Spring pattern is here!!!!
 

Looks to me like spring conditions are here. Morning easterlies followed by some nice seabreezes in the afternoon. Massive temperture changes are on tap which help fuel the seabreeze. Enjoy it while it lasts cuz it's the best time of the year.

On that note I am working with one of the weatherman from Channel 10 news. He has agreed to do a weather lecture sometime in the near future for those interested in understanding a bit more about forecasting and wind. He is an encyclopedia and a blast to talk to. Will give a date and time soon.

Have fun this spring and as Erick stated, let's work together to keep our access in the (727)

nevermind

LOL.. H? You're up to 27 post and you say nevermind.

Steve that sounds very enlightening. Very interested.

Those sea breezes can be very localized. Yesterday we took the boat out to north end of Honeymoon. It was 2:00 PM and on the way out it appeared that we had missed the nice easterly flow that we hoped to catch. There were no white caps the smoke at anclote power plant was not leaning any direction, as we approached the tip of the island we hit a line where the tempature dropped a lot instantly and the wind increased at least 10 knots. WE spent the next 4 hours nicley powered up on 14's riding back and forth from 3 rooker to honeymoon. Making classic speed runs in the slick water on the south end of 3 rooker inches off the sand with out a single boat on it. 15 to 18 kts out of the northwest, calm waters with small rollers. Just a great day. I wake up this morning and check the wind graph for yesterday at dunedin and see that that shift made it to the bridge but not the increase in wind speed. We left the end of the island at 5:25 with the wind still cranking and as we passed thru the same zone about a 1/2 mile in from the island the wind stopped it warmed up and we rode home in calm slick conditions. Proves our moto "if you don't go you don't know"

I had a typical spring day. Got to east beach at sunrise for a lesson. Wind was in the 20's and slowly dropped as the morning grew warmer. By noon it was big kites or go home. Most left but I stayed and rode the 17 Contra. Alone. Tim said it was blowin around 6-8 knots. Decided to call it a day. My drive up Gulf has happened many a time. I hit Redington and it's like driving into rain except it's a seabreeze. So I headed to 27th and had a nice downwinder to Lighthouse on my 11m. By the way rode my 9m early am. So I basically used my entire quiver today and there was wind from sunrise to sunset. I think there might be a seabreeze again today and Friday.

I miss that 3Rooker slick.

Hi there,

I am visiting the area (okay, Clearwater) from Ottawa, Canada. Unfortunately, I listened to the television forecast, and blew one of my kiting days on Wednesday, and then missed out on Thursday.
I will probably have Saturday free to ride, but Honeymoon was packed with beachgoers today and I imagine it will be moreso on Sat. The causeways also seemed 'busy'.

I would consider myself on the careful side, and certainly do not wish to ruin local access for anyone.

I could probably make it to East Beach in Ft. Desoto, which seems to be *the* place to ride! I will be travelling with a windsurfer; Is East Beach a kite-only spot where poleboarders are shunned?

Forecast shows Sat (21st) as 'breezy'.

Any advice is appreciated!

Thanks, and maybe I'll see you out there,

Jamie Strachan
PS., I hope this is not considered a thread hijacking, I was thinking this would be in the spirit of where to ride in 'Spring Pattern'. Please flame away, otherwise!

Jamie!

bring the poleboard out by all means!

We really like you guys out there, but sometime the tide can be soo
low you hit the fin. inches I mean :o

better place if its windy is north skyway area on an east or NE wind.
tides can be a little better there

sat looks good :cool:

YEA! Boardshorts
 

How good does it feel to not have to wear a wetsuit? I caught some great wind last Saturday at Anclote Key sandbar and then on Sunday at Picnic Island. Both days weren't forecasted to be that much but turned out to be great.

I was a little bummed that I couldn't make the trip to the Keys last weekend but the water here was crystal clear and at both places we had the flats all to ourselves. The Keys pictures looked like it was pretty crowded - especially the launch. We are very fortunate here.

Very true statement.
We see it all the time when we fish. I have regularly seen the wind outta the west @ 10 knots around picnic, only to cross over to St. Pete @ Weedon Island to see a localized East Seabreeze blowing E @ 5 knots. I've also seen W15k at Egmont key, taken the 5 mi ride to skyway and seen it blowing E 10k only a few minutes later. As the summer approaches you see a lot more of it, and there will usually be a cloud line that builds along the boundary. Obviously as the summer heats up those lines explode into the storms we all know and love.

Jamie,

Get to East Beach early. Better wind and less crowded. Great spot!

Chris, that was an edit. I meant never mind my post.

Thanks guys!

I will definitely try for EB or Skyway.

Was at Clearwater Beach today, with the family. Saw about 5 or 6 kites out at the northwest end.. looked like a good time! I left at about 2:30, and was not about to drive back there though with my kites, as the traffic was B2B over the bridges and more!

Jamie.

Gotta love the spring winds. This is day 4, tomorrow is day 5 and looks like a solid week of wind ahead. How long will the run last? I have seen 20+ days in the past. Only time will tell. Hope everyone is getting some!!!!!!!!!!!!!

North beaches have been getting a great seabreeze every afternoon. How has it been down south?

I'm pritty sure the afternoon seabreezes have been ON over here already, usually they kick in a little later in the year starting april. Guess we got a bonus this year

sarasota crew
 

have been getting some LATE afternoon sea breezes that blast for about an hour or two BUT gotta be careful because when they shut down THEY SHUT DOWN or go EAST again

we've been riding everything from 10s to 16s last few nights (not yesterday though)

Wow, EastBeach is one awesome spot. You are super lucky to have a spot like that! Got there at 11:00 and rode lit for an hour! Then hung out goofing around for the afternoon.
I thought I saw some guy do a kite-loop s-bend or something, while I was having trouble staying on top with my (small) board. Crazy!

Jamie.

Can someone report on south beaches this afternoon??? North county beaches rocked the sensor with some 20+ plus condition from 2-sundown.

I left east beach around 2:30 and drove up the gulf. The entire drive there was no wind on the gulf, just a gentle easterly. It wasn't until I hit Redington did the north kick in. Microweather is fascinating. I saw it clocked hard east at the skyway around 5pm, but stayed north at IRB all the way to sunset.

Just curious if the seabreeze made it down to pass-a-grille.

What an amazing day. I was a bit surprised how few kiters were out there on such an epic day.

Has this North wind been hitting sunset park in the afternoon. I would assume so. Todd?????

We were at North Shore Park in St Pete from about 2:00 until probably around 4:00. Nothing but a gentle little breeze which wasn't so bad b/c we had our kids with us and we had a really nice beach day. My buddy had to leave at 4 and I decided to stay for a bit longer as the kids were still having fun. Lucky me, the wind turned on and started cranking. I was lit on 14m(too lazy to go back and rig smaller).

East Beach last 2 days
 

Last two days at East Beach have been crazy! I rode/taught both Sat/Sun morning powered on a 13M Rev from 8-11. Around 11 both days the wind began to get gusty and let off. On saturday we had most kites down by 1 and were just waiting to see what would happen. Someone spotted the big flag straight out on a NW so we packed and ran over to N beach. Rode for a solid 2 hours lit on 12M kites. Around 4/5 the wind shifted back E like a switch. Nothing gradual, completely died on the west and started cranking E. So we headed back to EB for a sick sunset session. Today was similiar but I stayed at EB when it died around 1. Not sure if the sea breeze kicked in down south but the E came right back like I knew it would around 6 till sunset 20+. The microweather patterns are pretty cool to watch. Def. like to hear what the meteorologist Steve-O has been talking to has to say about weekends like this!

no seabreeze in the south county today, east wind died around 1 than came back around 4 30 and strong. enough for me to ride a 9m with a skimboard at 185 lbs

I talked to the meteorologist Steve-O yesterday about 3/4 of the way through my downwinder about the strange winds. I was well lit on a 12 at 190lbs from north Clearwater to redington beach. He said he came up for the south and it was all east wind until he got into the Indian rocks area.

While I was riding N/NNW wind my buddy was at lassing park on his 9m...

Maybe Steve-O will chime in today and give us his thoughts.

That's mind numbing!!!

So picture this. It's 6pm on Sunday, kites on the bay are getting a solid 20+ from the east and only 40 minute drive north and kites are getting hammered from the North. A 90 degree wind differential. That is just amazing and something I can't say I have witnessed very often. Usually in the past, when it goes east in the evening, it goes east everywhere.

20+ is alot of wind and to have two completely different wind directions that close together is just fascinating. I guess I am a wind nerd.

This is day 6 of the run and no end in sight.

No I really don't have any thoughts, but a great question for a professional meteroligist which I am not. I guess usually when I have seen a seabreeze this hard, it gets all the way down south and even into the bay. Not yesterday!

I work in Largo, and live in St Pete. I hate being at work, see it nuking, and when I get down to St Pete to get my gear, it's windless. We live in a strange area. Unfortunately, if I keep everything in my care, there will never be wind in Largo

By the way, did anybody else notice the dude with the Fuel, showing his buddy how to kite on the beach at EB. I'm not trying to bash or anything, but it was the first time my girlfriend got to spend a day kiting with me, and this dude sets up next to us. While setting up, we could overhear him telling his buddy that he didn't understand why people take lessons. Anyway, he ended up handing the kite over to his buddy on the beach, his buddy had no harness on, and there was no safety leash attached to the kite. Oh, the "instructor" had a wrist leash on, but it wasn't attached to the kite. So his friend ends up looping the kite onto a trainer kite(while in the air) of someone taking a lesson. I'm shocked that his friend didn't get injured. As I was about to walk over and say something, somebody else made a comment to them, and they ended up packing it up. Surprisingly the incident went on longer than I thought it should have. I feel bad, because I should have said something sooner, but I'm a fairly new kiter, and none of the vets went over and said something, so I didn't feel I had the right. Next time, I'm going to say something sooner, because it wasn't what I wanted my girlfriend seeing on her first outing.
Shame on me for being too slow to nicely say something to the dude about injuring bystanders or getting us banned.