Bodega Bay

Bodega has two areas you can ride at. If you want to take your chances with the sharks ride outside the marina, in the ocean. If you just want to get some mellow riding with the likelihood of seeing “Whitey” pretty slim; ride inside the harbor. There are also two ways to ride the harbor. First of all, it is not possible to kite inside the harbor on less than a two foot tide. I do recommend investigating the harbor on a low tide though. It will help you to avoid obstacles and make you a more informed kiter.

The first way to kite Bodega Harbor is for the beginner/intermediate who is not completely confident in his/her upwind ability. You can drive around the harbor to the west side. There is a nice grassy park where you can rig up. The wind blows pretty offshore here which makes it a tricky launch but it allows you to make quite a few reaches before you wind up on the downwind beach which is located on the east side of the harbor. This is definitely a spot that you want a partner and or chase car. It is only a two minute drive from one side of the harbor to the other so if you have a driver you can actually get quite a few runs in.

The second way to kite Bodega harbor is from the downwind beach right below HWY. 1. There is ample beach to lay your lines out and the wind blows pretty much directly onshore. If you can make it upwind this is the best place to launch from. There is not a whole lot of space in front of the beach, so once you get your kite in the air make sure you get out into the harbor in a timely fashion. Bodega is a great place to go kiting if your significant other is giving you slack about kiting too much and not spending any time with him/her. You can go for a nice romantic drive, show your partner how well you kite, and then have a nice romantic dinner in Bodega. Just make sure you plan your trip around high tide.