Isla De Coche, Venezuela, Baby! Pictures Added

bulae99 · Since 12 Jul 2006 1692 Posts I give out bad advice.

That is so cool!

LOL

genek · Since 21 Jul 2006 2165 Posts East Po KGB

Have fun Mike! Should be a nice change from the cold kiting we have here.

h2olm · Since 07 Jun 2006 124 Posts Stoked

'so tell us about your company - sounds interesting"

Hey Gman,
It is a pretty cool company. We try to get people to beautiful and windy destinations mostly in the Caribbean, Brazil, Baja, and Maui, and of course THE GORGE! All day long, I talk to wind enthusiasts from around the world. I love to talk about where and when it's windy, and how do I get there! It's a fun job. When people call us, they're usually stoked as they know they are headed to some place like Coche to go kiting. When I saw Nak's post, I know we could offer him some assistance. Now he is off to some beautiful island to go kiting. I'm stoked for him too!

SalmonSlayer · Since 27 Nov 2005 648 Posts Addicted **CGKA Member**

Have fun.

You may want to checkout this thread on Kitefourm

http://www.kiteforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2362353

Mark · Tue Feb 02, 10 2:55 pm

Mike you alive? Should we send down a rescue crew.. If so, what size kites should they bring? Wink

Hope things are going well.

alien · Since 01 Aug 2006 114 Posts Portland Stoked

Considering heading to that area (plus Aruba) for an upcoming honeymoon. Definitely share stories & info after you get back.

Buen viaje!

Gman · Since 11 Feb 2006 4911 Posts Portland Unstrapped

guess we have to start the telethon for the ransom...

Nak · Wed Feb 03, 10 10:02 am

Still alive!! Sketchy internet, very difficult to post. Rescue crrew needed. Bring 7m & 11m kites. Oh, and bring me an extra 11m Rev, my LE blew. Sad

Nak · Thu Feb 04, 10 4:42 am

Jola! Isla De Coche really does live up to it's reputation Smile

So far my money kite has been the 11m. (9m for most of you. ) There's been several 7m afternoons and one 13m morning. The wind is like a fan here, it just never stops. Smile

It's a couple of hundred meter walk to the kite beach; the wind is crappy right in front of the hotel. It's always offshore, so the water is pretty flat most of the time. Worst I've seen is 6" chop. In the morning it's just butter. I head over to the beach with my 11 and a Glide for a morning session, bring the Lunacy over after lunch.

The rescue boats show up about 10, leave around 5. It's a 40 Bolivar tip if you need a lift...

I have to head over to Margarita this morning to get my 11m Rev repaiered. I was just cruising in the butter right off the shore when 2 feet of the LE just gave way. Smile

I was able to walk in, so no rescue needed. Amazingly, the bladder held!!! Big old hemmoroid, so I'll replace it back home.

No pictures for now, the internet's to sketch here.

Adios amigos!

Mark · Fri Feb 05, 10 5:50 pm

Glad to hear your trip was a sucess! Bummer about the kite prob.

Nak · Sat Feb 06, 10 3:54 pm

Thanks Mark, No worries though. I got it fixed in Margarita for $15 US. Smile

The guy did it while I waited. I'm stoked too, cause the 11 is still my money kite here. 17 - 20 in the morning, 22 - 26 in the afternoon. Every day.

Nak · Wed Feb 10, 10 8:54 am

Oops, Double post!

Nak · Wed Feb 10, 10 8:55 am

Well, I'm back. Sorry about not posting pics, the internet was pretty unreliable at the hotel. I never could get my Laptop online, only my phone. Uploading pics just didn't work.

I've got some pics here, they should give you a feel for the spot.

Trip report:

Caracas:
Caracas sucks. Thanks to H2olm and Vela we had an escort. ( Very good guys and highly recommended. ) I'm REALLY glad I didn't do my usual thing of blowing into town & finding an airport hotel once I got there. NOT a good idea in Caracas. There are a couple of nice airport hotels, the Marriot & the Eurobuilding, but make sure you have your transportation figured out before you go. All the locals I asked said don't take a taxi. Good way to get robbed or worse apparently. I think you could get by without an escort IF you speak very good Spanish AND you have your transportation to & from the hotel arranged in advance. The Euros and the Canadians have this beat because they fly directly into Porlamar ( Isla Margarita ) and avoid Caracas entirely. MUCH, MUCH better way to go. Unfortunately, Delta & American both only fly into Caracas. If I could fly directly to Porlamar, I'd probably head back to Coche every year.

Isla Margarita:
El Yaque beach is not worth the trip at all, IMHO. Small beach, crappy launch, choppy water. Expensive food & drink. Reliable winds though. We didn't hit it, but the night life in Porlamar is supposed to be very hot. Some people stay at El Yaque for that reason, doing day trips to Coche. There's supposed to be other spots to ride on Margarita, but you need local help to ride those spots. I heard of a wave spot on the North shore with 3 - 4 foot waves.

Isla De Coche:
All I can say is WOW. Very Happy

Not much to do there but ride, but the riding was phenomenal. The morning winds were lighter & steadier than the afternoon winds. Two mornings I needed a 13m, two afternoons a 7.5m. Other than that the 11m was the ticket for me. ( a 9m would be money for most of you. ) All the wind forecasts I looked at were worthless, the wind was always much stronger than forecast. Mornings the beach was empty, it would get crowded around 11 am and empty out again around 4. Morning & sunset riding were definitely the best!

Interesting crowd. The Locals, Germans, Brits, Americans & Canadians were all great. Some of the others had no F*&^cking clue how to ride in crowded conditions. Realistically, it never really was crowded, but some of these morons made it feel that way. I had to have a discussion with one guy about how he might want to raise his kite a bit when I passed downwind of him. He seemed to understand only when I had my hook knife on his lines... The fisherman love these guys because they were doing multiple rescues every day when they'd tangle their kites with each other. I mean the downwind guy would raise his kite & the upwind guy would lower his & they'd both be surprised and pissed when their kites crossed? Not beginners either, good riders otherwise. WTF? Other shit too. It's like they just were just morally against using any intelligence whatsoever. If these guys tried to ride in the Gorge or Hawaii, I'm 100% sure that there would end up being some beat downs... Anyways, I'd ride from dawn till 11 and again after 3:30 or so most days and avoid them entirely.

The wind is offshore. Rescue is provided by local fisherman who show up at about 10 am and leave about 5 pm. 40 Bolivar tip for the rescue. Apparently, these guys make more money rescuing kiters than fishing. Very Happy

If you need rescue before 10 you can float in the water & wait. If you need rescue after 5, you might have to cut loose your kite. Sad

Most guys ride pretty close to shore after 5...

The food on Coche is OK at best. You'll stay at one of two places, Punta Blancha or Coche Paradise, both all inclusive.

Punta Blancha: Closest to the kite beach, close enough to grab a drink while taking a quick break from riding. Better food than Paradise, or so I heard. The grounds aren't as pretty. No place to dry a kite out by your room.

Coche Paradise: Food is OK, you won't go hungry. You will be craving something different at the end of the week. Same thing every day, with minor variation. "Shall I have the overcooked chicken tonight, or maybe the overcooked fish?" Beautiful grounds. Big rooms with a huge shelf to lay out your kite gear. Grassy spots by every room big enough to lay out a kite if need be. The bar opens earlier than Blancha. Very Happy

Several hundred yard walk to the kitebeach.

There's a Kiteboarding Center right at the kitebeach. Really great guy named Chris runs it and is THE source for all sorts of local information. Cool place to hang out between sessions & have a drink.

Money exchange on the street is running at about 5 bolivar to 1 USD. It's illegal and I would never do such a thing! If you are a good and honest citizen you will use your credit card or ATM card and pay 2.6 to 1, the government's official and fair rate. Dishonest people exchange their money with a known and recommended money changer, and they WAIT until no one else is around to do their business.

Nightlife at Coche is non-existent. Sometimes there'd be a kiteboarding party at the beach, but don't count on it. Bunch of kiteboarders, free booze, I really thought it would be a bit more wild?

You go to Coche for one reason: to ride flat water on a beautiful tropical island. Big sandy beach, flat water, wind every damn day. It blows all day and all night there! The only day I didn't ride was the day I went to Margarita to get my 11m LE fixed. ( $15 USD and 10 minutes to get it fixed. Woo Hoo! ) By the end of the week I was so sore I almost looked forward to going home!

Nak · Wed Feb 10, 10 8:57 am

More Pics:

Nak · Wed Feb 10, 10 8:58 am

Even More Pics: