Hello everyone,
I would like to get a few pointers from you on gear and spots as I am getting back into windsurfing after about 10 years.
Background:
I used to windsurf quite a bit when I grew up in Germany from when I was 15 to 21 but in the last 9 years I did not windsurf pretty much at all. Now that I am 30 I went on an extended south america trip and had a 3 fablous windsurf days in Cartagena, Colombia and was lucky enough that some guy lent me his stuff on the Galapagos Islands. Now, I fully hooked again want to dedicate my weekends in Sydney to windsurfing.
My experience:
Most of the time in my teens I windsurf on the Ijselmeer in NL, Red Sea in Egypt, Med. Sea in Rhodes and Boracay Philippines. All of them are very much choppy or flatwater, so I dont have any proper wave experience, but would not mind to trying it once I am back in it. Back then I dreamed of standing a Vulcan but in the end I was happy with a Heli Tack.
Board Size?
I learned on a F2 Xantos 310 but when I stopped windsurfing I owned a 2001(?) JP FreeStyle Wave with about 80l which I loved and and a 2002(?) Mistral Shift with about 105l (that board felt like it had a plastic bag wrapped around its fin). Back then I weighted about 68kg and now I am at about 78 to 80kg. For the beginning Id like to stick with one board and I was thinking about a 93ish JP Freestyle wave given that I loved the old one so much and it might be good for getting into the waves at some point? What board sizes do most people use in Botany Bay (which is the major flatwater spot, right?)?
Sail Sizes?
Again, I am at about 80kg and I am not sure what sail sizes people use at Botany Bay? What are the average windspeeds? Any pointers? Also, would 3 sail sizes be enough? Which sizes should they be? What type of sails make sense - Freemove? Is it worth to ship my equipment from about 2000 - 2004 from Germany to Australia or are old powerjoints, masts, fins and booms pretty much not compatible?
Car?
Seems like that I also need a car. I have lived in Sydney for 1.5 years and did not need one so far as I lived and worked right in the city. Any idea for a car which is not too expensive and into which I can chuck my gear?
Manly?
I am not sure if I will move to Potts Point or Manly once I am back. I lived in Manly for 2 months and saw a few people windsurfing in the bay through which the ferry goes. I have heard some rumors that Manly is windy in winter. Can anyone confirm?
Upgrading to waves?
Where would be a good spot to get some wave experience around Sydney? Some place where I dont break my sails...
Many, many questions. Thanks so much in advance for your insights!
Hi,
what sort or if you get a car depends on a number of factors. Budget, where you live, parking, storage at home all play their part. If you live somewhere that has no storage at home then you will need a van. If you have storage then most probably you can get away without a van but a van is great as you can keep all your windsurfing gear in it. If you are getting a vehicle primarily for windsurfing then get a van. If you live across the road or on the water where you want to windsurf then a car isn't needed.
Board size. To get out most of the time on Botany Bay you probably need a board of around 110 to 120 litres in size. Sometimes it will be a bit small, sometimes a too big, sometimes just right. Of course this depends on personal preferences. If you only want to go sailing when the wind is over 15 knots you can get away with a smaller board. Many windsurfers at Botany Bay have two or more boards, primarily a lighter wind board and a stronger wind board. If you want to get into waves then you'll be looking at smaller boards. You have to take into account board width as well as there are slalom boards that are fairly low in volume that are can be used in lighter winds because of their width.
With sails, sail sizes range from around 8m plus down to around 4.5m for sailing on Botany Bay. Probably any old sail will do but sails are more oriented for flat water.
Where to live? I think the best bet in Sydney, because of the atrocious traffic almost everywhere across the city and expensive, crowded and unreliable public transport, is to live somewhere close to where you work, even if its nowhere close to where you want to windsurf. You have to go to work, so it may as well be as short and unpleasant trip as possible. However you want to go windsurfing a longer trip to the water is not as unpleasant.
From my short experience windsurfing Botany, but two decades living close by and surfing either side of it, is that the wind can howl 30kts from any direction or it can be glassy.
In summer we typically see 15-25Kt North Easterlies, which come up in the early afternoon. The mornings are generally perfectly glassy with no wind at all (great for surfing).
Winter months typically consist of freezing cold, howling Southerlies exceeding 30-40kts for two or three days straight (whipping up some BIG swells on the beaches), followed by a day or two of Westerly winds that can range from nothing to 20+ kts.
Spring and Autumn generally see a mixture of summer and winter conditions, but are typically about 10-15kts East, North East or South East (basically good for nothing!!).
I would say, if you wanted to get out as much as possible, you'll need something in the 110-120ltr range, and 5m, 6m, 7m sails.
Don't live in Manly. It might be fun as a tourist/backpacker, but traffic in and out is nightmare as there's really only one road in and out of the place. On a hot summer day, when the wind is howling and you're desperate to go sailing on Botany around 2pm, it could be a 2 hour drive to travel just 25 klms. Also, if you want to party in the city, the last Ferry home is midnight and a cab will cost you $60+.
If you're looking for a great lifestyle, (I can't believe I'm about to say this) then live in Bondi. It's 30 mins to the city by bus. It's 30 mins to Botany Bay. It's got a beach that regularly has windsurfers on it in the winter southerlies... and there's plenty of loose women looking to hook up with a smooth-talking German guy.
All the best.
I believe you need two boards to live and sail a bit in the manly area. Currently being thinking about my board quiver a lot of late. As you say the southerly really gets into Manly and the NE'ly in Manly harbour isn't bad either. The thing is that access is difficult to sail in North Harbour. I believe if I started again I would get something like a Stbd Phantom 295 which is a hybrid race board that I could get out in the harbour between all the boats and not too wide to control once I got out into the wind. My other board which I have, is Stbd Atomic 110. These new free move boards that are thin and wide are incredibly easy to gybe flat out or just putting. Great for down at Botany and I also use it as a light wind board for Long Reef if it is not windy enough for my 92 litre wave board. The wind is very gusty around the harbour and the access always sheltered from wind. The wind is a lot weaker on the Northern suburbs compared to Cornulla and Kurnell which has an average sea breeze in summer of 25 knots compared to 15 in Manly. I'm about 88kg.
