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Need advice for my carribean trip

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jever98
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Postby jever98 » Sun Oct 13, 2002 8:09 pm

Hi guys,

as I have mentioned before(for those who read here more often), I am going on a trip to the carribean in mid November. We will be sailing from Martinique down to Grenada. Along the way, we will pass islands such as St. Lucia, the Tobago Keys and St. Vincent (if I am not mistaken).
My question: apparently, on these sailing trips, you sail down the leeward side of the islands (the prevailing trades are NE, so I'm told) and you tend to stick on the west coasts of the islands.

So far, I have identified 2-3 potential kite spots on the way, i.e.
Southern tip of St. Lucia (there is Club Mistral station there)
Sandy island (a tiny island where which shouldn't block off the wind)
Tobago Keys (they look small enough, too)

Can anybody give some advice on where to kite in these islands? Or do you may be know of some spot guides I should consult?

Thanks in advance for the help, :smile:

Nico

jever98
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Postby jever98 » Sun Oct 13, 2002 8:12 pm

Any advice on kite sizes? I weigh 90kg (200lbs) and my girlfriend 55kg, and we were planning to take:
14 and 10 X2
17 and 13 Fuel

Royce
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Postby Royce » Sun Oct 13, 2002 11:12 pm

Jeever, I will have a look and see where my buddies windsurf down there. I am a little worried your girlfriend will get blown off the water. Generally in all those islands I am Riding a 12 maxed out @76kg. St.Vincient has very little access to beaches and if you have a look at the island layout most the leward side is straight down wind and lillte sea clifs at the bottom of pretty big hills. St. Lucia has lots of spots that are easy to get to and good winds.18-25k. The mistral spot is good but you will see lots of places there. Most the best sailing will be on the North shores, due to the trades direction. The sailing is great accross the channels though and we have sailled from Fort De france to St.Lucia with a chase boat. Good fun.
Enjoy.
Aloha Royce.

jever98
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Postby jever98 » Mon Oct 14, 2002 8:20 am

Royce,

thanks very much for the advice!
I didn't know the wind was so strong. So what sizes do you think we should bring? May be I can ask for a 13 and a 9 for testing instead of a 17 and a 13.

Some more input on the wind strenghts would be greatly appreciated, if anybody has been kiting down there.

Nik_KiteAntigua
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Postby Nik_KiteAntigua » Mon Oct 14, 2002 11:51 am

Jever98

Ditto on what Royce has to say. The Grenadines should be particularly good. E.g. Union and Canouan just south of Bequia. Several of the "islets" are small cays (very flat sand spits). You sail on the leeward side where the water is absolutely glass but the cay is so low that you get steady 20kts over the top of it. Glassy smooth water and that kind of wind is some of the best boosting conditions you could ever dream of.

You will need a 9 meter(SfA) for sure. Probably a 7 for your girl.

jever98
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Postby jever98 » Mon Oct 14, 2002 12:35 pm

Thanks, that's great advice.
I will keep my eyes peeled for any beach we sail by.
Drive-through kiting :smile:

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Postby Guest » Wed Oct 30, 2002 7:00 pm

Just to let you know that the Club Mistral windsurfing centre in St Lucia has now launched 'Skyriders' programme which is their kitesurfing instruction and rental division. Vieux Fort is a near perfect spot and it's worth checking it out.
Cheers ...


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