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Bahamas in September or October?

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StellaBlu
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Re: Bahamas in September or October?

Postby StellaBlu » Wed Sep 22, 2021 5:18 pm

Greenturtle wrote:
Wed Sep 22, 2021 4:49 pm
Hi StellaBlu, you cannot go wrong on Elbow! The island is so small that no matter the wind direction you will be able to find the perfect spot very quickly, as I assume you will have a golf cart to get around. Typical wind direction will have east in it (the ocean side) but any wind direction can happen there too. Waves are not guaranteed but there can be some swell, the southern half of the cay on the ocean side has no reef/coral gardens so if there is swell it will come in to the beach there (garbonzo beach area and south of there).
There are expansive coral gardens on the north half ocean side of the cay that will keep it flatter on that end. Take a mask out with you if riding the north end ocean side so you can stop and have a look in occasionally! Use google maps in satellite mode and you will see clearly what Im talking about, waves hitting the south beach and the coral area to the north end.
Not sure about November averages but Bahamas generally gets a lot of 12knt days so if you have a big light wind kite I would pack that in addition to your wing setup (depending on the forecast of course).
Sure wish I was going! Im definitely hitting one of the abaco cays this winter but not until jan/feb probably...
A report of how things are looking generally on elbow after your trip would be appreciated for sure!
This is great intel. Thank you. You mention that the southern end of the island doesn't have as many coral gardens- do you think there is enough depth to foil? I think im staying on the ocean side just south of the main harbor area/Hope Town.

Im psyched!

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Re: Bahamas in September or October?

Postby Greenturtle » Wed Sep 22, 2021 6:23 pm

There is enough depth to foil for sure. Even among the coral gardens there are plenty big enough open pockets and deep enough between for foiling. The water is so clear you will be able to see it all.
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MKM
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Re: Bahamas in September or October?

Postby MKM » Thu Sep 23, 2021 5:44 pm

Be careful on the ocean side south of Hope Town. The beaches everywhere are very narrow, which is not a problem, however if you get a bit too far South you will run out of beach and be met with a rocky coast. Also take special care when crossing cuts as the current can be extremely strong. The area called Tahiti Beach at the extreme south is beautiful, but certainly not enough for a foil on the East side. It's also fairly protected from good wind there. Plenty of water to the west though, but would require a North wind.

In all it's a great spot, but littered with coral heads on the beach side. Hard to access spots on the west. I any case, it's a killer place and you will enjoy your time. Don't hesitate to take your gear on the ferries to other islands. Guana to the North has excellent kite spots on the ocean side. Have fun!!!

Kent
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RickI
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Re: Bahamas in September or October?

Postby RickI » Mon Sep 27, 2021 4:38 pm

That is prime hurricane season, I wouldn't go then. I would look to go prior to June or after October, "in a normal year." We can hope the hurricane threat will turn off in November this year.The fronts usually turn on in November and December. Time will tell.

The western Bahamas relies more on frontal and occasionally tropical winds. Like Florida, the wind there in the summer may not be so good, mostly? The Central and Eastern Bahamas can have some lighter trade winds as well and can work in summer or not. You would probably have more reliable wind in the cooler months with both frontal winds and trades in the Central Islands and further southeast.

As to which island, there are over 700 to chose from although the major islands number far less. You might look at the Exumas, Eleuthera, Cat Island in the Central Bahamas.

As to accommodations, I just listed a few hundred mile length of islands. Google away and good luck.

StellaBlu
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Re: Bahamas in September or October?

Postby StellaBlu » Mon Nov 29, 2021 9:56 pm

Greenturtle wrote:
Wed Sep 22, 2021 4:49 pm
Hi StellaBlu, you cannot go wrong on Elbow! The island is so small that no matter the wind direction you will be able to find the perfect spot very quickly, as I assume you will have a golf cart to get around. Typical wind direction will have east in it (the ocean side) but any wind direction can happen there too. Waves are not guaranteed but there can be some swell, the southern half of the cay on the ocean side has no reef/coral gardens so if there is swell it will come in to the beach there (garbonzo beach area and south of there).
There are expansive coral gardens on the north half ocean side of the cay that will keep it flatter on that end. Take a mask out with you if riding the north end ocean side so you can stop and have a look in occasionally! Use google maps in satellite mode and you will see clearly what Im talking about, waves hitting the south beach and the coral area to the north end.
Not sure about November averages but Bahamas generally gets a lot of 12knt days so if you have a big light wind kite I would pack that in addition to your wing setup (depending on the forecast of course).
Sure wish I was going! Im definitely hitting one of the abaco cays this winter but not until jan/feb probably...
A report of how things are looking generally on elbow after your trip would be appreciated for sure!
Thanks again for the intel offered. I had a great trip to Elbow and got three very solid days of winging out of six days there (would have gotten a couple more, but my board bag was lost by the airline for the first two days of the trip). All sessions were on the ocean side of the island, middle to southern end of the island. Two days with northeast wind (side/onshore with decent swell) and one day with dead offshore wind (west, dead flat), all between 14-20 kts. While it looks shallow due to the clear water, there was plenty of depth for foiling. I found the swell pretty challenging on the foil - very choppy and chaotic, with steep, dumpy, erratic breaks and a bit of current. Getting out of the water was definitely sketchy with some heavy beachbreak, but it all worked out and the sessions were a ton of fun.

A TT could have worked great launching from Tahiti beach, but the depth wouldn't have worked with a foil. I explored Man O War Cay, Scotland Cay, and Guana Cay on the days when it wasn't windy and i could see those spots being equally conducive to kiting if it was blowing.

The island is probably 50% rebuilt from Dorian (according to the locals) and amenities are scarce. Everyone was wonderful to us and there were very few visitors around. I would highly recommend the trip for anyone looking for a family friendly beach destination with some extremely convenient kiting access. Its not a premier kiting destination, but if you are like me and need to keep the other constituencies happy (wife + kids), it was ideal.
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