windpower
Since 27 Jul 2010
48 Posts
Hood River / Colorado
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 Mon Oct 11, 10 10:06 am Puget Sound trip report |
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Hi everyone!
I just spent the past few days kiting in the Puget Sound area. I had a lot of trouble efficiently finding good info about that area in advance, and I'm sure I'm not the only one, so I wanted to share what I learned. However, I won't post pics because they are too gray-looking to do the place justice.
First of all, what a water-lover's paradise! Ferries, islands, zillions of little bays, sand spits, tidepools, hidden coves, etc to explore. And, the water was warm.
With so many different kite launch possibilities, it seems you can pick one for whatever the current wind direction is so that the wind is coming off water and not over land. Sounds like pre-/post-frontal winds stay solid through the winter. Definitely planning a longer trip back soon, with more dog food and a passport so I can hit Vancouver as well for some smaller-kite wind!
Iverson: Met up with some local people at a lesser-known spot called Iverson Beach in Livingston Bay on Camano Island. Warm, shallow water, with a huge sandy launch at low tide and nobody around except some startled herons. S/SE wind.
Double Bluff: Kited in the rain (unusual pattern for there, where it was windy while raining!) at Double Bluff, at the edge of Useless Bay, on Whidbey Island -- a fantastic, ferry-accessed, starfish-littered beach that is also officially open to off-leash dogs. Wind was almost directly on-shore, so my dog was able to track me back and forth along the beach as I went back and forth out in the water, yelling at him to stay put. S/SE wind.
Locust: Lastly, checked out Locust Beach in a northern nook of Bellingham Bay.... think next time I'll look for other, less-protected waters in this area. Helped out some stranded fishermen who thanked me with a large, bloody salmon that I carried home (to my dog's consternation) in the trunk and will now be eating for a week! S wind.
All the stuff I read said many places in the area are simply unlaunchable at high tide... in reality, the issue is simply that at high tide, all you've got for land area is the massive piles of sharp driftwood and debris above the high tide line, so you are forced to pump up further away and then water launch. I wouldn't actually avoid places just because it's the wrong tide.
Forecasts: New, daily Twitter recommendations at Urban Surf's website, and/or call friendly people at Bellingham Kite for ideas.
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- Laura |
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