I'm going to be visiting over about a month this Christmas and am thinking about buying some gear and having a sail. I've been out two other times and wanted to sail so bad on both occasions but it just wasn't practical w/o my own stuff.
I'm staying with family in Manly & have easy access to little manly + occasional vehicle to drive around.
I've been looking around the www.bom.gov.au site and have an idea what it's going to be like but think I need someone's opinion who lives there...
Skill wise I mostly sail a ~105 liter board in a variety of conditions & weigh about 80kg. Give this what sail size is most useful to get going?
Thanks!
Tristan
Tristan,
For December/Jan you can expect building NE'r followed by southerly 'busters'.
NE will be 10-20 knots around Northern Beaches and windier around Botany Bay. Southerlies can be S/SE in the 20-30 knots range and mostly the same strength across the Sydney coast.
Long Reef/Collaroy is safe in a NE and only 15 minutes drive from Manly. Manly (harbour) you can launch at little Manly in a southerly but getting through the boats is a pain so I go off the wharf side and you can get out in one tack. Stay clear of the Manly ferry which runs on the half hour. Botany Bay (Kyeemagh) is just past the airport turn off, about 25 minutes drive out of peak time and is great in NE and good in S although choppy. Balmoral (Mosman) good in a NE however it is all metered parking and getting out is a pain - boats!
Drop in to windsurf'n'snow at Collaroy (Anzac Ave) and see Sam or Chris about buying/hiring gear.
Hopefully you get between 8-10 sails in. Depends how interested you are and if the weather co-operates. It's not like WA but we can get some consistent NE for a few days and ripper southerlies at 25-30 knots +. If you want a more comprehensive guide check www.nswwavesailing.org and select location guide on home page.
Seabreeze I have found pretty accruate and great for planning ahead, important with 3 children!
Saying that, don't count on "I'll go tomorrow", if it's windy, maximise your time.
no worries. you will hear "hot summer" on the way. gotta laugh. all I crave is a regular summer weather pattern, hasn't happened for a few summers so hopefully it's overdue!
