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Trinidad & Tobago

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Vega
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Trinidad & Tobago

Postby Vega » Fri Jan 14, 2005 11:56 am

Hi there.

Does anyone know where to kite in Tobago?
I'm going there with my girlfriend in the beginning of february for 14 days.
I've found information that Pigeon Point is the place, but to me, it seems like the wind comes from the east, so the winds must be offshore on Pigeon Point.
How's Rockly Bay? Or do you need to go further north.
If living near Store Bay, can you walk to Rockly bay to kitesurf?
Any info on accomodation would be great as well. We're looking for a nice guesthouse, not to pricey.

Cheers

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Postby Toby » Fri Jan 14, 2005 12:08 pm

well,if you come back, pls put up beach info on http://www.kitebeaches.com,since no beach has been added yet.

Thx and have a great trip!

Toby

Vega
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Postby Vega » Fri Jan 14, 2005 2:19 pm

Hi Toby.

Would it be possible to make a country map showing the spots?

Now you have a dropdown menu, where you have to choose between south, north, islands etc. If you don’t know the country, it is a bit difficult to knwo where the spot is. If, instead, there where a country map showing the spot, it would make it a lot easier.

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Q-Man
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Postby Q-Man » Fri Jan 14, 2005 5:46 pm

Hey Vega,

Just came back from Christmas in Tobago. The place was busy busy. We had a hard time getting accomodations - but then again it was a group of 12. I guess you're going around Carnival time so it might be just as busy.

Pigeon Point is good but crowded with tourists. There is a shop/school operating at the point. Nice place to kite but you'll need assistance to launch and land to clear the high wiindsurfer traffic. I didn't think it was that safe with all that crowd. The shop does a lot of rentals of the windsurfers. They didn't rent any kite gear but did give lessons. The winds were light when I was there 8-10 Knots but you had come early to get anything better. PP is a nice place but I wouldn't recommend it as it has a lot of tourist and cruise ship tour traffic.

Rockly Bay is much better - very very few people. It's about a 10 min drive from Store Bay - not walking distance. Pretty long beach area. The wind was a lot better too - side to side onshore at about 10-15K. Its next to the Tobago Plantations villa - they have a nicer beach, but lot of sunbathers and tourists.

The best thing is to get a rental car and get away from Crown Point and local tourist areas. Take a drive up the coast on the south side towards Scarborough and beyond.

There is a private beach not too far from Rockly Bay. Its called Canoe Bay, that was good. Not as long but the beach is wider and nicer. If you get there in the morning before the crowds come, better sessions. It's private, so be prepared for the topless european grandmas - why is it that the babes dont want to go topless?

Further up the coast, past Scarborough is a super nice beach at Hope - it think it was called Hillsborough Bay or Barbados Bay. Wide sandy beach, a couple of miles long and NO PEOPLE!!!! The wind was a lot stronger here aswell which is good for us! At its peak it was blowing about 20K, mostly onshore though.

There are a couple more up the south coast aswell - Princes Bay, Kings Bay that were nice aswell. If you drive - you will see some nice spots without any people. The key is to get away from the airport/resort areas where its usually crowded with tourists. Get a car, you'll get to the better spots and have the whole beach to yourself. Just heed the warning signs that none of the beaches are patrolled, so you're on your own if shit happens.

The East, North shore is very rocky and a bit dangerous for kiting. Great spots for scuba diving though. There are some beaches on the North West coast - but mostly small with rocky outcroppings and deep drop offs and strong currents. Only kite there if you're really good.

As for accomodations, I dont know what type you want - try http://www.visittnt.com/ or http://www.meppublishers.com/online/discover/. Has links to resorts, hotels, b&b, etc...

You might want to take a 16+M kite aswell incase the winds are low, wish I had. I had taken my 140 Spoiler and 12M Fuel in my NSI Deceiver bag - no problems on the airlines. Just don't fly BWIA - lot of people were delayed by days and lost luggage issues.

We were told to keep our wits about us about going into secluded places as crime is supposed to be high. We never encountered any problems and the locals we met were very friendly. Tobago is a lot more safer and laid back than Trinidad. Like travelling in any other country - you'll be fine as long as you exercise common sense.

Hope that helps. I don't know what the winds will be like in Feb as it is their summer. Hope its good for you.

Cheers and happy kiting.

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Postby Vega » Tue Jan 18, 2005 4:09 pm

Cheers a lot for the helpful info :thumb:

Been doing some research, and it's the windward side where the winds are.
But do I then stay in Crown Point and go to Rockly, Canoo, Minister and Kings bay. Or do I stay in one of those bays?
Going with my girlfriend, so I can't kite all the time, would be great to live at the spot so I can take a session, come in chat for a while and then a session again.
For that Canoo looks like the place…but it also seems to remote.
Where did you guys stay?
Is it possible to find accomodation for less than 30US for 2 people?

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Postby Q-Man » Thu Jan 20, 2005 11:21 pm

If you stay around Crown Point, its pricey, but you have a lot of choices as they cater to the tourists. Store Bay is walking distance from the airposrt. Pigeon point is a bout a 15 minute walk from Store Bay.

To get to the other beaches - you'll need a car for sure. You could cab it, but the taxi system is not the same as US or Canada. They If they have space in the cab, they will pick up anybody along the way even though you were in it already and detours are common and they may drop you off "close by".

The accomodations are cheaper away from Crown Point. You will find some bed and breakfast type places for what you want. Most places are not on the beach itself - except the bigger hotels. The road runs along the coast and most villas are on the other side of the road on higher ground.

Last place we stayed was at Tara's Beach House just up east of Rockly Bay - it was a last minute choice since we had a big group - not one of the better places I'd recommend, but we didn't have much choice.
On previous trips, we had better accomodations, but you have to book ahead. Try places at Mount Irvine, Grafton Beach area, Turtle Beach area. I dont know how much luxury you want to be pampered with - it gets pricey if you want daily maid service, a/c, private pool, etc... You pretty much get what you pay for. But since its just the 2 of you, I'd go for the cosier and cheaper B&B type places if you want to be a bit adventurous.

My advice is to rent a car and get a cheaper place away from Crown Point. Check out some of the sites I had mentioned. Most of the beaches I mentioned are all within an hour drive and you might be able to get sessions in at a 3 or 4 places per day. Parking at the beaches is free anyways. The beaches further up the coast past Hope, Kings and Barbados Bay are 1-2 hours from Crown Point. Rockly and Canoe Bay about 15 minute drive from Crown.

You can always drive into the Crown point area to hit Store Bay and Pigeon Point - its a nice place to just veg with the girlfriend. I mentioned Pigeon Point does have some kitesurfing - hope you get there on a quiet day. PP is a private beach, so they charge admission, about $3 US each - still cheap, but they have facilities and food. You can also just pack a picnic lunch and hit a beach-a-day if you really want to take it easy. You can also pick up fresh local food anywhere as food and rum shops are abundant. The night life is all around Crown point aswell with restaurants and clubs.

Hope you have good winds - cheers!


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