FIG. 1 View of launch area looking north from the windmill point launch
Windmill Point# -- Near Nags Head, NC
FIG. 1 View of launch area looking north from the windmill point launch
Windmill Point, Located on NC’s Outer Banks near Nags Head, NC at about mile post 15.5 on U.S. 158. This venue is 280 miles (or 5 hour drive) from Washington, DC and 320 miles (or 6 hour drive) from Baltimore.
The windmill point launch provides you with many of the benefits of a Hatteras launch (strong winds, frequent winds, shallow water, wide expanses of water, and a warmer climate) without having to drive that extra hour to get to places such as Canadian Hole. The site works best in winds from S, SW, W, NW and N. My experience is that windmill point has predicted wind speeds a couple mph less than Canadian hole, but I am told that Windmill point has greater thermal wind speeds than Canadian hole due to a funneling effect of the southerly winds. Click here for Windvisions' description of this launch/
Directions: Suitable directions can be found by using mapquest.com and
using Washington, DC as a starting point and Nags Head, NC as an ending point.
Get on I 95 South towards Richmond. Travel about 85 miles south from the
Washington capitol beltway to I295 (the Richmond bypass) about 15 miles shy of
Richmond. Take I295 (towards Rocky Mount, NC) south for about 15 miles to
I64 east. Get on I64 East towards Norfolk/Va Beach. Mile posts start
incrementing from mile 202 on I64. After traveling 62 miles on I64, you
will reach the Hampton Roads Beltway exit 264 where Jct I 664 occurs. At
this point. You have two options, stay on I64 east to exit 291B or get on I664
South.
You may follow the signs to “Nags Head” which puts you the outer loop of the
Hampton Roads Beltway using I664 South where you travel the entire 20 mile
extent of I664 and where you then hook up with I64, but this time traveling
West. Upon getting on I64 West, the miles start decrementing from mile
299. Continue about 8 miles on I64 West to exit 291B where you pick up Va
Rt 168 South towards Nags Head.
Alternatively, instead of turning off I 64 East onto I664 South at
about mile post 265, you can remain on I64 East (Inner Loop of the Hampton
Roads Beltway) until you reach exit 291B at about mile post 291. Either
way is equally OK to reach Va 168 South from exit 291B.
Once on VA Rt 168 south, continue traveling south into NC where it becomes
NC Rt 168. A portion of Va Rt 168 is also called the Chesapeake
expressway, and there is a toll booth about 4 miles shy of the NC line.
Once in NC, follow NC Rt 168 south until you reach Jct U.S. 158. Continue
on U.S. 158 East. You eventually (about 35 miles) cross a long bridge
over the Curratuck Sound into Dare County, NC. At that point, you are now
on the outer banks (OBX) and mile post numbers begin incrementing from mile
zero. Continue on U.S. 158 East as you travel south along the outer banks.
At mile post 15.5, in the south Nags Head area, you will see a windmill,
windmill restaurant and Kitty Hawk Sports (KHK) off to the right. Pull in to
either the restaurant or KHK Kitty Hawk sports to launch. If you reached
the junction with U.S. 64 to Manteo/Roanoke Island or NC Rt 12 South into
Hatteras Island National Seashore, you have gone too far.
FIG. 2 view, from the public launch access driveway, of the turn off for KHK and
the Windmill Point restaurant
KHK is a kiteboarding place, but they tolerate windsurfers there. You
can park and launch from KHK into Albemarle Sound. Alternatively, a few
feet south of KHK is a small public parking area with a restroom and a shower
with non-heated water. You can
instead park and launch from there.
FIG. 3 view of the public launch area -- wooden building straight ahead is the
public restroom and shower facility
More specifically, looking west into the sound, on the right (north most) is KHK, left (south) of KHK is the Windmill restaurant, and left (south) of the windmill restaurant is the public windsurf launch, and left of the public launch is Miller's restaurant, all within 200 ft of each other. The public launch is therefore between Miller's and Windmill restaurants and has a separate access road from US 158 from that of KHK. The public launch has rest rooms and an unheated shower. KHK is a private kiteboarding establishment that has been windsurf friendly. KHK has a changing room and rest room and may also have a shower.
FIG. 4 view of the KHK business (the yellow building) and the windmill from the
public launch area
Visitors are reminded that during the high season of perhaps May
through October and on weekends, the motels can fill up early throughout
the entire Outer Banks. It is highly recommended that you make
reservations in advance before traveling down. Although winds are very
frequent in the outer banks (OBX), it is still recommended that you consult one
or several forecast engines to make sure that there is likely to be wind when
you plan to go down.
FIG. 5 view from KHK into Albemarle sound