yep, launching off the grass in Augusta is just silly regardless of your experience because of the massive wind shadow. If you get someone to hold your kite by the waters edge and you walk out in the water, that's the safest way and how you'd get the cleanest wind. Same goes for landing as well. You can try landing on the grass if you have really good aim and a quick catcher and can bring the kite down fast enough to avoid the wind effects..but I've seen and experienced things go wrong with bad landings as well...including family's getting tangled in lines while having a picnic... Most people kiting there aren't locals and are often a bad example to follow.
Crossing the river to rig on the other side is harder now due to the deeper water and strong currents. If there is no one to launch just do a drift launch in the shallow water. for self-landing just put your kite on the water at 3'oclock and pull the kite towards you using a single front line after releasing the safety, works great and won't risk damaging your gear.
Plenty of awesome spots to kite on the road from Augusta to Albany: windy harbour, walpole, peaceful bay and Denmark.
The popular flat water spot in Albany is here:
goo.gl/maps/SQGvfQqA9JK2 off Frenchman bay road. Great on Easterlies. For other wind directions the Vancouver peninsula can be great as well. There is another kite spot there will small waves North of Middleton beach:
goo.gl/maps/bjDWN7t25Nw If you feel like exploring and have a 4x4 there are other areas North-East of Albany like Two people bay and North of Betty's beach as well, some decent sized waves
Christian
