Locals
find fun near home
By Kristen Wooley
On-line Forty-Niner
 For
those people who do not have the funds to
spend a week in Hawaii or gamble away in
Las Vegas, there are plenty of activities
to do in Long Beach that do not involve
school.
One place to find fun in the sun is at Leeway
Sailing, located at 54 th Place and Ocean
Blvd. A place to rent equipment as well
as receive private lessons on some wild
water rides, Leeway Sailing has everything
for windsurfing, sailing canoeing, kayaking
and kite boarding.
When asked why students should visit Leeway
Sailing over Spring Break, Matt Schroeder,
site supervisor at Leeway Sailing said,
“Because it’s affordable fun.”
A 14 foot Capri sailing boat rental is only
$6 an hour, as well as a Sabot 8 foot sailing
boat is $5 per hour to rent. For $4 an hour,
a canoe or windsurfer can be checked out.
Those interested in kayaking can rent one
for $3 an hour.
Leeway Sailing also offers private lessons,
Schroeder said. For instruction on some
of the water sports, visitors can receive
one hour of instruction for $21 and two
people can receive two hours for $32 per
hour.
Leeway is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday
from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
on the weekends except for major holidays.
During the summer, they are open seven days
a week, Schroeder said.
An extreme sport that is coming to people’s
attention is kite boarding.
“I don’t know of anyone who is just renting
equipment out for that. It’s too new and
too dangerous to do without instruction,
training and supervision,” John Gentz, a
kite surfing instructor at Kites Etc., said.
Kites Etc. is located on Pacific Coast Hwy.
in Sunset Beach. Kites Etc. provides the
gear. For a two hour minimum land lesson,
it will cost $50 per hour, and a two hour
minimum lesson on the water is $75 per hour,
Gentz said.
Gentz described kite boarding as wake boarding,
but you have to drive with a kite, so it
becomes pretty difficult.
“We need to have the right wind to give
lessons; 10 to 20 miles per hour wind is
required to give lessons,” Gentz said.
Kenny Williams, owner of Kayaks on the Water
said the area around Naples Island is beautiful
to see from a kayak. The canals wind through
Naples for a look at the homes along the
waterfront.
Single person kayaks are $7 per hour while
a two-seater is $15 per hour, to travel
the almost four miles of waterway. Many
people take the kayaks to the Marina Pacifica
Shopping Mall, tie them up at the dock and
grab coffee or a Jamba Juice drink, Williams
said.
For a more romantic feel or to have a good
time with a group, The Gondola Getaway,
at Alamitos Bay, is an authentic Venetian
ride through the same waterways of Naples
Island. Cost is $65 per couple.
“It fun and crazy because there are really
no rules. You can bring alcohol and pretty
much party out on the water,” Clea McKenna,
office coordinator at The Gondola Getaway,
said.
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