Kitesurf Atlas, Kiteboarding Holidays, Kite Surf Lessons

Summer/Fall 2009 Synopsis: an unusual season

As I wrap up the West Michigan summer/fall kiting season for 2009 I look back and think…“how odd”! The weather systems on the Great Lakes, as well as many other regions like the East Coast, seemed off-kilter. Listening to recent weather discussions by meteorologists it is all starting to make sense, but the scientific explanation will not be of much comfort to the many wind starved kiters who endured a season of unreliable wind.

Since returning here on 5/19 I have logged (out of 56 calendar days) 36 legitimately good kitesurfing days, some of them epic – and this does not include at least 4-5 days that I could have ridden here or at Little Point Sable (45 miles North). Other than driving 7-8 miles South of my usual launch spot for a few short down wind rides I have not traveled away from Muskegon to kite – not even once!
In summary, (best case scenario) you could have ridden almost 40 out of 56 days!!! That’s 71% kiteable days! We have only had 4 or 5 really good wave days so far, but they have been fun! Tomorrow I am considering a 12 mile down-winder in the waves, which are forecast to be 5-6 feet, winds SW 18-28 kts!

Upon my return to the shores of Lake Michigan I was treated to a nice long streak of riding (8 days out of the first 9 days I was home). To date we have had 17 good riding days out of the past 25…not bad numbers. The conditions here over the past 3 weeks have varied from big kite sessions to fully lit 7m conditions with decent waves. We’ve done some down winders, some big lake wave-riding, and some butter sessions in the lee of the long Muskegon pier heads. During Several NE to SE days we rode on Muskegon Lake…and it’s noteworthy to mention that it is possible to ride here in practically every wind direction!