite launches are sketchy. They're not talking about the wind...

schowi · Post by **schowi** » Mon May 12, 2008 8:19 pm

yeah I am mostly talking about space for launch and land.... but as long there is wind.....

thank you all for the great input. Seems like ou are a welcoming bunch of people. Cant wait to have a first after session beer.

jono · Post by **jono** » Mon May 12, 2008 10:28 pm

Sonny:

Yes, we all know Alameda isn't fresh or flat water, I figured that was a given, but since it wasn't clear, I'll work a bit harder...

The comment about fresh/flat water = Alameda was because if you live in Concord, it's a PITA to get to 3rd, but Sherman ain't so bad. If you live in Alameda, you can get to Sherman and 3rd and Berkeley and OB, and HMB fairly easy -- it's central with Sherman balancing to the east. And, did you note the caveat about Alameda "(for the 2 months that it's up)?" It's not that Alameda is the spot because of the beach, it's the central location -- make sense?

If you live on the Peninsula or SF (maybe SF isn't so bad), you can't get to Sherman real easy and since we all know it's about Sherman, that would suck.

Please, come to our beloved bay area, where even you can bitch about fellow kiter advice on these chat boards to your hearts content ;).

adamT · Post by **adamT** » Tue May 13, 2008 10:51 pm

Phone and airport?.. You will want to live near 3rd. SFO is not really in SF...
Crissy would be cool, but then you are "in the city"

EvanOR · Post by **EvanOR** » Wed May 14, 2008 7:56 am

Check out the city.....one of the most unique that I've lived in. Crissy can be pure magic at times and it blows almost every day for 7 months plus...and the people that ride there are super friendly and cool. Overall it's a great scene. Sure it's expensive, but just like everything else in life you get what you pay for....

I travel a fair amount - $40 and phone call gets to you to SFO via a car service in 20-30 minutes - no problemo. :)

go4kitesurfing · Post by **go4kitesurfing** » Wed May 14, 2008 8:12 am

I agree with Evan that San Francisco is a very cool place and that it's not that bad to get from there to the airport (lived on Russian Hill for a few years, traveled a lot then too). But you better enjoy city life since apartments are small and/or expensive and parking tends to suck big time.

Crissy is cool in many ways, spectacular really, but it can be hard to get out to the wind, you're in the shipping lane and the current can reach towards 5 knots so you better know what you are doing.

Czech · Post by **Czech** » Thu May 15, 2008 12:12 am

Maybe a little late on the reply, but let me say this: I have traveled 80 days last year to all the killer kiting spots around the world and I can tell you that the wind we have in the Bay Area is one of the best out there period. You can kite more days here than most places, with the exception of the next few-) You should move here its a killer place to live!

-Martin

schowi · Post by **schowi** » Thu May 15, 2008 5:26 am

I am going to talk today to the big boss. See if I can push that through. Thanks

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should I move and where

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