Ive seen someone kiting near Clare Holland house and across to the Kingston Foreshore lately. I didnt know I could launch there!
Any Canberrans keen to kite with a noob if conditions are good on Sunday 29th May?
Hi,
there are a couple of locals who do kite on the lake, and in front of Clare Holland house in East Basin is the most common area in the lake, HOWEVER there are a couple of reasons this may not be for you at this stage:
1. the winds on the lake, especially westerlies are gusty so are tricky to kite in.
2. the "beach" there has quite a few trees and also a bike/walking path running along it - self launching and landing here is problematic.
3. there is no beach downwind if you do get into trouble. If you cant get back to your starting point you would need to pack down and swim. The cow paddock directly downwind of the kiting area has fences, trees and powerpoles as well as a rock shoreline so not an ideal place to end up.
4. the lake is already starting to get pretty cold, add in a cold westerly breeze and it gets worse.
For these reasons unless you are a competent kiter and able to make ground upwind quickly and confidently, and launch and land by yourself I would not advise tackling it.
you would be far better off trying to find someone to do a run down to Jervis Bay or Broulee with you next time there is a suitable forecast.
Yep I would have to back up wetspots advice here 100%, A seasoned kiter will be able to manage and assess the conditions where as beginner or even intermediate will put themselves at a huge risk of trashing their gear and even worse getting badly hurt.
The Coastal areas are much safer if you hit the right spots.
I'm happy to help you with as much information as you need. I live in Merimbula and operate South Coast Kitesurfing. I'm also from Canberra so I know the lakes well and have kited them myself.
Regards
Pete.
