windsurfing

Wind sports in the Bahamas

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 2 Comments

While we sail around the Bahamas, we are always on the search for places to windsurf or kite board from. We carry two windsurfers with us, and our friends  carry kite boards.

The sand bar below appears at low tide and gives everyone a launch pad for their sport of choice. This is just south of Big Farmer’s Cay. Playing on the sand bar keeps us on our toes as far as the tide is concerned. When the water comes up, it’s time to head back to Mattina.

Sandbar for Windsurfing

If we can’t find a suitable beach or temporary sandbar to launch from, Matt rigs on the trampoline and windsurfs from the back of the boat.

We have the routine mastered, so it doesn’t really matter where we are, as long as there is wind.

Thanks for reading . . .

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Farley’s Friday: Wheaton Terrier Chases Windsurfer

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 6 Comments

Farley here.

No matter how hard I try I can’t catch my human on his windsurfer.

First there’s the problem that I’m afraid of deep water, so I try the beach approach.

Farley Chasing WS

“Wait,” I bark, but he doesn’t.

He gibes and I have to go running the other way.

Farley Running

“Wait,” I bark again, and still he ignores me.

“So don’t wait,” I bark. “I’m going to roll around and get sandy.”

Farley Rolling

“Good luck getting this off my fur before I get on board.”

Humans are soooo easy to drive crazy.

By the way, did you notice how crowded the beach is – not!

Woof Woof.

 

Windsurfing: Carrying Gear

~ Kristina Stanley ~ Leave a comment

If you windsurf, you know it can be difficult to move gear around. Sometimes the beach you want to sail from is just not in the right place.

We visited friends in the Bahamas, and, yup, you guessed it. Our gear was on the east side of the island and we wanted to sail on the west side. So what did we do.

Used the grizzly of course.

Hie ho, Hie ho, it's off to sail we go. . .
Hie ho, Hie ho, it’s off to sail we go. . .

Farley’s Friday: Shady Beaches?

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 4 Comments

Farley Here,

If you’ve been to a lot of beaches like I have, you may have noticed there’s not a lot of shade. I spent the day on a sand spit with my humans while they went windsurfing and kiting, and found it kind of hot. While I life guard most of the time, I do get to relax too.

My human loves me. She used her windsurfing board bag to make a shady spot for me. She uses the gear for sports, I use it for comfort.

Farley with Board Bag

I got to spend the day chasing kiters and windsurfers along the beach, and when I got tired, I retired to my special spot, had a drink and napped. I can’t be life guarding all day.

Woof Woof.

Keeping Fit While Cruising: Windsurfing and Kiting

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 8 Comments

Sometimes it’s just too windy to do anything but give in and take up a wind sport. Running or yoga on the beach is not fun when sand is blasting in your face.

Two good choices for a cruiser are windsurfing or kiting. Both are portable sports, in need of wind and a place to launch.

My husband and I windsurf. Many of our friends kiteboard. Both sports provide enough exercise to add to the overall fitness program and are exciting.

WS and Kite

We often windsurf and kite at the same beach, making the atmosphere festive.

We all have dinghies and each are used for chase/rescue boats. Although I shouldn’t say rescue, it’s really a courtesy pickup if you can’t sail back to the beach.

Once in while, one of us has to do the walk of shame, and walk the board back to the launch spot. We’ve all done it, and it’s better than needing the courtesy pickup.

Any other ideas for keeping fit? Let me know.

Thanks for reading . . .

Windsurfing and Kiting At Compass Cay

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 3 Comments

#sailing Our friend, Wayne, is on the kite board. Matt, my husband, is on the windsurfer. Both are  having an exciting ride in the shallows between Compass Cay and Pipe Cay, Bahamas.

This is a high tide ride only.

At low tide, the sand shows through.

The game for the week was to hit the beach about halfway to high tide