Visiting Palm Coast area

[Ronen]

Hi, i will be visiting Palm Coast in the holidays and would love to get some kiting :) hoping for some sun and warm weather and some wind. can anyone advice on kiting conditions, what kite sizes to bring? and what type of wet suit? i am 170lb and been kiting for few years.

thanks.

[ricki]

In most years you should be into both wind and waves in late December. Hope it is the case this year as well. Winds may be anywhere from below thresh hold to honking strong if a strong front blows through (25 kts. to 30 kts.). Although the really strong fronts often come in the new year as opposed to December on average. If you can fit in three kites, say around 7 m, 9 - 10 m and 12 - 13 m, plus or minus, you should be well set. If you can't pack all three consider going with something within the larger two sizes. It has been pretty warm lately. In a normal year guys might be in 5/3 wetsuits, even some drysuits around St. Augustine to Jax. If you have a 5/3 or maybe a 4/3 (could be chilly if a strong front) that might work for you. I would talk to the guys at http://www.oceanextremesports.com/ to get their opinion on this as well. They're based in St. Augustine just to the north.

[Ronen]

thanks for the info. how far south would i need to travel to get some warmer weather and still get some good kiting?

thanks again!

[ricki]

thanks for the info. how far south would i need to travel to get some warmer weather and still get some good kiting?

thanks again!

If we have good cold fronts, the entire state to varying degrees may see wind, perhaps really good wind too. As each front moves over the state, it interacts with other systems and either bumps up, down or stays the same. Also, the direction of the wind usually "clocks", making it unuseable in some areas when it shifts offshore. There are lots of wx planning articles on this site to help you with these considerations. Anyway, at some point, it could be good all the way south to Key West and points in between (recognizing the direction issue, i.e. blowing hard northwest is great for Sarasota, lousy for Ft. Lauderdale). Again, it has been unusually warm in Florida so far this December. I would talk to the guys at Ocean Extreme and get their take. As a rule things start to warm up around Ft. Pierce to Jupiter and further south on the east coast. Warmest conditions are in the Keys, although if you go all day you may even want a 3/2 or better down there if it is a strong cold front.