I just returned from the San Francisco Bay Area from a two week Business/Kiting Trip. (business meaning what I did between kiting sessions) I thought I would provide you all with a trip summary in case any of you are heading that way.
The first thing to say about the San Francisco Bay itself is that the water is f^%$&*g cold. Middle of summer and you need a 4.5mm steamer just to keep from getting hypothermia. Good wind though on most days. Compared to what we have in Australia most of you would probably think what I thought which was "why would I bother kiting here!" I guess when faced with little to no wind in an Australian winter a steady 20 - 25 knot sea breeze looks inviting regardless of what it comes with.
The locals in the San Francisco Bay area are pretty territorial and not all that friendly and open to giving advice. Mostly I think they would prefer to keep their toilet to themselves. However, that said kiting with the Golden Gate Bridge in the back ground was a pretty iconic thing to do and the wind was consistently good and a minority of them where pretty helpful. I did notice that most of them where self launching even though there where plenty of kiters to assist. I could not figure that out. Why would you self launch over a dirt road with broken oyster shells when you have half a dozen people who could assist you? Big city mentality is all I could it put it down to.
There are half a dozen places around the Bay where you can kite. I tried two of them. Alameda and 3rd Ave in San Mateo.
Alameda is on the Eastern side of the Bay just North of Oakland. It is a long beach and recommended for beginners as you can do some pretty long down winders and not get into too much trouble. The locals shun this place as it listed for beginners. However, compared to San Mateo I would choose this location any day. Yes the wind is marginally worse and has a few more holes in it than San Mateo but it was not crowded and you do have the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz as a back drop albeit in the distance.
The day I went there was pretty good. Solid 18 - 23 knots. A few holes but generally very consistent cross on shore breeze.
3rd Avenue in San Mateo was my least favourite place to kite. I found the locals a little contrived and up themselves and given what they where kiting in I could not understand why the attitude. There is no beach there. The launch area is an old dirt car park with broken oyster shells on it. It is a mud bottom and if you get the tide wrong you can end up wading back in thigh deep mud which is just superb for you gear and a lot of hard work.
Thankfully I did not need to do that. However, I did see two blonde German girls get stuck out there in low tide wading back in the mud with their kites, boards and gear and no one was going to help them and who could blame them. Chivalry is dead when it comes to wading in thigh deep smelly mud.
This is an intermediate area. The entry area is rocky and narrow. There is a bail out area if you cannot get upwind but it is in a wind shadow and if you get caught out will be stuck in knee deep mud getting back to shore. I really did not enjoy this place.
I know this sounds like a pretty awful entree' but the main course is decidedly better.
Rio Vista was absolutely awesome. Its an easy 1 and a half hour drive from either San Francisco or San Jose. Its in an area known as the Delta and is on the banks of Sacramento River. It is known for its wind due to the cold water of the pacific and the heat of the desert creating a pressure differential which in effect acts like a vacuum cleaner with hot air pulling the cool air of the pacific through the narrow valley where the river is. This means after a fog in San Francisco which happens regularly in summer there is 20 - 28 knots ripping up through the valley for up to three days afterwoods.
The kiting area is on Sherman Island which is over the bridge from Antioch and on the way to Rio Vista. If you go to www.ikitesurf.com they have a pretty good description of how to get there and what to expect. On the other side of the river from where you launch from is one of the biggest wind turbine farms I have ever seen in my life so on arrival you get the idea you are in a good place for wind.
The season starts in late May but apparently really gets cranking in July and August. I was there in early June and got three solid days of 24 - 28 knot winds. The weekend before they had two solid days of 30 plus knots but the locals say that is a rare weekend. It is generally 20 - 28 knots consistently during summer and it is a rare day there is no wind.
It is a unique area. The river at this location is fresh water which is a cool experience. It is an intimidating place to launch and enter the water and you must be proficient at going upwind to even consider kiting here. It is just too dangerous if you can't stay upwind to kite anywhere on the river as the banks are steep and there are few exit areas if you get sucked up river by either the ebb tide or wind.
(river terminology: ebb means flow of the river is heading up river, flow means it heading back down river - has the same effect as a tide but is much more powerful. An ebb tide takes about 7 knots speed off you.)
All of the guide websites will tell you to go to the point. If you like crowds, an on shore launch areas and black berry bushes go for it. Personally, I much preferred what I am about to describe.
About a mile before the point the Rio Vista locals have created a kiting area they have called "Baja". This is the place to base yourself. It is uncrowded, used by the locals who are a great bunch of guys, and is much safer than launching from the point as it is more cross shore rather than pretty much directly on shore which is what you get at the the point.
It is distinct as the locals have placed carpet on the river bank to stop erosion and make it easier to get in and out of the water and set up a series of couches and mattresses on the top of the river bank to , exchange stories, have a beer between sessions and relax and have a laugh. Make sure you bring an esky with some beers to share around as it really is a community based group of guys who love kiting and sharing their spot with others.
I would recommend calling Bruce at Sheldon Kite Boarding and book him in for a tour of the area when you first get there. He will charge you $50 for an hour long briefing of the area and I highly recommend this as getting into the water is intimidating and dangerous so getting local advice from Bruce is definitely worth the investment. He will also provide an introduction to the locals who are a great resource both on and off the water. He also claims to be able to fix any kite in any condition. I witnessed this first hand. One of the guys I was kiting with more or less ripped his 10meter Rebel in two on the Saturday and Bruce had the Kite repaired and he was back in the water using the same kite the following day.
The river at Baja is about a mile and half wide.The water is much warmer than San Francisco Bay and is a nice 22 celsius. The wind chill makes it feel a little colder so I would recommend taking a springy on the trip or if you really feel the cold a steamer.
If you launch here you can reach up wind to the point in about three tacks if you are really keen to go and kite with the crowds at the point that is. The great thing about Baja is that at anyone time there is no more than three or four kites on the water. The wind is a little more consistent and has fewer holes in it than up at the point. It also does not cost you anything to kite there where at the point you pay a $16.00/day park entry fee.
The locals will hang around Baja but do a least one session a day when they head up to the point and will invite you to join them so you can end up with four of five of you doing an up winder to the point and then a down winder back to Baja. Its a lot of fun and I highly recommend getting to know these guys and joining them on their daily trip up to the point.
The launch and entry area at Baja is pretty intimidating. You set up on the lee side of the river bank and then launch your kite on the top of the river bank with you down in the lee side and then once launched walk up the river bank and down onto some sandbags to get into the water. Its about 20metres up and 20 metres down the other side with 10m of flat area on top to pick up your board. The actual entry area is no more than 6 feet wide so you have to give way to anyone who is exiting the water and there is not enough room for two people with kites on top of the bank.
Careful co-ordination is required. The locals will help and generally as it is not that crowded is fairly easy to control. Once at the edge of the river you jump in and body drag a good 20 - 50m away from the rocks and then do a deep water start to get going.
The locals frown on anyone doing heroic starts from the bank as they have seen a lot accidents from inexperienced or over confident kiters hitting the rocks and doing significant damage to themselves. Even the most experienced kiters there with 17+ years of experience treat this place with the utmost respect.
Once on the river the fun absolutely begins. It is not a flat water kiting spot but the wind is steady, the river wide and uncrowded. Do one or two tacks up wind and then come back down wind doing your tricks, turns or whatever else your heart desires and repeat.
One note for anyone heading that way or keen to head that way. Bruce is currently working on developing a one day endurance kiting down winder, down river toward Bear Cove (about 14 miles in one day). He is planning on conducting these tours and behind some of the islands apparently are some awesome flat water kiting spots. If you are keen to do something like that get in touch with Bruce a week before you leave and see if he is offering this yet.
Accommodation wise. I would recommend hiring an RV and camping by the river bank. You can hire RV's from either San Francisco or San Jose. I will certainly be doing that next time. Accommodation in Rio Vista is scarce and you might catch something. The town itself is like stepping into the twilight zone.
There is one bar worth checking out in Rio Vista itself and that is "Fosters" it has the largest collection of stuffed game animals anywhere in the world and is a sight to behold. Oh?did I mention that Rio Vista is only 45min from the Nappa Valley so if you have no wind which is unlikely or want to have day off form kiting then bring on the wine tasting!!!!
I will certainly be going back at some point. I really enjoyed this trip and this place. Its by no stretch a tropical island get away but is a unique experience and absolutely worth the effort if you are in the USA for a holiday or work.
If anyone is keen to get more details just PM me and I will be happy to provide any details that I know. If you are going State side make sure you check it out.
Nice roundup to the area. While it would be cool to kite under the GGB, I would much rather hang out with cool locals who are happy to share their spot and meet new people. Real people who share and travel tend to get invited to kite unreal spots away from their home. I know I always welcome RESPECTFUL tourists. I might not show you might secret spot straight away, but I will show you loads of great spots. I hate localism. A smile goes a long way in my book. However, it is about respect. If you don't give it, don't expect to get it back.
I met a dude from Benicia while I was in Maui, great dude who has a kite/sub/skate shop. He told me how good Sherman Island was and we talked about their summer breezes, and you nailed the description perfectly!
My wife has a few workshops in the Bay area in the next two months and I might just head over...
Could not agree more dafish! Let me know if you end up going and need some contacts.
