Safety When Launching and Landing - The Kiteboarder Magazine

S hortly after getting off the plane, I realized
that this trip would be a good one.
Chris Gutzeit and I arrived from
separate continents (me from
Europe and him from California)
within five minutes of each other,
all of our oversized baggage arrived
with no problems, and we
still had enough time to get in the
water and score some killer photos
in the evening light. The trip was
off to a great start!
Dazed and Confused
After we moved all of our luggage
from the air-conditioned
airport terminal to the curb, reality
set in. It’s bloody hot and humid in
Barbados and we just wanted to
get wet. We forgot about the rental
car for the time being and just jumped in
a cab to “Hotel Disappointment.” We immediately
unpacked the gear and walked
through the neighborhood to discover
Silver Rock Beach. Chris and I both frantically
rigged up to let the warm Caribbean
water wash off the travel scum as the wind
lightened our souls.
The people here are friendly and we
confirmed what the travel guide states; the
Barbadians (or Bajans) are a proud, independent,
and friendly people, the food is
Andreas finding his line. Lens: Chris Gutzeit
Photos by Andreas von Biottnitz
great, and the wind blows almost every day
from the early morning until after sunset
from December till March.
Fresh Fish
We woke up the next day, only to find
ourselves in a dirty, moldy hotel room with
no food, no water, and no car. The wind
was already coming up, but first we had
to find a new hotel, a rental car, and most
importantly, breakfast. We found breakfast
at Marcia’s Variety, a little mom and pop
shop next to the bus station in the middle
of the neighborhood and asked, what’s for
breakfast? “Fish, fresh fish, fried fish, flying
fish, fish on a bun, fish stew…” I quickly
asked, “Do you have cereal?” A large, local
woman replied, “We have fish!” The decision
was made; both Chris and I decide to
have fish for breakfast. It was fantastic, but
make sure you go easy on the hot sauce,
as it comes with a built-in afterburner.
Over the next two weeks, we did nothing
but kite, eat, sleep, surf, explore new
kite spots, and talk about kiting. We were
surrounded by warm wind, Banks beer,
port tack waves, and sun-baked British
tourists who all thought I was a local
because I had a tan. We usually rode until
after sunset, accompanied by sea turtles
and flying fish.
Soul Sessions
We both felt like Columbus when we
“discovered” the starboard-tack wave of
Bathesba, only to find out that windsurfers
found this spot twenty years ago. Bathesba
is a magical bowl-shaped wave and the
local surfers cheered us on and then left
the water for an hour so we could have
it all to ourselves. I can’t imagine surfers
Warm morning sessions in beautiful water make
Barbados a unique kiting adventure.
What to Bring:
Bring extra fins in case you hit the
reef or a turtle.
Bring your girlfriend so that you
have an excuse to not to
kite all day.
Pack good sunscreen; the sun
is intense (try to get one session in
between 7:00 and 10:30 a.m. and
then a second one between 4:00
and 6:00 p.m.).
What to Do:
Drive on the left side of the road.
Don’t disturb the locals playing
dominos.
Go to Oistins Fish Market on
Friday night, the Boathouse on
Tuesday’s. Otherwise, St. Lawrence
Gap has a lot of restaurants
to offer. Both of these locations
are 10 to 20 minutes west of Silver
Rock Beach.
Eat fish; it’s fresh and very tasty.
Kite, surf, and take day trips to
different spots on the island. You
will get lost but will eventually
reach your destination and see lots
of interesting things on the way.
Where to Kite and Surf:
There are three main kiteboarding
spots. When the wind is northeast, go
to Longbeach but beware of its shorebreak,
as it can be intense. When it is
east, go to Silver Rock (easy to recognize
by the unfinished wooden skeleton
of a boat). On a southeast wind,
go to White Sands, which is between
St. Lawrence Gap and Bridgetown.
Bathesba on the east coast is a fourth
spot that can be fun on a southeast
wind, but be careful of the rip tide and
the reef.
Silver Rock is a great place to
learn kiting. The local kite school is
located in the Silver Sands Resort.
Surfing can also be great in Barbados
on the east, south or northwest
coasts. You can ask about the swell or
rent boards at the kite school.
When to Go:
Barbados is warm year round and
the rainy season is from June to October
(coincides with Hurricane season).
The best wind is December to
March (almost always enough to kite).
Swell is best in the winter.
Where to Go:
As close as you can get to Silver
Rock Beach on the south side of the
Island. Here you are closest to the best
kiting and can easily reach the night
spots or drive to the east coast (45
minutes away).
You can stay in hotels, apartments,
or rent houses from locals. Just search
the web for the accommodation that
best suits you needs and budget.
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