St Croix
A buddy and I are leaving this Sunday for St. Croix to kite. I will let you know how it is. I have heard great things about it. Here is a recent post about it:
Tony,
I just got back from my St Croix vacation and wanted to fill you in. The kiting scene there is absolutely outstanding. We had wind every day I was there - mostly 15-20, a couple of days 20-25. The wind was E/NE every day, very steady and predictable. Coakley Bay is definitely the place to go for Easterly wind. The bay is wide open, no one else on the beach and a very safe launch/landing. If you end up downwind, there is a small patch of rocks before the next bay opens up for a good 3/4 mile safe sandy beach. There are really no restrictions on the island as far as places kites are restricted to, and they want to keep it that way, so please be very careful and do not get hurt/hurt anyone else. There is a sailboat that gives snorkling tours that comes to Coakley every afternoon for lunch and anchors near the launch site. It is recommended to just land your kite and chill while he is there - around 1 hour. Any other time and the entire bay is wide open. There are 3 or 4 hard core kiters who kite every day if the wind blows and all are genuinely the nicest people you'll ever meet. A few more come and go during the week. Sunday is the "big" day there with about 10-12 kiters showing up. The bay could easily hold 3 times that comfortably, so do not worry about crowded waters.
Definitely take a lesson with Bill. He is an awesome rider and a great teacher. The only other thing I think I should mention is security. There are a lot of very poor people there, (same as any island in the Carribean) and the police do not seem to care about theft. Be careful with your equipment. I had a kite/bar/bag stolen out of my locked car while kiting one day. Everyone knew who did it - a local who recently was released from jail for the Nth time, but that did not make the situation any better. I'm sure the guy thought it was a suitcase with some valuables in it and when he found out is was a kite, just tossed it in the bushes by the side of the road. We all looked for it for a long time, but no luck. Just be very careful with wallet, camera, phone, etc. I'd keep all that stuff either hidden in the engine compartment or hidden in the grass down the beach well away from the road/parking area. (or maybe just leave everything in your hotel.)
I had a great time, met some amazing people and would definitely go back. Hope you get in a sunset session with Bill, Milo, Paulie, Isabelle - unforgettable.
-Steve
|