wheres the best spots to sail lake macquarie in a westerly? novice/intermediate rider. have been sailing jimmys beach mostly but would like to try some other spots.
steve.
i live on the lake and sail every day .... i sailed today from about 9am to 2pm just upwind of pulbah ( southern side of wangi) .... it would of been betta if i bothered to get the 400m up wind and sail at shingels spliters but i was fully powered up on a 4.2 the hole day but the lake is a very good spot to learn the art of windsurfing
Back of Swansea Caravan Park on Lake Macquarie - clear, blue water with sandy bottom - knee to shoulder deep water depending on tide. Check it on Google Earth for some idea of the setup - 1.5hrs drive from Syds Knee.
Perhaps slip down to Tuggerah Lake, Canton Beach is a good place. Just need a weed fin though.
Steve - Marmong pt works in a westerly with less chop so would suit your formula board (the local formula crew race there and are a nice bunch)
Belmont Swansea works well as it can take NW,W,SW ok
Nicko was on the mark though - Shingles is one of the best spots in a NW/W - and gybing behind the point in smooth water is a blast
tuggera lakes is almost so full of week i think i could walk across it ...... the past 2 days of west wind probly pushed it to the east side of lake so u wouldnt of seen much of it .... u need a weed fin definatly..... althou it is also very shalow is spots .... come up to lake macquarie ... thiers so many good spots all around the lake
I've stayed and sailed at Point Wolstoncroft Rec. Centre (quite a few times)- It's a long narrow Peninsula that sticks out into the lake. A great spot to go with a group of freinds and family. They can do archery, high ropes course, swimming (pool), canoeing, dingy saily and all the usual rec. park type activities. You can join in for the morning activities then go sailing in the arvo.
www.google.com.au:443/maps?ie=UTF8&ll=-33.127201,151.598969&spn=0.081799,0.132008&t=h&z=13
www.dsr.nsw.gov.au/pointwolstoncroft/
You can sail there in just about any wind direction. Its at the southern end of lake not long after the old Doylson intersection.
I've sailed there in an Easterly, a NE'er and a huge westerly there and the strange thing with the westerly was that it was more of a rolling swell that short steep chop. But it's not limited to those directions.
davmen.... i live straight across the lake at sunshine .... nw/w/sw seem to all be big rolling waves ...... but ne/se/s are all shorter smaller waves.... but by far the n/w are the best breeze in this part of lake .. so consistant 20/25 knots with big waves makes for some mad bump and jump
Lake Mac is such an amazing piece of water. Compared to the central coast lakes, they are a piece of poo. I remember going to Tuggerah lake a couple of years ago and it was incredibly difficult to get out to the water. There was a mass of rotting weed that extented around 20 meters into the lake. Sinking up to your thighs in stinking rotting weed isn't fun.
Whats the difference between Lake Macquarie and the central coast lakes? Possibly the entrance. Lake make has a big entrance which allows clean seawater to enter and exit everyday. Meanwhile the Central coast lakes have a silted up entrance that probably allow less than a cupful of seawater in and out every day.
......
So why don't the council or NSW government actually do something and dredge out the entrance at The Entance? Otherwise change the name of The Entrance to The Clogged.
i think it also has some thing to do with the volume of water .... lake macquarie is a lot bigger so it has 2 push out a huge amount of water in the 6hours between high and low ( means the water has to flow faster )
tuggera lakes and that are smaller and only have a lil bit of water to leave in the same 6 hours ... means that water flows a lot slower and wont carry as much of the weed and crap with it
Power Station - pupming warm water into a shallow lake,
Huge population growth - pumping nutrients into a shallow lake and making demands on water supply.
El Nino - Lack of good fresh cold water run off into the lake.
Small opening to the sea.
Its more of a Lagoon than a Lake.
Greenies won't let you dredge anything.
Are just some reasons
There was talk many years ago (+20) of making an atificial opening at Elizabeth Bay to try and flush the lake(s).
Heres a pic of me at Shingle Splitters a few years ago.
Keen to get out there this weekend.
Cheers
hope fully sundat will be pumping south wester .. u should revisit the hold spot donk ...teach me a thing or 2
