I recently did a trip with The Moorings in Abaco Bahamas and I and would have to say this is a kiting paradise. Every island has multiple beach and wind direction opportunities. Compare this to the BVI where, other than Anegada, the choices are very limited.
Most ocean side beaches are somewhat reef protected but there are a few areas where you get a clean break. The local surfers hang out at White Sound,Elbow Cay which you can see from the web cam
http://www.rockybay.com/webcam_page.htm. On the Sea of Abacos side there are a number of flat water, shallow options, a couple of which we kited right in the anchorage. One of the challenges of kiting from a boat is finding an anchorage that is protected but still close to a launch site. This was no problem there and typically you could kite a very short distance from where you anchored. I managed to ride 6 of 8 days but a couple were pretty light wind days, more than offset by 3 days in the 20's to 30's.
For non kiters the BVI is a better bet. The snorkeling/diving is better, the restaurants were a little better (although no complaints regarding Abacos), the service a little better and nicer scenery. The sailing is also a little less stressful in the BVI as the Abacos can be quite shallow. The BVI has long been considered the premier chartering destination and seems to be considered the premier location for kiting/sailing trips but for people serious about kiting I would recommend the Abacos hands down.
As far as the choice of a company I always use either the Moorings or Sunsail. They are a little more expensive but you get what you pay for. The uncertainty of savings a bit of money is not worth taking a chance, although I am certain there are other great companies out there. I have never gone on a crewed boat but have been with people who have and they were more than happy with the crews provided.
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