Anyone kited Key West, Jamaica or Grand Caymen?

[rider1200]

Going on a cruise w/wife & 2 other couples (all non-wind) in 2 weeks. Ship leaves from Ft. Lauderdale, heads to Key West, Jamaica & Grand Caymen. From what I can tell the ports at Jamaica & Grand Caymen are opposite sides of the islands from any kiting spots. I'd love to bring my gear but its a lot to carry for little chance to use it. I'm also worried not knowing the terrain (reefs, currents, ects). I can rent gear for $150, prob the way to go if I can find time, huh? Its pretty much that or stuff my 11 into my boardbag & hope for 15-25mph winds...

Just wondering if anyone has any experience with this or something similar.

[likin the wind]

No experience at either of those places. Have you ever been on a cruise? Typically you are in a port for 8 hours or less. That means not only are you hoping for wind, but you are hoping for it during a very restricted time frame. You would be carting your gear off a ship in hopes of wind, if no wind then what - - - you carry that gear around all day or you cart it back to the ship? I would go the renting route so that you aren't hauling that stuff around needlessly. Also they are going to offer you many options for things to do at each destination. Is the wife going to be thrilled to be 1 person on those side excursions??? Save yourself some grief and put the sailing out of your head or at least settle on renting.

[Windydoug]

Whoa, tough crowd.

But the truth is somtimes us wind addicted can go to extreme lengths to get our fix, no? I guess decide how well you know your partner and then go for what is best. Either way you are gonna smile......you're escaping the snow and cold with your wife and good friends. Good times, umpbrellas in your drinks, and perhaps kites in the air. Enjoy Brent.
Do give us a report.
Doug

[rider1200]

hmmm, guest user and apparent 1st time posting.....its my wife isn't it?! Using a masked identity to get me to go look as some crummy old rocks instead of kiteboarding!!!

I'm just kidding and I appreciate the 2 cents. I know its the right answer but as Doug put it addiction = extreme lengths. If I can drive 2 hours to stare at a glassy lake multiple times in a week, lugging a 3x5 board bag around hoping for wind/time and a legal launch area only makes sense!

If our plane actually leaves on time we get into Ft Lauderdale at noon and the boat leaves at 8am the next day. Also our excursions are 2-4 hours and you're in port for 8. In reality its definitely not enough time but thinking desparately it seems like could be. I will fix that with a 190 octane from Fat Tuesday's! And I'll keep my feelers out for time/place to rent. I'm in the market for a new harness, renting could help me make a decision...on top of that the airline would prob charge me as much to check it as it would cost to rent it!

Decision is made, no gear is going. I'll report back on whether I found some to rent or settled on a 2nd 190 octane.

[kelshipman]

Good choice. Enjoy the cruise and the little umbrellas!

I kited at Islamarada, then tried to get out down in Key West, but never made it due to wind and room on the boat, etc. There are a couple of companies that take people out - as you need a boat in Key West.

The wind is pretty spotty around there, but if you happen to hit a windy day and and your wife has a hangover and there happens to be room on the boat and you feel like renting gear and maybe taking a lesson and the planets are all aligned - then, just walk in from the pier where the cruise ship lands, I think two of the outfitters in that area take people kiting. All things considered, I think Key West is better for sunsets and people watching!

[rider1200]

Day one had us on the beach in Fort Lauderdale at 4pm...certainly not enough time to rent gear but the 2 kites in the air a short walk away proved I was missing out. So I ordered a 190 Octain and nonchalantly steered the group toward the kites. Come to find out there where 2 in the air and 2 on the ground! There was an area roped off for kiters right off Las Olas Blvd. Unfortunately they proved to be less than friendly (prob sick of gawkers) so I opted not to offer them $100 cash for an hour with their gear as was my original plan. So day one in Ft Lauderdale I missed a good 2 hours of kiting by not bringing my gear. I chose to have a 2nd 190 octain as a result making my wife about as happy as if I'd brought my gear and gone kiting, we'll call it a tie.

The Cruise boarded at 8am the following day and spent the whole day at sea, so no missed opportunities there and we got to watch the superbowl on a jumbo screen from a hottub on the top deck of the boat...that's a once in a lifetimer I highly recommend! My wife loves the Steelers so I am forgiven for the 190 octains, and she somehow remained in good spirits even when they lost (carribean cruise, hot tub, nice weather, ect).



The next day had us in Key West where I realized lugging my gear through the cattledrive exodus (leaving the ship) would have been doable but annoying to everyone around. Once on Duvall street there was so much to see and do the wind barely crossed my mind.... I'm not normally a shopper but they have some of the funniest t-shirts I've ever seen, I got one for my 2 year old that says "AAARRR wipe me booty" and one for myself that said "I'm on a boat!"...that was a big hit back on board. Key West has a lax open container law and live entertainment at any time of the day, just be careful of Irish Kevins...he uses a rubber chicken on a giant cartoonish fishing pole to fill his bar like I've never seen a bar get filled before. He brought at least 20 people through the door at 11am during the 20 minutes we where there...and yes we were there b/c we fell for the rubber chicken gag. But like I said highly entertaining and time flew by. Also no apparent launch sites so you'd have to plan ahead & go out on a boat. Would be expensive and time consuming.

The next day was spent at sea so no missed opportunities there but the next was Grand Caymen Island. Thats where it got rough. We'd planned an excusion that had us swimming with Stingrays and snorkeling a reef. Swimming with Stingrays was pretty cool, def something to do once. It was more like wading in waste deep water but the stingrays where abundant and the guides gave us some good info on them as well as the opportunity to hold a 300lb one. The snorkeling was lame and there was a ton of wind, ironically make it difficult to snorkel. I took this pic so you could feel my pain:






This launch area was terribly sketchy and who knows what lurked under water (reefs? rocks? ships?!) but my heart def sank at the site of the windbent trees. It was not terribly windy (20mph?) so the fact that the trees were so bent I assume meant that its always windy...and if I had planned better my chances for a sweet session were better than fair. I talked to some locals who said the kiting spots are all in a bay on the opposite side of the Island. You can cross the Island by car in 45 min to an hour but they said a cab would be terribly expensive and to just rent a car for the day. Sounds easy enough except they drive on the wrong side of the road...fast! Just trying to cross the street was hard enough so I decided if I'm ever lucky enough to make it back there I will plan ahead and call the local shops to see which one would be willing to pick me up at the port. There are at least 4 shops and I figured I'd plan about $500 for the day but that it would be money well spent and something I'd prob only get to do once...ever. Looking back I'm guessing I'll probably never make it back and I really wish I gave it a shot when I had the chance. Hopefully these words will help someone else someday.

The next day was at sea and the next was in Jamaica. I got surprisingly sketched out by the locals in Jamaica and decided I wouldn't be comfortable leaving my kitebag on the beach, let alone my wife. In the cruise line's defense they took us on a nice bus to a gated, barbed wired beach that was intimidating to enter (think jail) but probably the most beautiful scenery of the whole cruise once you got inside. It was great and very safe. But you could not kite as it was a bay surrounded by giant cliffs, I'm sure the wind would be a mess. Outside of the gates I just couldn't get comfortable, maybe it was just me but I would also hate to go to a hospital there and somehow that enters my mind every time I launch a kite. So for me Jamaica was a no kite zone.

I think we had one more day at sea and then the cruise pulled into Ft Lauderdale at 8am. We'd booked our flight for noon so there was no time plus it was like 65 degrees and raining with no wind.

Not much for windnuts but for anyone who’s married with children the whole cruise thing definitely rejuvinated our relationship. I should thank 'likin the wind' for laying the groundwork there! I'm lucky to have a wife who puts up with the wind addiction, I'm glad I was able to give this trip to her.




PS I added the last line in case I was right about 'likin the wind's secret identity.

[edg]

Mar 29, 2011 17:28:58 GMT -5 rider1200 said:

PS I added the last line in case I was right about 'likin the wind's secret identity.

;D ;D ;D