THE LURE Famous for wild horses and an abundance of lighthouses, the Nags Head area of North Carolina was also the venue for the Wright brothers' first flight and the scene for lots of Blackbeard's piracy. With a rich flying and nautical heritage, North Carolina has something for everyone and with miles of shallow waters and consistent winds, it provides one of the most ideal learning environments in the world.
THE SET UP: The Pamlico, Albemarle, and Currituck sounds form over 390 square miles of pristine beach line with flat calm waters that lie on a carpet of golden sand. Locals claim that the comfort and ease of the shallow waters will increase your learning speed, meaning you can learn more here in days than you might learn over months in other conditions. As this is an island in the middle of the ocean running north to south, any wind direction works. The prevailing winds are southwesterlies and are crossonshore on the sound side, and cross-off on the ocean side on the east. On the west side riders have a football sized slick to race around and on the other side of the road, the Outer Banks welcomes some of the best surf on the entire east coast. Bordered by the Atlantic, the miles of beach provides the ultimate skate park for those looking for a bit more of a challenge. If downwinders are more your thing, local riders have started to run Friday night downwinders! Join the group on a four-mile run from the Kitty Hawk Kites shop, to the famous Jockey’s Ridge sand dune. Not too long and not too short, it's a great run for beginners and advanced riders alike.
WIND & WEATHER: The air temperature in this area sits at around 87°F/30°C in summer, but drops dramatically to 50°F/10°C in winter. There are very few wind statistic records on this area, but the winds are just very, very constant; around 20 knots all year.
WATER: Depending on the currents, the water temperature tops out at 72°F/22°C in the summer and 46°F/8°C in winter.
CENTRES Nags Head, unlike Hatteras Island, has plenty of restaurants along highway 158 and even more along highway 12. Basically you will have a difficult time not finding what you want to eat. If you’re still not ready for bed after a long day of kiteboarding and some food, go get your dance on at one of the local night clubs. Stay in anything from hotels to beach-front rental houses. Nags Head has a very laid back and friendly beach community in general.
AIRPORT: Norfolk, VA (ORF/KORF): Roughly 90 minutes driving will see you to the Outer Banks and the Nags Head area.
Riders who have included North Carolina as one of their Top Places to Ride are:Dimitri Maramenides
