Turks and Caicos
Sun, 12/11/2011 - 18:58
Ben, Ferdinand and me just booked flights to Providenciales from December 24 to 31st. Anybody wants to join? Direct flight from Boston, $435 (+120 tax/fee) with jetblue. We haven't booked accommodations yet, suggestions welcome.
Sun, 12/11/2011 - 21:10
#1
Turks
i'm so jealous, Turks is a great place and you really wanna stay on grace bay to enjoy the view, the water and the beach but to kite the best place is on the other side in the Banks the water is super clean/clear and very shallow. litteraly you can go out for about a mile and still stand in less then 5ft water. it blows pretty much everyday in the afternoon but you definetly need a car to get to that spot. taking a taxi is duable but it can get pretty pricey.
places to stay: club med is pretty cheap and all inclusive but the rooms are kinda old. pretty much a place to crash or if you wanna go fancy seven stars resort is absolutely amazing... hotels.com usually have the best deals..
renting a car might be a bit pricey but it will be ideal to have otherwise you will spend the same money on taxis or maybe even more.
I wish I can join but if i can I will be there.
please let me know if you need any more info.
wish you all the best
Sun, 12/11/2011 - 23:50
#2
I went a couple years ago and
I went a couple years ago and due to cold front the wind was a bit more north than normal and everyone was kiting on the grace bay side. the locals were launching at the west end of the bay about 200 yards past the hotel (Coral Gardens) I stayed at. it was flattish /choppy on the inside and about 1/2 to 3/4 mile out some nice head high + waves on the reef passes. So just be aware that the south side is not the only option, especially if the wind is more ne. I took a drive by the south side on one of those day and it was very flat.
Mon, 12/12/2011 - 14:52
#3
Just returned from TCI
Been going for 5 years straight. Wind is not all that consistant in December but the place is beautiful. Check in with Terri and Mike at www.kiteprovo.com for the scoop, lessons, some gear rental, downwinders etc. They also rent a simple small house on their property for cheap called, duh, the Kitehouse. They also have access to a luxury 4 bedroom place right on Long Bay Beach which is where you will kite unless there is enough North in it to ride Grace Bay.
Mon, 12/12/2011 - 19:05
#5
Teri & Mike at Kite Provo have a couple of places they rent
Teri and Mike have a couple of small places you can rent at reasonable rates.
Mon, 12/12/2011 - 19:29
#6
weather in mid january
Hey guys,
We are going there mid january, how is the wind conditions around that time of year? Trying to decide what gear to bring.
I have a 15m, 11m, and 8m kite. And a 132 mako. I was planning on bringing all three if I can fit it in my golf bag within weigh limits.
If I had to get rid of a kite though which one should I get rid of?
I weight 165lbs..
ET
Tue, 12/13/2011 - 12:14
#7
Elvis, I would just bring
Elvis, I would just bring your 15m and 11m. The chances of you needing anything smaller that time of year is very slim. You can ride that 11m close to 30mph depowered.
Wed, 12/14/2011 - 19:10
#8
Nice running into you
elvistam wrote:
Hey guys,We are going there mid january, how is the wind conditions around that time of year? Trying to decide what gear to bring.
I have a 15m, 11m, and 8m kite. And a 132 mako. I was planning on bringing all three if I can fit it in my golf bag within weigh limits.
If I had to get rid of a kite though which one should I get rid of?
I weight 165lbs..
ET
Elvis- nice running into you here...I finally got into the sport this winter while vacationing in Mexico and can't wait for the summer.
-Joe (formerly of HubSpot)
Mon, 12/12/2011 - 21:43
#9
Thanks for the tip,
Thanks for the tip, unfortunately they are completely full during the holiday week. We looked up pretty much every single place, and they are all either filled up or completely out of our price range. I'm not a big fan of resort hotels anyway, and in the end we decided on a motel-style place at the marina (Turtle Cove Inn). Turns out that even car rentals are almost impossible to get for this one week.
Mon, 12/12/2011 - 21:47
#10
When I emailed Terri, she
When I emailed Terri, she said it the wind varies a lot around this time, she recommend to bring everything you got. For us that's going to be 8, 9, 11.5 and 17. Not sure how we're going to transport that, I heard golf bags would be ideal.
Tue, 12/13/2011 - 13:28
#11
Kite Choices
I weigh 185. I bring Havocs 10, 12, 14. This year I only used the 12. I also bring a North 135 Select and a Nobile 143 EXT for light winds. Only needed the 135 this year, just got back last Friday after two weeks there.
Only had three real good days which is unusual, I normally get 5-7 decent days in a 13 day period. My wife loves the island but if I was going "with the guys" for a kite specific trip, I would look elsewhere.
Comfort Inn can be reasonable and good location. Check windguru right before you go to check for the week's forecast. It is surprisingly accurate up to 48 hrs out down there. After that it tends to change frequently. I keep my NSI Golf bag just under 50lbs and have made it thru and back 5 years in a row mostly no questions asked. Over 50 I have been questioned leaving Provo and Boston only once. 50lbs seems to be when American or US Air gets interested. Smile and be nice.
Tue, 12/13/2011 - 20:19
#12
There's more wind in the
There's more wind in the Southern Caribbean
Sat, 12/24/2011 - 11:16
#13
Marie, let us know how your trip turns out...
Hi Marie,
I was looking into going down to T&C in January. I would love to see a trip report of how things turned out during your Christmas week trip.
Have a great time and may the wind gods be with you,
Peter
Tue, 12/27/2011 - 18:44
#14
Peter,
When in January are
Peter,
When in January are you going?
W
Wed, 12/28/2011 - 12:43
#15
re: When in January...
Haven't booked the tickets, it's still up in the air, but I was looking at Saturday, January 14th - Saturday January 21st. Jet Blue has a direct flight. The wind seems more consistent as Jean Donoyer says in the southern reaches like Aruba, but it's very off shore there, so that adds a bit of dicyness to the equation. Any thoughts?
Wed, 12/28/2011 - 13:19
#16
Cabarete, its always windy
Cabarete, its always windy there. I have been there 4 times and I only got skunked 2 days total. I always go Jan or Feb. If your up for it I have a crew going Feb 11th to the 19th. Message me if you want to go. It's an awesome trip with VIP service so you never have to rig or pump your kite for a whole week, including a rash guard. Only $99
Wed, 12/28/2011 - 21:06
#17
Margarita, Los Roques, are
Margarita, Los Roques, are other places to consider.
Thu, 12/29/2011 - 21:34
#18
we're going to be there from
we're going to be in Turks from the 14th to the 21st.
Sun, 01/01/2012 - 13:03
#19
Wrote a longer report that
Wrote a longer report that got eaten by flaky connection, but I'll try again. It was amazing, but really bad luck with the wind. Thank god (or BrianR) for the zephyr!
Sun, 01/01/2012 - 13:55
#20
Southern Caribbean -
Southern Caribbean - Venezuela - tends to be windier.
Sun, 01/01/2012 - 13:59
#21
Didn't know that at the time
Didn't know that at the time we booked. Next year!
Mon, 01/02/2012 - 08:57
#22
Glad the Zeph pulled through
Glad the Zeph pulled through for you - that's its second trip to T&C in 2011!
Thanks for the reports, I'm so glad to hear that others have been there and liked the place. I'm so excited, feels like being little and waiting for christmas!
Turns out it's much harder to find an affordable place to stay that isn't booked yet, kind of a no-brainer given that it's the holiday week, I guess. But thanks for all the suggestions, they are extremely helpful!
I'll shoot an email to Terri, but I think I heard they were already completely full.