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boardsurfr
Joined: 23 Aug 2001 Posts: 1266
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Posted: Wed Jun 30, 2010 9:31 pm Post subject: Windsurfing spot to live? |
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What are great windsurfing places to live at? We are looking to move in a couple of years from the Boston area to somewhere warmer with great windsurfing access. We'll take our jobs with us, so that's not an issue.
We've just been to Maui and Hood River. Maui is probably too expensive for us. We loved Hood River, but the windsurfing season there is shorter than in Boston, and we'd prefer a warmer spot.
An suggestions for areas we should check out? Water and air temps > 50 for 10-11 months per year would be nice, with house prices below $300-400K for a small house. Hatteras is already on our list. Are there any places in the greater San Francisco area that are close to sailing spots, but where real estate is affordable? |
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d0uglass
Joined: 28 May 2004 Posts: 1286 Location: Bonita Springs, Florida
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Posted: Wed Jun 30, 2010 10:23 pm Post subject: |
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I won't say it's paradise, but the east coast of Florida is pretty great for warm, year-round windsurfing. Variety of flatwater and ocean launches with a good dose of 15-20 knots October through May, and enough 10-15 knots to tide you through the summer. Lots of real-estate bargains in the less developed areas north of Palm Beach. Jupiter has real good wavesailing in tropical blue water. |
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jse
Joined: 17 Apr 1995 Posts: 1460 Location: Maui
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Posted: Wed Jun 30, 2010 10:48 pm Post subject: |
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Delta! You could live on the river, sail April thru October. Housing is cheap and it can get pretty hot. You can sail in a shorty or board shorts. Wind is anywhere from 5.5 to 3.5 when it's on. Read about it in the location description of Sherman Island. Oh, this is about an hour east of Berkeley on the Sacramento River. And sometimes, I would say it's paradise.
Steve |
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acctx
Joined: 28 May 2008 Posts: 76
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Posted: Wed Jun 30, 2010 10:59 pm Post subject: Re: Windsurfing spot to live? |
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boardsurfr wrote: | What are great windsurfing places to live at? We are looking to move in a couple of years from the Boston area to somewhere warmer with great windsurfing access. We'll take our jobs with us, so that's not an issue.
We've just been to Maui and Hood River. Maui is probably too expensive for us. We loved Hood River, but the windsurfing season there is shorter than in Boston, and we'd prefer a warmer spot.
An suggestions for areas we should check out? Water and air temps > 50 for 10-11 months per year would be nice, with house prices below $300-400K for a small house. Hatteras is already on our list. Are there any places in the greater San Francisco area that are close to sailing spots, but where real estate is affordable? |
north padre island/port aransas are pretty nice (essentially part of corpus). you can get a 2500 sq ft canal front very nice house (laguna madre) for 300K or a really nice beach front condo with awesome beach/gulf views for 300k (1500-2000 sq ft) in port aransas.
The canal front homes open up to the laguna madre so you can windsurf from your boat dock. Put up a sail shed and you never have to derig.
corpus christi bay is more bump and jump so you would probably want to live in corpus instead.
It is pretty hot and humid, but if you live right by the beach it isnt bad |
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carl
Joined: 25 Feb 1997 Posts: 2674 Location: SF bay area
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Posted: Wed Jun 30, 2010 11:45 pm Post subject: |
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As for SF bay: Jse has a good suggestion about Sacramento River delta. The town of Antioch is right there too.
There are also affordable 3-400K houses in decent neighborhoods in the east
bay check San Leandro and Hayward. They're centrally located and easy commutes to many sailing sites.
As for Maui: You need to check the non-tourst areas of Kihei, north shore and upcountry.
You can definatly find houses in your price range. The legal vacation rental condos have inflated prices because you can rent them for better short term bucks.
Houses in the back neighborhoods can't leagaly be rented short term, so they have lower prices. Food and gas is more expensive on Maui, but not that bad, especially if you go out of the tourist areas for food. As for gas, you're not going to be driving that far anyway, it's an island.
K-mart/Walmart prices seem cheeper than the in SF bay. I guess cause China is closer. |
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keycocker
Joined: 10 Jul 2005 Posts: 3598
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Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2010 1:32 am Post subject: |
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We live in Maui for about $3-4 K a month for two. There are a lot of things you don't have to buy like heat or even air if you live upcountry.I don't lock my van and just leave my gear in it so I don't have to load -just go.Entertainment is cheap if it involves the waterfalls and seashore.
Diet can be healthy and many new people give up on alchohol and cigs.Remarkable how much you save and how much better you feel.
As noted a house in your range is possible esp right now. Later you will sell it for big bucks in many cases.
Since we spend 5 months in Belize at about $1K/ mo our whole budget is about $45K a year with airfare and a month sailing in France at times.
New cars aren't really de rigeur in this beach life. You don't want to jump in a new Lexus in wet akole (ass) anyway
We have two used minivans and an old Porsche 911.
Give some thought to whether your new life is gonna be your old life with a tan or if you want something really better. |
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outcast
Joined: 04 May 2004 Posts: 2724
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Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2010 9:00 am Post subject: |
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I'm with keycocker that living maui isn't all that much money when you can save on alot of things that you don't need anyway.....like heat, a/c and therapists
(except it is Okole ) _________________ https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=zw0MgkO7VXw |
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pacspeed
Joined: 14 Sep 2000 Posts: 627
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Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2010 10:42 am Post subject: |
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Antioch? Good heavens. Don't send anyone there. It's like a prison sentence. 100 degrees + all summer and nothing in sight but strip malls and oil refineries.
The cheapest coolest part of the Bay Area, IMO, is the Santa Cruz mountains, hands down. Physically gorgeous, awesome weather, and short striking distance to the beach, the city, the valley, SFO, etc. Plenty of funky little hippie shacks in the woods for under 500k. Towns to google are Felton, Ben Lomond, and Boulder Creek.
Coming from Boston, you would find the delta to be like moving to the bible belt. Blech. |
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DanWeiss
Joined: 24 Jun 2008 Posts: 2296 Location: Connecticut, USA
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Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2010 10:47 am Post subject: |
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Well, I was going to recommend moving to Martha's Vineyard for the lifestyle and sailing, but you already live right down the block and want something warmer.
I'm not sure the sailing season is shorter in the Gorge than around where we live. Other than sailing all year in Boston, when you you really get on the water, March? While the early spring wind in the Gorge is not hooked to its summer flow, it can blow like stink or with a mellow breeze for larger gear.
You might consider Florida as the cost of living is dirt cheap and thousands of windsurfers haunt the state. The area around Merritt Island and the Banana River is very popular with windsurfers. That's where I've spent most of my windsurfing time. Marco Island is more expensive but offers some very interesting windsurfing.
John Ingbritsen and others from FL can tell you more. |
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ozreiuosn
Joined: 31 May 2007 Posts: 3
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Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2010 4:28 pm Post subject: |
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pacspeed wrote: | Antioch? Good heavens. Don't send anyone there. It's like a prison sentence. 100 degrees + all summer and nothing in sight but strip malls and oil refineries.
The cheapest coolest part of the Bay Area, IMO, is the Santa Cruz mountains, hands down. Physically gorgeous, awesome weather, and short striking distance to the beach, the city, the valley, SFO, etc. Plenty of funky little hippie shacks in the woods for under 500k. Towns to google are Felton, Ben Lomond, and Boulder Creek.
Coming from Boston, you would find the delta to be like moving to the bible belt. Blech. |
lol The Bible Belt.
While that might be true, the Delta has a surprisingly strong windsurfing community. And Santa Cruz has one fatal flaw, Highway 17. It's main artery often gets clogged with over-confident drivers and drunk college kids. Oh dear lord, lets not even talk about how nasty it is during the rainy seasons.
It'd be best to stick to the middle ground of everyone's suggestions (SF, Santa Cruz, Delta) and go to the East Bay (Oakland, Berkeley, Fremont, etc etc). You have your heart delight in choosing where you want to go. I'm a regular over at Crown Beach and guys always bail on Alameda if it stinks and check iWindsurf on where to go, all within about an hours reach. |
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