Hi,
living in Sydney for 3 years now and only having been to Perth so far at the Westcoast I am considering to spend 2 weeks traveling WA around Christmas to combine both windsurfing and sight-seeing. Has anyone (done the same and) have insights on where to go and how long to spend at each place?
Things to consider are
- ideal route, places to see and where to windsurf? (I mainly do bump and jump, any wave spots would need to be suitable for wave sailing beginners)
- I might go with a friend who is a kitesurfer, are most spots suitable for both?
- rental car or camper van?
- rental gear vs bringing own gear?
- which sail & board sizes would be most suitable for December/January at 80kg weight?
- flying into Geraldton and out of Perth (how does this affect the car rental)?
Any insights would be greatly appreciated.
Line up trip with Lancelin Ocean Classic and do race on freeride gear (bring a 7.5 and +100l board or talk to shops in Perth about renting kit)
Lancelin and Geraldton will offer the best chance of wind.
In terms of kit to bring, the following is suggested from a sailor who is 95kg who thinks he can wave sail but who actually fairly average.
To maximise time on water 5.8 5/5.3 4.7/4.5 wave sails. If you only want 2 sails drop the 5.8
80 to 100l freewave board to cover options
This quiver will not always be perfect but it will cover the range of conditions. If staying in Gero go towards the smaller end of the scale, Lancelin middle, Perth bigger end.
Check out the WWA Event Calendar windsurfingwa.tidyhq.com/public/schedule/events
Be prepared to drive to case the conditions.
Select to expand quoteMrSpinout said..
Hi,
living in Sydney for 3 years now and only having been to Perth so far at the Westcoast I am considering to spend 2 weeks traveling WA around Christmas to combine both windsurfing and sight-seeing. Has anyone (done the same and) have insights on where to go and how long to spend at each place?
Things to consider are
- ideal route, places to see and where to windsurf? (I mainly do bump and jump, any wave spots would need to be suitable for wave sailing beginners)
- I might go with a friend who is a kitesurfer, are most spots suitable for both?
- rental car or camper van?
- rental gear vs bringing own gear?
- which sail & board sizes would be most suitable for December/January at 80kg weight?
- flying into Geraldton and out of Perth (how does this affect the car rental)?
Any insights would be greatly appreciated.
Hey MrSpinout,
Warning this could be dangerous.
I did the same thing as you are planning to do and ended up buying a house on my trip and moving over 4 weeks later.
Ideal Route = Not sure if Ideal but given you are only in town for 2 weeks I would head straight to Safety Bay for some excellent bump and jump and plenty of kiting there also. Plenty of sight-seeing too, check out Penguin Island, Seal Island and Point Perron and Rockingham waterfront. Probably stay 3 or 4 days, should have blisters on your hands by then. Then head south to Margies for a look (not too many beginner spots down there). Get the obligatory photo at the Key Hole, checkout some of the amazing wineries, art, forest and trees, excellent caves in the area too. Spend two days down that way and get back on the road and head to Lancelin for some great windsurfing. Both waves and flat water available. Spend a couple of days there and then head north to Gero for the rest of your trip. You will love it there and if there are some no wind days venture out to see Kalbarri.
Rental Car or Camper Van = Depends on budget but I would go the Campervan
Rental Gear or Bring your own = There are a couple of places that hire gear here but if you can bring your own.
Which Sail/Board = Bring a 4.2, 4.7 and 5.3 and your favourite board.
Flying into Gero = This will cost you more than your flight from Sydney. WA is all about adventure. Driving is part of that. Perth to Lancelin is only about 1.5 hours. Lanceling to Gero is only another few hours with heaps of stuff in between to discover such as the Pinnacles and some great windsurfing in Cervantes.
Everyone will have their own opinion and there are heaps of other spots and things to see but hopefully this helps you.
Awesome! Thank you very much for the useful (and funny 
) responses so far.
I'm not really into racing so I'm looking at b'n'j and wave entry gear to bring. I've got a 84l FSW Thruster but I am considering buying a 95ish wave board as that's probably the best choice for Sydney once I get more into eaves. Would the smaller board suffice or would you rather recommend taking the larger one? I'd only take one to keep things simple.Also, in terms of sails I've got a 4.5 wave, 5.0 freemove and I'm considering buying a 5.6 wave (as that would go perfectly with the 95l board and/or would still be good with the 84). Given the sail quiver recommendation would you rather go down to a 4.0 or choose the sail size up?
Cheers!
Depends where you spend most of your time, down south you'd fined the 5.6 useful up north you may need the 4.0, same goes with boards. I think you'll enjoy Coronation Bay the most, (half way between Gero and Northampton). It has a bit of everything, a big inside lagoon inside and plenty of waves out the back. Just be a bit careful though, the wave zone just keeps going further and further out. It's extremely hard to tell when you're beyond the wave zone. And of course it just gets bigger and bigger the further out you go. Best course of action is to gybe on a wave once you get to the limit of your comfort zone. If you get wiped out out the back it can be a very long swim.
Your most used sails here will probably be the 5.0 and 4.5. The wind builds through the day, so at some time during the day one of those sails will be just right, most days.
Safety bay ,lancelin .coronation beach ,Cervantes ,shark bay.
should soak your 2 weeks up .
4.5 ,5.5,6.5 .or 7.0 depends ,Im 95 kgs
i take a 105 litre board ,but brought a smaller one for 200$.
Heaps of used wave gear to buy in Gero .
give it back to the shops when your done and your in credit for next time.
windsurfing perth ,2 nd wind,windforce.
i take my own gear ,it's worth paying the extra 23 kgs.
but I alway end up spending money on up grades .love the shopping .
taking two boards or picking up another is a good move .
I broke one way up north ,miles away from the nearest shop .10 hours drive .
glad to have the second board.always have two mast .on a big trip .
you'll have a ball.
might see you there. 
Even if you are not into racing the Lancelin Ocean Classic is a great event to be around - all those windsurfers in one place and the whole town is celebrating windsurfing and kiting. I have never been in the race but it is a great thing to witness.
If you are not considering the LOC consider being here before January. n the last few years the wind has been better in November and December than in January.
Totally agree with November- December .
the last 3 years we have changed to nov-dec.for our trips
and had more days sailing.less heat waves and cyclones.
which stuffs the wind up,for a week at times.
luck of the draw.i guess .
If it does trough out on the West coast then have a look at the Albany forecast, as the Easterlies will often be in down here when that happens. 4hrs drive from Perth via Albany Hwy or take the more leisurely route over a couple of days down the coast to places like Margaret River & then across.
Just make sure you have some clothes for cooler weather...
