Mojave Thanksgiving

[MikE mAy]

i feel like i saw a post regarding mojave over the thanksgiving weekend. maybe it was craigs last post. regardless, i'm going to be in vegas over the holiday with my family and it woudl be fun to add a kite sesh to the buffet turkey and elvis impersonators. anyone thinking of heading down there weather barring of course? how long is the drive from vegas to the launch at mojave? it would be fun to show my family what i've learned. the only time they have seen me with a kite attached was my first lesson in maui.

any takers?

[Josh Shirley]

Mike

I won't be there for Thanksgiving but I am heading down there again this weekend. Infact tomorrow night. Yahoooo.
North wind in warm weather is good.

[Craig Goudie]

The drive from Vegas to 6 mile is about 1.5 hours if you step lively.

Have fun , good luck,

-Craig

p.s You used the correct spelling Mojave vs the Anglicanized Mohave,
bonus wind for you.

i feel like i saw a post regarding mojave over the thanksgiving weekend. maybe it was craigs last post. regardless, i'm going to be in vegas over the holiday with my family and it woudl be fun to add a kite sesh to the buffet turkey and elvis impersonators. anyone thinking of heading down there weather barring of course? how long is the drive from vegas to the launch at mojave? it would be fun to show my family what i've learned. the only time they have seen me with a kite attached was my first lesson in maui.

any takers?

[RickHeninger]

I've gone to Mohave over Thanksgiving a couple of times in the past and it is great fun. I remember the Thanksgiving feast at the BUFFET AT ONE OF THE CASINOS with a bunch of Utah friendlies...

Man, it's just tough to get away during Thanksgiving... As far as my fam goes, I was exiled for taking windsurfing over them! So, I try to get the Mohove trips done earlier now. Few weeks before Thanksgiving.

Gunars is down at Six Mile with a few others... We may try to get down there this weekend. Be at Six Mile and/or Katherines.

[BrettLinde]

Yes,
I remember the one turkey day I did the Mojave trip too!.. I was outta my league with only big gear but had fun, and forever exiled by family...
No, my wife totally supported it but the relatives thought I was of the DEMON.
Just goes to show you, when you love something as much as we do, its like tunnel vision.
Wish i could join you! Have fun
Brett

[John Dubock]

Brett is much too humble, it was the Mr. Jumbo's first trip to Water on Mars, I forgot to mention that your first day is always 40 knots. No problem, Brett had a START and a 6.0. Brett has a big heart but the carnage that day my friends wasn't pretty. A START in 40 knots is like sailing the Space Shuttle on water, its Barn Door personified.

22 Utah sailors I think. I had a doctors note (that I wrote) to get out of going out, since we arrived at 3am, Brett didn't tell me that I was sleeping in the coffin of a trailer, with the fire starter fumes that made me higher than a kite by dawn. Good times.

Rick, Josh and Mike E are there now, give them a call, wake them up from the 88 degree fun they are having.

Relatives don't surf, the hell with them. Easy for me to say, as I've sat through endless T Day Dinners bored to death, wishing I'd choke on a bone and be done.

[tjacques]

kinda want a little more kite info. jason went there this summer and told me it was kinda scary launch. is this true for all mojave locations. can you kite there?
todd

[Lisa Moss]

Zac and I will be down there over Thanksgiving as long as its not a good powder weekend. We're getting new gear next week and I'll be dying to use it.

I've never been down there before. We have an old SeaDoo we could bring that would be nice to use to access some other beach spots to launch from- would that be useful to bring? I have no idea what the shoreline or anything is like there.

Lisa

[MikE mAy]

well lisa- you just made up my mind. i wasn't going to go trek down there alone, but now that someone else is guarenteed to be there, i'm in for sure.

i also have no idea about where the launch is or where the good spots are to go. but, that hasn't stopped me before....

[Lisa Moss]

Sounds good.

I'll let you know when the time gets closer whether we're going for sure (most likely we'll be there unless it's calling for no wind)

[tjacques]

mike / lisa
me and jason are thinking if the weather permits we want to go. question, camp or drive and stay in close hotel? i have always wanted to go for tbird-day. would be a hoot if we had a good utah kite contingent!!!!! where to camp? or hotel?
lets go, or snow and kite?
todd

[DimitriMilovich]

Hey kiter type persons - I've been to Mojave a bunch. It's probably my favorite place in the Great Basin area to sail since the water is so clean and clear and the lake just the right size and generally warm. AND it usually blows there. Has great bird life too during migration time.

It's great for windsurfing since you can cruise all over the place. Last time I was there was this spring. Pretty good size kite contingent at 6-Mile cove, which is down the road from Searchlight a few miles on pavement (continues to Cottonwood Cove Marina), then hang a right South on a dirt road by the powerlines. You'll pass a small little graveyard shortly after leaving the paved road. If you don't see it you're either on the wrong dirt road (unlikely) or you blinked. Cute pet graves there. Don't need a 4WD, but be very careful once you're down on the beach area, it's very easy to get stuck, although if you just look at where others have parked you'll be fine. My Saab pulling a trailer has had numerous trips down there, but then again, it's front wheel drive.

Anyway, 6-Mile gets lighter North winds than Katherine's Cove, on the south end near Laughlin, but much better South winds. Katherine's sucks on a South. At Katherine's you camp at the Lake Mead Nat. Rec Area campground, then drive a short way to the cove for launching. I've always preferred 6-Mile since you're away from any cities, you can camp right there, and rigging and de-rigging windsurfing gear and driving isn't my idea of fun (then why have I done it all these years???). Lots of sailors prefer Katherine's because of the stronger North winds, which can be the dominant thermal if there's a high parked over the Great Basin, and the cheap hotel buffets. Can't speak for kiters, but if my big sails won't get me going at 6-Mile, there's no wind at Katherine's either, so it's usually a difference of about .5-1.0 sq. m. Katherine's is a longer drive, by about 45-60 minutes. If you go to Katherine's, go see the petroglyphs in a little area just North of Laughlin on the West shore.

Back to kiting - There were a bunch of kiters there at 6-Mile this spring, about 10-15 on the weekend, so I'm guessing it's better for kiting since the beach is pretty wide open and camping is nicer. One had a jetski, which seemed Really Smart, and performed several rescues the weekend we were there. The lake is about 3 miles wide there, and if you get stuck underpowered or something on a North, you will drift for a long time. With the cooler temps, it could be a lifesaver to have with you. I'd take it, Lisa, if it's not a hassle. Anybody can give me a call if they have questions: 801-201-1284.

[tjacques]

wow dimitri, what a awesome post too hook youre fellow windriders!!! you deserve a few cold ones from some kiters for that bit of info!!!

[Lisa Moss]

Thanks for all the good info!

[John Dubock]

this link should work http://picasaweb.google.com/hypersailor/TelephoneCove

Xmas week, not a soul around, 25k North in the channel. Santa was good that year to his elves.

http://picasaweb.google.com/hypersailor/MojaveArchives

March trip with Dave O, Six Mile photos. Worlds largest trailer. Added photos are the coming out party for Trevor and Troy, Halloween 2004. Jim Southwick in background ripping on a 5.3