Camping and Kiting from ~ Miami Southwards

[ricki]

Originally Posted by jimb

Hey fng, I've been thinking along the same lines, my kids (6, 8, & 9 yrs) want to go camping and I'm also getting them involved in kiting with a trainer kite and a small bow kite. I would love to find a place we could camp on the beach, or a short walk to a beach, where the kids could do some body dragging (and maybe I could get in a session or two). I live in Fort Lauderdale, but wouldn't mind traveling up to 3-4 hours. Sounds like some good suugestions from Rick, any other kiters out there who have had good experiences at any camp sites like this?

Any other camping kiters with kids out there, well have a kitescout jamboree!

jim

Hello Jim,

I am not all that familiar with campgrounds in the Keys aside from just a couple. It is a bit of a homework project but I believe there are sites that show map locations for most commercial sites in the Keys. Today, some may even link to googleearth.com hybrid maps. If not, you would have to transfer the location info over. Anyway you could see if any have obvious launching conditions nearby. You would want to check it out in advance before the jamboree but it is one way to track down a location.

For the most part you will be in turtle grass and hard bottom communities, i.e. some irritants. Booties would be a must for the kids. You will have these sort of conditions even off Smathers in Key West and Bahia Honda SP to varying degrees (mainly sea grass there). Still, I imagine many kids might blow it off, just a word to the wise. It is different nearshore from your location and my former home town of Ft. Lauderdale as you probably know.

Of course further north, camping and driving on the beach is often no big deal. AJ is having an event in Melbourne with a private parcel of land opposite the launch on the calm waters of the wide ICW. I don't know if AJ has kids or not but it might be worth considering. More about this in the upcoming events section.