Crissy field San Fran

Mark · Tue May 04, 10 8:44 am **Crissy field San Fran**

Heading to San Fran May 15-19. Can anyone give insight to kiting Crissy?

Thanks in advance.

forrest · Tue May 04, 10 9:19 am

Wear your VHF rescue radio and pay attention to the tides. I just go to the mud hole off 3rd Ave.

EY · Since 06 Jul 2008 76 Posts NW, Florida, Asia Made in China

I lived in San Fran for a summer 2 years back. Here is what i know.

Wind is gusty, sometimes it will be a bit offshore if it blows a bit of west south west wind. The wind is crappy on land, so get the kite up and get out. Wind is higher in the channel. If you can't get upwind near the beach area, you have to make a long tack all the way across to the north side of golden gate bridge and tack back. It works pretty much everytime.

Current goes in or out of the bay depends on the time of the day. So check it before you head out. Local usually suggest you to carry a VHF. In case the current suck you out of the bay and pass golden gate bridge, then I will see you in China. Also watch out for big container ships. They move fast! There are always some small boats around that should be able to save you. But don't count on them.

Water is very choppy and some swells are very good depends on where you are at. Water is very cold even in July. Always wear a 5mm or above.

If you can't get upwind or whatever happens, there is a small beach downwind at St. Francis Yacht Club. After that, there are no where else to land.

Overall it is an awesome experience to kite there....cause of the golden gate bridge. If you don't mind driving an hour, go to Waddell. Great surf spot and the wind is steady. If you are looking for a flat spot, go to Sherman Island. For me, I will kite crissy field if I have the big itch and in a hurry, Crissy Field has some unpredictable swells and chops caused by the container ships, so I have to be alert almost all the time.

Go have fun and take some pictures.

PS there will be no kooks, it is an advance spot. Alameda is where all the beginners are at.

barfly · Since 31 Mar 2005 1214 Posts Portland BRACKISH

I've kited and windsurfed there. EY hit it! Epic scenery, nothing comes close to kiting under the massiveness of the GG. Slither and I were there last spring and it was blowing solid 9m. Very heavy chop from shore to about a mile. Then the middle of the channel was the biggest area of mirror flat eddy conditions I've ever seen Shocked

- it had to be a mile across itself. Many kiters were there messing around but you really didn't even need to leave near-shore for a session.

There were swells up at Fort Point but the wind direction made it tough to impossible to get to. Surfers were in there.

When I windsurfed, I ended up at that little beach by the yacht club cuz the wind died but it was sketch! Thankfully the tide was coming in.

jsj · Since 11 Sep 2006 83 Posts Hood River

good site descriptions:
http://www.bayareakiteboarding.com/

Wind is usually fluky on the inside.

Give way to supertankers, container ships, and aircraft carriers, but do make sure you wave for the tourists on the blue & gold tour ferries.

Don't kite in the fog unless you've got a GPS-enabled VHF.

Whitey got someone at Baker Beach, just outside the gate in the 50's; don't worry though, he's got Elephant seal pups to eat out at the Farallon's and probably isn't interested in you... probably.

The bridge is 200' up so you are *not* going to hit it with your kite unless you jump really, really high.

Outgoing spring tide can rock through the gate at 5-6kt so don't get too wacky with the tricks: next stop is the Farallon islands (see above) Smile

melokitegirl · Since 28 Oct 2008 396 Posts Where the wind blows Obsessed

Make sure you have a few boards...they get swept away pretty quickly. Recovering them is almost impossible. No personal experience with that, but I am pretty tight with a group that kites at Crissy & 3rd Ave and that is a common occurance.

Have fun...so jealous. I love SF!

If you get a chance and have a good sense of humor --- I highly recommend doing "Sundays are a drag" at The Drake Hotel. It's brunch drag show. Funny as hell. Reservations are a must.

Smile

genek · Since 21 Jul 2006 2165 Posts East Po KGB

What people said is pretty accurate. Kiting at Crissy sucks except for the view. Maybe check it out one day if you wanna go for a pleasure cruise.

Other options include: Ocean Beach (OB), Sherman Island, 3rd Ave, Waddell.

Ocean Beach is the beach in SF around the corner from Crissy. A good close option if you want waves and don't mind unorganized beach pound. Sherman is maybe about an hour away, but has nice flat water and a bit of river swell. 3rd Ave is 20-30 min depending where you are and has some flat water on inside and chop on outside (lotsa dirt). Waddell is fun wave riding, but can get a bit crowded after 3pm on weekdays and especially on weekends. If hitting Waddell I'd recommend trying to start around noon on a weekday if the wind is already blowing. You may be one of two or three guys there for the first hour or two, which is awesome.

Sasquatch · Since 09 Mar 2005 2102 Posts PNW Bigfoot

shred_da_gorge · Thu May 06, 10 10:01 pm

If the wind is southerly then Half Moon Bay is an option. Butter smooth...

Be safe and talk to the locals when you're at Crissy. We just lost a seasoned wind veteran there. Crying or Very sad

Knot Kracker · Since 02 Jul 2008 130 Posts Clackamas River Stoked

It sounds sketchy, maybe you should play it safe and go to the conference with your wife! Razz

shred_da_gorge · Sat May 08, 10 7:48 pm

My general bay weather rule of thumb is to figure out where the fog is. If it's offshore, go to the coast, if it banks up against the coast during the night then it should be good at Crissy and/or Third. If the fog pushes into the bay head out to Sherman. Look for the webcams (ikite/windsurf has cam links as does windonthewater.com, I use http://arbor-studios.com/thirdavecam.html and the sam cam at HMB).