Long Beach is our home turf. We did most of our beginning sailing in Alamitos Bay.

The kiteboarding areas in Long Beach are separated by a peninsula. On the one side is Alamitos Bay. This is a totally flat, deep-water bay surrounded by multi-million dollar homes. The bay is shared with kayakers, swimmers and sail boaters. One of the funniest things to watch in Alamitos Bay is when the 3-story Reggae party boat comes through. It steals the wind from every windsurfer's sail and you can see beginners dropping like flies on either side if it.

Once you get more experienced, you can sail on the outside, which is open ocean. There is a very small shore break due to the breakwater installed by the Feds but the undertow can be very strong. The reaches are as far as you want to go. It's easy to sail over to Seal or Huntington Beach on a southerly reach. Winds in the spring are typically 18 to 25 mph onshore with much lower puffs occurring in the dead of summer. There are at least 12-20 kites flying over Long Beach everyday. I think it's becoming the southern California capital for kites.

We live within walking distance of the beach, so we sail in these waters often. You need to keep your eyes open for obstacles like harbor seals popping up to say hello. We love Long Beach and we call it home.