BACK TO ANTIGUA ...
and the launch at Jabberwock and ALL that warm, clear water!
following Part I - Kiteboarding In Antigua ...
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Full size: http://gallery.kiteforum.com/albums/alb ... VR_5_s.jpg
Another view of the launch at Jabberwock
NOTE: The beach in this area of the launch in fairly straight. In assembling composite photos the assembled image can appear to be "bent" when in fact it is relatively straight.
Alex goes to sea ...
The view southward from Prickly Pear Island (PPI), to the North Coast of Antigua.
Jake floats along. What were you doing at 11?! More about Jake to come in a separate article.
Looking over the white carbonate sands of PPI.
Full sized: http://gallery.kiteforum.com/albums/alb ... VR_6_s.jpg
I stayed at Sunsail Colonna situated to the west of Jabberwock Beach. http://www.sunsail.com/club/locations.html Sunsail is an all inclusive resort with a ton of windsurfers, various classes of sailboats and instructors to go with if needed. They also have a kids program.
Full size: http://gallery.kiteforum.com/albums/alb ... VR_2_s.jpg
Looking north from Sunsail
I met Jeff and Anil of Extreme Kite Shop from Worcester, England http://extremekiteshop.com/ at Sunsail. These guys are heavily involved in kiteboarding and land traction kiting. I understand that they are pulling together a traction kiting park in England.
A view to the south over the digs shoreside.
I almost stayed at the Fuller's Driftwood Cottage situated overlooking Jabberwock bay. It looks like a great spot to hang out after a day on the water. More about it at: http://www.antiguaadventures.com/accom.html#villas
The sun rises at 5:00 am this time of year. So, I got into the habit of getting up and hitting the beach for a few hours at around 6 am. Heading back for breakfast, going back to Jabberwock or some other launch until lunch the orbiting back again. Then back until around sunset, kiteboarding immersion!
I met Merrick an expatriot from England who is taking his retirement in sections, not unlike John MacDonald's "Travis McGee" wandering from one wind destination to the next. He would walk down to the launch most mornings EARLY, around 5:30 am rig up his Psycho, Guerrilla or Matrix and tool around on the water for hours. He has been to a lot of launches in Europe and elsewhere and has some interesting stories to tell.
Nik and Louie walking back upwind during a KiteAntigua class. http://www.kiteantigua.com/
I had a nice session in Half Moon Bay at the east coast of the island. It is a bit hard to find, (NO street signs!), but it is worth the effort to locate.
Full size: http://gallery.kiteforum.com/albums/alb ... R_16_s.jpg
Driving down from the hills to Half Moon Bay.
Full size:
http://gallery.kiteforum.com/albums/alb ... R_10_s.jpg
Half Moon is literally a half moon shaped bay open to the tradewinds to the east. It is an incredibly scenic launch but it is a more advanced launch given the bay shape and wind direction. There are also substantial rocks to the north, south and isolated heads in the nearshore area, so have a care. There are some nice rollers near the mouth of the bay, approaching 10 feet when I was there. So, ramping jumps can be fun if the wind is on. Aside from that it is a peaceful spot to ride.
Damn gremlins are messing with the colors in Photoshop again! Riding across the bay.
Full Size (CLICK IT!): http://gallery.kiteforum.com/albums/alb ... R_13_s.jpg
I mentioned rocks. A view across the mouth of the bay.
Full size: http://gallery.kiteforum.com/albums/alb ... R_14_s.jpg
They have this interesting limestone exposure along the northeast portion of the bay that is worth a closeup inspection. It is a nice spot and worth checking out.
Peter went to Antigua last year and prepared a nice trip report including quite a few good photos and info on Barbuda, an interesting island about 30 miles to the north at:
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Sun's going down ...
That's that, see the green flash???
So bye from Antigua for now. If the wind lust comes on you and how often does that happen, think about Antigua. Lots of fun to be had down that way.