Key Largo

[windhound]

Greetings,

I am coming down with the family in early March, staying at the Mariott in Key Largo. I would love to get some kiting in while in the keys. The Marriott has a small private beach on Blackwater Sound. Can anyone tell me if the sound is kiteable? How about other kiting locations near Key Largo?

Thanks,

[conchxpress]

Try 7 sports or theOtherside board sports in Islamorada. 7 Sports rides out of the Whale Harbor Inn in Islamorada. Either place can provide you with riding areas in that area of the Keys.

[noel]

windhound,

The beach at the Marriot is tiny and to add to it, our predominate winds that time of year are east (hopefully). Sketchy at best. You may be able to go but use every precaution. Honestly, your best bet is to come to Islamorada. The drive from Key Largo is only @ 15 minutes. The 2 shops are Otherside Boardsports and 7.

The launches consist of:

Whale Harbor Restaurant: @MM 83 (oceanside) on the south side of Whale Harbor Channel behind the Restaurant. Small launch but ample if you are self sufficient. It is a locals spot and usually someone there if it is windy. There is a $10.00 a day launch fee to launch though. Great riding spot. WINDS: NW - very gusty and not much fun. best bet is to check with the shops about going to the backside. N - Getting better and doable though the launch is gusty. NE - Good riding with a generally easy launch. A Little gusty but no more than somewhere else. E thru SE is zen. Side to side-on. WARNING!! On a S wind it is straight on shore. No room for error as just 50 or so feet down wind is rocks, trees and a parking lot.

Anne's Beach S.P.: @mm 74 (oceanside) is a small, quiet beach. The South lot (2nd) is where we try to get the kiters to go. At high tide there is not alot of beach but we make do. But at low tide the beach is large with very shallow water and a sand bar that you can walk to. The park is free and great for the family. Bring a lunch or drive 5 miles back to Islamorada. Watch out for the depth of the water near shore at low tide as it can at times be very shallow. Local love this spot for it's calmness and Keys like atmosphere. WARNING: If the tide is coming in (current toward the bridge), do not ride near the bridge so as if you drop your kite and can't relaunch it, you don't get sucked under the bridge. (Happens a few times a year) WINS: It is rideable E thru SW.

Also if the winds are E thru SE, the Islamorada down-winder to Anne's Beach is Epic!!

See ya in March!!
Noel
www.othersideboardsports.com

[b-rad]

hey windhound,

March 6-15 are the dates for the 2009 Islamorada Invitational. There will be all kinds of kiting going on, sandbar, downwinders etc...just check in when you get here-

B-rad

[troubleshooter]

Hey wind. Here is the average Joe kiter scoop for the area.

I have not seen anyone kite in that area. Frontal winds drive us here. The only 2 ridable directions u can have there are west (dont count on it) and a true solid North wind with maybe a tad of NE built in to it if needed. It wont be shallow and check with Marriot if you can launch from that little beach. I would be surprised if they did.

If your by yourself Whale Harbour can work. No real room for the kiddies to hang plus you got pay to ride. $10 per day. Low tides can be a pain because of numerous sandbars in the area. Watch heavy boat and bridge traffic. NE, E, S, SW are ridable. S and SW will push you towards boat trafiic and bridges with hard currents if you fall in channels. Mile Marker 83. You will be 104. Easy 20 mile drive south.
http://www.kitebeaches.com/beach/isl...or_marina.html


Anns Beach at low tide the kiddies and family will have a blast. At high tides, forget it, no beach to hang. Noel is right on the money about the tides and bridges. This beach is free and fun. No concessions so BYOB. But there are gas staions right down the road. Mile Marker 73. You will be around Mile marker 104. Easy 30 mile drive south.
http://www.kitebeaches.com/beach/mat...__s_beach.html

Curry Hammock State Park Great park for kiter. great park for family. Kayak rentals right where you kite for the kiddes. Its on MM 56 I think. But in the Keys, going from mile Marker 104 to 56 is a piece of cake. Nice drive. E, E/NE, S, SW ridable. No bridges or channels. Wide open.
http://www.kitebeaches.com/beach/lon...tate_park.html

There are several more beaches even further south. You can look them up on the kitebeaches link. In order going south, next beaches are Sombrero Beach, Duck Key, Bahi Honda, Smathers.

Good luck. Watch the weather for fronts. Wind is not thermal or guaranteed. We rely on fronts during the fall/winter for wind. Most of those fronts bring us N/NE winds. a 14/10 meter combo will cover you all the way. Bring a light wind board in case there is no front. You could still have ridable wind.

[ricki]

Forget about trying to kite off the beach at the Marriott. I used to windsurf out of there a couple of times, barely. It is way too small, blocked for winds out of most directions, clogged with bathers and other watercraft. It isn't practical for kite launch and landing. The Marriott is a nice hotel, tons of amenities, well located, enjoy your time there just travel elsewhere to go kiting. Heading south to Islamorada would probably be the easiest, most direct approach to the locations the rest of the guys have described.

I would suggest searching under the specific names of the respective launches here. You should find a lot of useful info about them.