Bywater Bay / Washington / United States

Bywater Bay is a sheltered little place that has been formed where the water has almost, but not quite, carved its way through the land to create a new island.  The resulting channel is good for kitesurfers and windsurfers of all ability levels and it has a nice helpful atmosphere for beginners.

The beach is a mixture of sand and pebbles, and although it is only small it doesn’t often get crowded.  Much of the area is private land and users need to pay attention to the local rules, such as restricted areas and time restrictions.  For Washington, this area is quite mild and you’ll manage with a shorty wetsuit in summer, though winters are cold and a thick drysuit will be needed as the water temperature dips to around 8c.  Spring and fall will need an ordinary wetsuit.

This is a good all year round spot, with the best winds coming from either the north or the south – as long as they blow straight along the channel, they are easy to use.  They are fairly consistent winds too, not gusting very often and having a manageable speed that really only gets to about 10 or 15 knots.  The water here is shallow, and it’s always flat too, making it an easy ride.  Tide position isn’t important either, as the sheltered nature of the place means that the water depth is pretty constant and there aren’t really any strong currents.

Parking is available in any of the pull-offs near the end of Seven Sisters Road, although there isn’t a great deal of room here.  You’ll need to walk for five or ten minutes from the parking to the spit of land that is the launching point.  There are no formal facilities, and for anything resembling a city you are going have to travel northwest to Port Ludlow.

The area has a few old stakes near the shore and there are some buoys in the bay that need to be avoided.  These are all easily seen though and shouldn’t cause anyone a problem.  Kiters should also be aware of trees near to the beach.