Tawas City 24/25/26 Jun

[kytbord]

Dutchkiteboarder and I are headed to Tawas City, MI 24/25/26 June; will be camping at the state park


Q1: Anyone else interested or will perhaps be there that weekend?


Q2: Can anyone give us some tips on launch sites for what wind directions we might expect?


Q3: Can anyone recommend spots for dinner or (god forbid ) non-kiting entertainment?

[chillin]

Well, for non kiting I would recommend taking a nice stock of liquor and buying a large pile of firewood


Actually there are some big sand dunes somewhere up there if you do a search or ask around that might be a fun afternoon.

I'll have to get back to you on the wind directions but the main spots right by the campground there on the lakeside/bayside become very obvious once you are there, and it takes about 5 minutes to walk from one side to the other to check out both. To get to the bayside launch walk back behind the lighthouse and you will find the rough grass launch area. On the lake side it is the long beach and you can launch anywhere.

[Like To Kite]

Just saw this thread and thought I'd add some more info.

Tawas works in all wind directions because you may kite on the beach or bay side of the point. The best forecast for wind will have sunny conditions and a Southerly flow which will create a thermal. Thermal wind is usually nice and steady there and in our experience about 20 knots, beautiful! We have also kited in other wind directions there that were related to storms and fronts.

If you kite on the beach side, please stay away from the swimming area, bird protection area and the area where MCK and GLK are teaching lessons. Please ask a local kiter to point out exactly where these areas are. For the beach, we generally park at the very end of the parking area and take the sand footpath to the beach. Then, walk towards the point away from the swimmers and well past the lessons and stop before you reach the bird protection area. It is a nice long beach with plenty of room as long as you respect others and the designated areas. In the right wind conditions, it is fun to kite up around the point and into the bay even. Alternatively, with the appropriate winds, start and end in the bay for a flat water dream session! Just watch out on that side for sharp plants in the bay launching area. Rigging/de-rigging on the grass area next to the lighthouse is strictly against the rules.

For light wind, Mike and Jason bring skimboards. The beach had perfect pools for skimming and I've even watched Jason on the skimboards with a trainer kite, pretty cool! Also, MCK(Mark) does SUP and it seems like the perfect location for it. He has a kite shop right before you reach the Tawas Point State Park. His website is

http://motorcitykiteboarding.com/wp/

I've also heard great things about climbing and jumping down those sand dunes with great views too.

Too bad you guys can't make it this coming weekend. For anyone else that is interested in coming with our Chi-town group this weekend or in the coming months here's a link:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=10007

Hope you have a great time!

Happy Kiting!

[kytbord]

Our Tawas trip is officially canceled... forecast is, well, ain't enough wind to kite

We're gonna' do a day trip to South Haven instead, looks good there all day.

Tawas dudes - thanks for the advice, we'll try the trip again later this summer.