Great day at Botany on Sat
Sunny, warm water, N/E 15>20>25knts
(it's just like the Freo Dr, when it works)
At one stage I counted 50 boards & riders either sailing or resting/chatting with big on their dials.
A few of the Bling crowd
& their PWC (Jetski)
I'm heading out into the bay at 20+knts when 2 Jetskis doing 35knts cross at right angles to my path 5-8 metres in front
swerve
catapault
bruised wrist on boom
Next time I'm taking a camera
from NSW Maritime Site....
Keep Your Distance
When driving a PWC (ie JetSki) at 10 knots or more, you must keep 60 metres away from:
* a person in the water; and
* small, non-powered vessels such as surf skis, canoes, vessels 4 metres or less in length without mechanical propulsion.
A PWC being operated at 10 knots or more must be kept 30 metres from:
* any power driven vessel (including other PWC);
* any river bank or shore and structures such as jetties or moorings; and
* non-powered vessels over 4 metres in length.
What can you do?
Get their rego details and call the water police or something? Perhaps if windsurfers start complaining about it to the cops then they will police them.
You could have chop hopped into their head and take the law into your own hands.
Though its not as nice at Narrabeen lake, at least there were no jetski idiots there yesterday.
Yeah i hate them. They always do circles and that around at goolwa really close to shore. Even around kids on bodyboards and what not. Theres a jet ski area marked out further down but they just want to TRY and show off to everyone. They are meant to go to the jet ski area and i've tole them quite a few times before but thats to easy.
Bubs
yeah i hate that. last year my first time at shearwater as a total noob (i'd been sailing for about 2 months at that stage) and i had one idiot think he was supercool by cutting in front of me missing me by a few board lengths and doing a 360. needless to say i stacked, and its not much fun trying to water start in the washing machine when you only learnt how to do it 2 sessions ago :(
not much we can do about it thou i guess?
but yeah, they are skilless idiots. any monkey can do 360's on a jetski.
they are usually fat,hairy,wearing gold jewelry,and knob togs.(thats budgie smugglers for you guys from WA.)
Yes it was a magical day - been waiting a long time for one of those to fall on a Saturday!
Sadly those PWC users come with sailing that spot - prob cause it close to the boat ramp?
What I don't understand is that you usually see that yellow coast guard boat around too, but I've never seen them pull any of them aside because they're breaking the rule all the time.
Lets hope they fall in one day and surley all the bling will take them straight to the bottom never to return. They are, after all, the missing link between man and ape, and should once again go missing.
I hope you didn't damage anything with your katapult and your wrist quickly recovers. Just focus on the good runs of the day and that will bring back your smile.
(it's just like the Freo Dr, when it works) on their dials. & their PWC (Jetski)
It was great to get back over to Kyeemagh. Good to see the same old faces as well. Unfortunately my day started off badly. After my first run and just standing in the water my new 460 100% mast just went bang!!! Couldnt believe it. Luckily Remi helped out with a loaner mast which enabled me to get back on the water.
No torn sail and it didnt happen 2 k's out in bay.
I saw those two peanuts do their fly by, I couldnt believe it!!!
Then again later in the day we spotted a jet skiier help out a guy whose board and rig had separated well out into the bay.
Does the waterways Authority patrol that area??
Also thanks to Sam at WSNS for the loan of the new JP slalom fin. The 36 was sweet!!
& that a lot of water to be able to share.
Sharing is not a problem with Windsurfers, Kites, Fisherman on shore and in Boats + other water enthusiasts, so why are Jet skis so different?
Lets not kid our selves, it is only a matter of time until someone is hurt or killed at Kyeemagh by a jet ski. One can only drive at 40knots, 20meters off a public beach for so long until you hit a swimmer.
The combination of noise, wake and smell is enough to make any other water sport null and void....
It is funny watching 3 big, fat, hairy men, hugging and grinding into each other as the pound over the water. Clearly the heterosexual community is missing out on something?
LOL Brett.
You make a good point though, it is only a matter of time before something bad happens. As in other area's its very hard to communicate with the tools as its always a case of "not my fault bro". these guys couldnt give a rats!!!!!!
I still get wary when blasting along and you see a ski or even boat coming towards you. You wonder if they have seen you or even if they care. Ive spoken to some small boat owners and they have no idea how fast a sailboard can go.
Generally I hate them but you occasionally get a good one . Last season a guy I was training with on Formula gear broke his mast about a Km off smellwood . I sailed in to a fishing boat I could see to ask if they could tow him in . I got told to F..off ****er !!! Then I saw a jetski doing circle work in front of the sunbaking girls . I sailed over and asked him and he said "no probs " went out and towed in the Windsurfer .
Maybe one in a million ????
We had a couple of nice gentlemen on jetskis emblazoned with Victoria Police logos come over to warn us that if we windsurfed more than 300 metres offshore without lifejackets we would be issued with infringement notices. As we were less than 300 metres offshore and I was wearing a PFD we politely thanked them for their concern. I guess if you were offshore with broken gear you could be thankfull to see them.
I have severe reservations about policing on the water, was pulled up by the police launch in the Gippsland lakes for not displaying my cruising boats registration number on the bow in 150mm contrasting colours. When I "advised" the police officer that a yacht on a Yacht Club register is exempt providing that the registration number is displayed on the transom, I quickly remembered the old adage "dont argue with a cop" after they radioed in to check that my registration was paid up to date, that I had my boat operators licence and that all safety equipment was current.
Personally I would rather that jetskiers get away with the crap that they do than have this heavy police presence on the water. Make no mistake that the water police are polite and friendly, I simply don't like getting pulled over at random.
Slightly off topic, but in agreeance with frant.
Nothing worse also, than when trying to enjoy a day's fishing, when boarded (and nearly 'swamped' by their boat), water police checking safety gear & licenses (always keep mine up-to-date), then an hour later, fisheries officers boarding to check bag limits & sizes.
As for jet-skis, I've seen some poor judgement by j/skiers trying to show-off at the beach, but the ones around me whilst sailing have shown caution and etiquitte.
Enough complaints to the NSW Maritime Authority and hopefully they will be banned like on Sydney Harbour
You're right about the hairy fat and gold too, saw this guy with gold neck chain, gold wrist band and gold watch
