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[swchandler]

While I'm not a kiter, I lived in PV many years ago (graduated from PV High 40 years ago) and I did a lot of surfiing there. Torrance, Rat and Burnout were favored beach breaks that could on occasion offer some great local surfing. The prevailing wind direction is nearly dead onshore, so it provides a fairly decent opportunity for kiters. But if one finds it difficult to pull upwind and hold that that line, it might prove tough to stay 200 feet from shore.

The best swell directions are the west and north west, meaning that Fall, Winter and Spring months are optimum. South swells tend to be effectively blocked by the PV Peninsula. With a good sized swell, the beach break waves can be quite crunchy.

[swchandler]

By the way, the photo provided by socalsail, focuses on the Haggerty's breaks (the main group of surfers is located at the classic Haggerty's takeoff, where there used to be a few pier piling supports just above the water). Rat Beach effectively starts just off the lower right of the photo. Looks like the photo was shot from the Struble's property.

Just curious whether kiters are actually coming into the Haggerty's lineups, including Uppers pictured at the top of the point. Let me tell you, we're talking about some nasty vocanic rocks at the Haggerty's breaks, and things usually break fairly close in. In contrast, Rat Beach, except on the extreme southern boundary, is totally sand bottom and continues that way northward to the Redondo Beach Pier.

[jwajack]

Like much of Santa Monica Bay, the wind at RAT and elsewhere in the Torrance/Redondo Beach area is pretty light (10-12 mph), generally too light for windsurfing. (There is a wind meter displayed at http://www.palosverdes.com/khyc/weather/weather.cfm -- the anometer it is located at the north west end of King Harbor, about 3 miles up the coast from RAT.) The exception would be storm winds/clearing winds, but then you usually get a serious side shore current that can make getting out quite difficult (in addition to the shore break).

In addition to the nasty, shallow rocks at Haggerty's, Indicator, Upper's, etc., mentioned above, you also have a lot of localism/territorialism amongst PV surfers (though it is worse up in Lunada Bay), who I doubt would take kindly to windsurfers showing up in the mix. RAT Beach, however, generally isn't impacted by that territorialism, but then again, the waves typically aren't as good as shown on the photo, and as pointed out above, the kite surfing arrangements appear to prohibit wave riding any way.

[3-phase]

Strong West wind, NW and clearing days are great in RAT beach no Surfers as the wind is to much for them, the life guard will check if you are in control or not , the was a guy last year he started 200 yard north of the life guard ramp and I told him there is no way to make it trough the shore break, he ended up getting the stuff on the head and the life guard told him to go home. The rocks in the front of the Palos Verdes Beach club are nasty so not a good place to end up. = quick water start helps

go as far towards Palos Verdes to start as the wind allows as there the water is more shallow and you have more room to get up to plane and the waves are not so heavy.

The cove is a great place too, you need to go upwind well to make it out.
There is a strong local surf group ...... but I haven't seen them in high wind condition there.

Aloha

Juerg

www.kasail.com
www.windsurfdeal.com

[swchandler]

Hi juerg,

When you're talking about the cove, I'm thinking that you're talking about Malaga Cove (depicted just adjacent to the Malaga Cove Pool and club in socalsail's photo, and not Bluff Cove further up and around Ski Jump. I would be surprised if kiters could find any viability in the latter cove.

[3-phase]

I haven't seen any Kite guys as when I go there it is 25 + wind the waves on strong west wind are pretty big, keep way off the rocks only sail in / outside the cove don't fall in the front of the big rocks. 80 or 90 liter wave board and 5.0 to 5.7 works well there.

[jwajack]

When I was a kid we used to take a 17' Whaler in there (no surfers present) and jump the waves coming out, but that wasn't on a high wind day. On the high wind days does the swell get flattened out or does it create some good ramps (going out) and faces (coming in) to Bluff?

Also, is the ability to mark up the Google Map part of Google Earth,\ or some other program? Pretty cool in any event.

Jack

[swchandler]

Frankly I was thinking kiters, and not necessarily windsurfers, but it's interesting you mention windsurfing in strong winds. I would have thought the virtually dead onshore character of the wind, to include the heavy kelp beds just outside the wave lineup at Bluff Cove would have been too difficult to leverage from. Do you just stay right up to in the lineup and inside?

It's interesting to note, that when I was in high school I took the opportunity to skin dive in the "Cove" and northward out to Ski Jump (Flat Rock Point in the photo). The reefs were quite amazing, but that was before the big offshore sand dredging project that occurred in the late 60's to build up Torrance Beach. Let me tell you, surfing at the "Cove" was totally screwed up by that fiasco.

What's deceptive in your aerial shot is the height of the surrounding cliffs around the "Cove" (arguably in the 300-400' range).

[coolmtnbiker048]

Heres another good place to wavesail. Best during low or medium tide and a moderate swell. The lifeguards are usually very cool. Launch from Goldenwest Street. Lots of kiters, not too many windsurfers, but when it fills in, theres plenty of wind.