July 2008
Monthly Archive
Mitchell’s Bay
Posted by webmaster on 22 Jul 2008 | Tagged as: Beaches
Beach: Dover Beach Park
AKA: M-Bay
Google Map Coordinates:
Official Rules:
(Made by OPP Marine Division)
OPP marine division has warned that in all boat channels kiters do not have the right of way and kiting will be banned from the public beach area if boater complaints continue. The swim area (south of playground equipment to breakwall) is not bouyed or patrolled but no kiting is to occur in this area.
Local knowledge
Submitted by local OKA Members:
Tim Blanchard, Curtis Laurie, Dan Cote
Suitable wind direction:
Southerly winds normally peak from 3-6 pm.
If it is windy first thing in the morning jump on it as normally dies off by 10 am.
SSE - (sideoff shore) - Wind shadow at beach and waterlaunching area, need to walk way out, about as far as breakwall to South to get clean wind. Often switches straight offshore and dies as daytime heats wanes (1-2hours before sunset)
S - (sideshore) - Wind Shadow at beach, clean wind starts about 50m from shore.
SW - (side on) - Best direction - good for beginners
W - (onshore) - often gusty and strong. Make sure to walk out ATLEAST 3 line length offshore when launching.
NW - (side on) - Beware of voodoo chop if you get to close to the breakwall - Launch as with a W wind (give yourself lots of room!)
N - (sideshore) - Gusty and only for experienced riders! - there is a spot nearby that is more suitable for North wind riding. Speck to a local rider for details.
Set up and launch location:
Launch site is a small public park with two boat ramps (from when water levels were 3 feet higher in the 80’s) leading to the water. Kiters setup at the far end of the park near the volleyball courts and small sand area. Water is 1-2 feet for more than 100 meters offshore with no place free of trees to launch a kite on land. Washrooms are open mid May to mid Sept. During summer holidays beach is very busy so please do not leave lines out and try to keep the kites in a confined area, away from the playground equipment.
Launching:
Best Option - Have a fellow experienced kiter carry out your kite to the water as you follow behind with the bar. Walk out atleast 2 line lengths from shore (more on W and NW winds!) and have your kite launched at the edge of the powerzone. If the beach is busy walk out with you lines on your bar and unwind them in the water.
Drift Launch - If you are alone this is the only option you have to launching as launch CANNOT be done on the beach. Give yourself lots of room downwind in the case your lines become tangled or caught up in weeds.
Landing:
Ride into the shallow area infront of the boat ramp and use the universal signal for landing your kite (tap your head) to other kiters at the beach.
If winds are from the S or SW your kite can easily be self landed in the wind shadow of the trees just downwind of the launch area.
W and NW winds are often very gusty and strong, please give yourself lots of downwind distance when coming back to the beach on these directions.
Hazards:
Boat Channel to the North of the launch. Depth is only 5-6 feet so bigger boats will damage their props and lower units if you force them off a plane. Rocky point about 20m north of launch extending 10m from shore and underwater. Very weedy July and August on the north side of the boat channel (enough to make it nearly impossible to relaunch you kite in certain spots). Occassional zebra mussels and rocks. Most do not use booties but several riders have had nasty cuts over the years. There is a deep and weedy spot (dark water) between the launch and boat channel.
Hunting season starts september 20th. DO NOT RIDE IN THE MARSH DURING HUNTING SEASON! You will likely be chased out and your kite shot at (not kidding on this one). Hunting is not allowed on Sundays so it is a kiter safe day.
Guidelines
New riders to the spot should introduce themselves to the locals for details about the wind conditions and where the sweet riding spots are for that particular direction. Please be respectful to beachgoers and swimmers. Again, beware of the boat channel, give yourself lots of distance. Look both ways when crossing and give boats lots of room.
Note to beginners
West and NW winds are not beginner friendly due to their gustiness and the breakwall located downwind on these directions.
Walk upwind on SW winds to give yourself lots of room away from boat channel if you cannot ride upwind.
Make sure to have your kite launched away from the beach during self assisted launches.
Lessons:
Tim Blanchard
519-919-7907
tim@surfculturecanada.ca
Want to be added as an instructor at this beach?
email: matt@kiteboardontario.com
Hanlan’s Point (Toronto Island)
Posted by webmaster on 22 Jul 2008 | Tagged as: Beaches
Beach: Hanlan’s Point, Toronto Island
AKA: The Island
Google Map Coordinates:
Official Rules:
(Made by Toronto Port Authority; Toronto City Centre Airport, Toronto Lifeguards)
No watercraft or persons may enter the area at the north end of the beach in front of the runway. The official Stay Out area is marked by a fence (with a Keep out sign), and on the water by the large, difficult to miss buoys. Draw a line between the fence and buoys and be sure to keep several lines lengths south of the area. Official numbers and locations of the markers are listed here:
http://www.torontoport.com/PortAuthority/port_notices_content.asp?id=235
It is a very serious matter to break this rule, it is heavily policed and enforceable by a heavy fine (more then all your kite gear is worth). Furthermore a single incident with the airport has the potential of shutting down this riding spot.
To the south be sure to stay outside the white swimming buoys. This is the rule at all GTA beaches and is also critical to maintaining kiteboarding access to this beach.
Please take the time to speak to all new kiters at this location and make sure they understand where they can and cannot ride. There’s lots of room at Hanlon’s Point so absolutely no reason to ride in the prohibited areas.
Local knowledge:
Submitted by local OKA Members:
Matt Aiken, Michael Dobell
Accessible only by boat, ferry, or water taxi, Hanlans Point offers kiting close to the GTA on a variety of wind directions. Keep in mind the ferry schedule varies depending on the season, check http://www.toronto.ca/parks/island/summerschedule.htm#sched for arrival and departure times. If you miss your ferry ride then a water taxi is your only option home. Toronto Harbour Water Taxi (416-203-TAXI) will help you out.
Suitable wind direction:
Ridable NW-SSW, however very gusty on a NW and a 150m wind shadow on SSW; Best on W-SW
Set up and launch location:
The best setup and launch location is midway between the airport and the clothing optional (yes, clothing optional) section of the beach. Do not set up immediately beside the lifeguard stand. Launching from this section will put you right in the swim area. As mentioned it’s critical to stay out of the airport right-of-way at the north end of the beach and the swim area in front of the clothing optional area in the south section of the beach. That being the case if you have any concerns about your ability to stay upwind set up towards the north end of the beach (closer to airport) on W or NW winds and towards the south end (but still well clear of the lifeguard station) on SSW or SW winds. There’s lots of room at Hanlon’ s Point, take advantage of it, and keep a sensible distance from non-kiters.
Launching:
The best launch procedure (as with any Ontario kiteboard location) is to launch with the kite towards the water. This ensures that in case of emergency the rider will be pulled towards the water rather than inland towards hard objects. Once launched keep the kite low and head directly into the water. Enter the water as soon as your kite is in the air and avoid any unnecessary time with standing around n the beach with your kite in the air.
Landing:
When ever possible find a buddy to land your kite. Preferred technique is to come ashore and land with the kite inland of the rider. Avoid bringing kite overhead, particularly if in the vicinity of non-kiting beach users. Put your kite down as soon as you are on shore.
Hazards:
Always be aware of swimmers, sunbathers and other beach goers, give them lots of room and never launch or land in their close vicinity. Keep an eye out for garbage bins and small bushes that can entangle lines during launching and landing. Please note that in the early spring before the beach has been cleaned/raked and also after major rainstorms in the summer there can be a lot of debris on the beach. Be extra careful to make sure your lines are clear of sticks and other debris, especially if you need to self-launch. During the summer months there are often boats anchored off the beach, be aware of their anchor lines. Winds can be particularly lofty at this location, especially in the spring, due to the bizarre interaction between cold water and warm air. Avoid jumping close to shore, you might get a little more amplitude then you expect and overshoot your landing. Whale watching is always a BAD idea. There really isn’t anything out there. It’s a particularly bad idea at Hanlon’s Point. Whale watching related hazards include: marathon-like swim due to limited rescue boat availability, increased likelihood of straying into the airport zone, heavy boat traffic, unexpected visits to Rochester NY, and public ridicule by fellow kiters. Don’t do it.
Guidelines:
Stay out of the swim areas (especially towards the crowded south end of the beach and particularly on warm days in the summer), and absolutely stay out of the airport fly zone. Hanlon’s offers a lot of ride-able real estate, so there is really no reason to venture into the southern swim area (unless you like showing off to the lads) and even less reason to ride north into the airport section. Even though most of the area north of the lifeguard station is relatively unused kiters are reminded crashing their kites on the beach on any section of the beach has the potential to endanger non-kiters. Keep the jumps, tricks, and transitions more than a line’s length out from the beach. As with all patrolled beaches in the GTA respect the lifeguards and parks employees. If they tell you to get out of the swim area then get out.
Note to beginners:
Water at Hanlans point can be many degrees cooler than other spots. Suit up accordingly and keep in mind that there is little shelter from the elements at this location. Be prepared with warm dry clothes and food. Give yourself a large buffer from the island airport. On a north wind stay close to shore, as downwind of the beach is Rochester NY – a very long swim.
Lessons:
Fred Telesforo
email: ftelesforo@Hotmail.com
Tel: 416-706-332
Spencer Cotton
email: topree@hotmail.com
Tel: 416-527-0866
PBK
Email: paul@pbkiteboarding.com
Tel: 416-462-3791
Want to be added as an instructor at this beach?
email: matt@kiteboardontario.com
Presqu’ile
Posted by webmaster on 21 Jul 2008 | Tagged as: Beaches
Beach: Presqu’ile Provincial Park Beach
AKA: Presqu’ile Beach
Google Map Coordinates:
Official Rules
(Made by Presqu’ile Provincial Park)
There is a fee for entry with your vehicle into the Provincial Park. Day passes or 6 month passes available. Passes are good for all the Provincial Parks in Ontario.
Beach access for kiteboarding is restricted to the north end of Beach 1(the first beach turn off). The south half and all of Beaches 2 and 3 are for swimmers and beach goers. Check at the gate office, and pick up a free paper guide to check when kiteboarding may be restricted during shorebird migration season, generally in the spring and late fall (kiteboarding was off limits in Sping 2008 until June 15th). Kiteboarders must stay out of the swimming area. Best to remain 500 meters out of swimming area and keep at least 4 kite lines back from any swimmers.
Local Knowledge
Submitted by Local OKA members:
Shane Thompson, Kevin Rutherford
Suitable Wind Directions:
S, SW, W
(Technically can be ridden on NW, but extremely gusty)
Set up and Launch Location:
Beach 1 towards the north end of the beach. If the beach is very crowded, you may be required to walk 5 minutes towards the north end of the beach where there are no beach goers. Mostly onshore breeze so keep kites well sanded and wind up your lines between sessions.
Launching:
Launch kite and go directly out into the water. If self-launching kite ensure that beach user are a safe distance away (at least 4 kite lengths). Do not fly kites on the beach. If you are not confident getting upwind right away, best to launch your kite and walk out at least 500m past the sand bars for best chance at not running into the beach.
Landing:
Winds are predominantly more on shore and steady when from the SW or W. Winds are much more gusty on S or NW directions. Kites should be landed as soon as the rider is on shore, especially on the gusty S and NW wind direction.
Hazards:
Shallow water near sandbars, be careful when jumping. In the Northern corner of the beach there in mid summer there is a lot of algae in the water. Crashing your kite is not an option if the algae level is extreme. If you do crash in algae water, you must go into shore immediately, as you’re kite lines will be too heavy to relaunch. Avoid the Islands to the south. These are bird sanctuaries.
Guidelines:
Avoid flying kites on the beach, especially during summer months and weekends. It’s too crowded. Always use a kite leash. The beach is too crowded to risk a run away kite
The beach is busy, always ride far enough off shore to avoid crashing kites on the beach. Avoid showboating, jumping, etc, at any distance where your kite over-flies the beach. Stay in the northern section of the beach and do not kite through the swimming area. If you are not confident you can stay upwind and out of the swim area this is not a suitable spot to ride.
Note to Beginners:
Presqu’ile Beach can be very crowded so care must be taken to avoid non-kiting beach goers at all costs. To limit complaints from these beach goers kiteboarders are encouraged to stay at least 400 meters out of the swimming areas. Predominant westerly breeze makes are onshore, making Presqu’ile a difficult beach to learn to kiteboard at. Simply put, if you can’t get upwind right away you run into the shore and beach goers. The best location for beginners is to walk 5 minutes up to the North end of the beach towards the park boundary. There is lots of room up in this end and less people.
Lessons:
Want to be added as an instructor at this beach?
email: matt@kiteboardontario.com
Britannia
Posted by webmaster on 21 Jul 2008 | Tagged as: Beaches
Britannia
Developed by members of the Ottawa Kiting Group
Please see the following link for up to date information about kiting in the ottawa area:
www.kitesurfingschool.org/ottawasafety.htm