Anybody windsurfing in Darwin? Too many crocs? No good wind?

Small salties were rare, but they were curious enough to approach. A much more common peril was Box Jelly fish.

I used to live and sail in Darwin. The places we used to go were Rapid Creek and the beach near the yacht club. Rapid Creek was our favourite.

The best time to sail is in the winter season. Well, not much of a winter in Darwin, but it is called "The Dry".

On good days, the winds came in quite predictably at around 10 AM from the South-East. It was a rather cool and gusty type of wind. Not too strong. We used 6.5 sq M mostly. The water was very flat at Rapid Creek as the sea bed is very shallow. On low tide, you would have to carry your gear a long way to get to the water. But then if the tide came in, you are not far from the car park.

With the sea bed being so flat, you will have very shallow water to sail on. I did find it challenging as the wind came in short bursts. It was good training for quick response when the wind suddenly died. When it did come in, it was a quick burst that may last for half a minute. Again, you need to get yourself mentally ready for that sudden burst of wind.

Being the cooler months, I didn't see any crocodile for the 3 years I was there.

In the cyclone season, the winds come in from the North-West, sometimes associated with a storm front. The winds were more consistent because it didn't pass over much landmass. The water will turn brown because of the shallow sea floor. A bit of waves, but very small. You can have a good day of North-Westerly, with a few wind waves. Because the water is so brown, I doubt you can see crocodiles anyway. Box Jelly fish is a big threat. Always wear long-john wetsuit for protection. For the few years we sailed there, I only ever heard of one incident when a man found a chunk missing on his Windsurfer One Design board. He towed it behind his dinghy. So maybe the crocodile didn't like the taste of humans, and went for the plastic instead.

When and if a storm did come, it would be a very short and intense affair. You need to rig up very quickly as the wind will soon die right before your eyes. We did venture out in storms those days. I was caught a couple of times when a serious storm came through. The waves became a nuisance as you can't even water start due to the very strong gusts. I did experience a "horizontal rain storm" when the wind pushed the raindrops to near horizontal. It was painful.

With the current trends of carbon fibre mast, I wonder if it is a good idea to sail in a thunder storm.

I recently sent a sail i'd sold up to Darwin. So someones having a go.

I HAVE SAILED AT DARWIN IN THE DRY SEASON OVER THE PAST 20 YEARS. NIGHTCLIFF BEACH IS THE PLACE TO GO WITH A HIGH TIDE & SOUTEAST WIND. THERE WERE A FEW LOCAL GUY'S WHO SAILED THERE ON A REGULAR BASIS BUT UNFORTUNATELY THEY HAVE BEEN ABSENT FOR THE LAST 2 YEARS. I HAVE NEVER SEEN A CROC. OFF THE BEACH BUT THAT DOSENT MEAN THAT THEY ARE NOT THERE.[ THE SAME WITH SHARKS DOWN SOUTH] 2 YEARS AGO THERE WERE A LOT OF KITE SAILERS ON CASUANIA BEACH BUT THIS YEAR ON MY LAST TRIP I DID NOT NOTICE ANY.

Silvertop, would you ever consider sailing in the city (east side of Doctors gully) where the trade wind has a free run across the harbour ?

Here's where I mean:

www.google.com.au/maps?q=darwin,+nt&hl=en&ll=-12.461011,130.826764&spn=0.002166,0.002411&geocode=+&hnear=Darwin+Northern+Territory&t=h&z=19

I know there is a lot of traffic on the water (or was when I was living there), keep up wind in lulls, you should be right.

J

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felixdcat said..
Anybody windsurfing in Darwin? Too many crocs? No good wind?

It was mostly likely me who bought the sail, as I bought one from NSW in June this year.
Here is a different perspective.
I live in Darwin, where windsurfing is fantastic. I have not worn a wetsuit in 10 years. Hat, harness, boardshorts and rashie.
Conditions vary throughout the year (wet and dry season), but I sail all year round.
My main sail is a 7.2. Just took delivery of a 2015 isonic 107.
Flat , warm water - ideal for free ride or slalom, but bump/jump in the late wet season. Monsoon conditions tend to take the wind away, but mostly it is 12-15 knots.
Over the years, the main problems I have had is hitting things in the water - fish mostly. They stop you pretty quickly, and have damaged gear. Hit a dugong once, and bumped turtles occasionally. Dolphins have chased the wake of the board, which is fun.
Originally lived in Vic (grew up sailing at inverloch), but have also lived and sailed in Nth Qld, South East Qld, and WA, but would never return.
There are no crowds, no carpark fees, no traffic. Downside is there are no BOM wind stations anywhere remotely close to where I sail, so the wind app for Darwin is not that reliable. Blue water pic is an older shot of me on an 8.6 with trailing wake.
There are definitely places that perform better on specific wind directions, but everywhere in Darwin is a 15 minute drive. There are advantages and disadvantages in all places, but I far prefer the relaxed lifestyle of life in the tropics and being able to sail all year around.

Where was this shot taken ?

BlueSun is correct. Darwin is a great place to sail. Sailed there from 1991 to 1998. Mostly out of car park at Rapid Creek. Dry season offshore south easterlies.
Wind normally gone by early afternoon. Also sailed at Fannie Bay from car park in front of the lake and further around at East Point. Some guys also used to go out from Doctors Gully as jn1 mentioned. Dry season gear was normally Slalom boards, my largest sail was a 6.4.
Wet season was normally out of Rapid Creek car park. Mostly on shore north westerlies. Did go out from Cullen Bay at low tide and sail behind the sand bar for flat water speed runs. Wet season gear can be high volume wave or now bump & jump. My small sail was a 5.4
Last time I visited, most of the guys that were still there had gone over to the dark side (Kite Boards ). If Geoff who ran Fun Supply at Nightcliff is still there, go and see him for advice.
If you are young and can afford to live in Darwin and handle the wet season humidity you will never regret going there.
(Lived there 1972 -1974 / 1975 - 1978 / 1991 - 1998 )

The shot was taken on a zoom lens, standing on the boat ramp at Vesty's beach, between the Ski club and the sailing club looking towards Mandora.
Unfortunately Geoff no longer sells windsurfing gear, just SUP and kite gear.
The Rapid Creek area is now know as kite corner (named by Geoff). It is still a good place in the right wind and tide, but tends to be dominated by kiters.
My favourite run goes from East Point to the sand bar at Cullen Bay.
Water sports are really very popular here, especially SUP, but also kiting and windsurfing. Not everyone goes fishing.
I really enjoy living here, and have not had a winter for a very long time.

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felixdcat said..
Anybody windsurfing in Darwin? Too many crocs? No good wind?

I HAVE NEVER CONSIDERED SAILING IN THE INNER HARBOUR AREA. 60PLUS CROC'S REMOVED FROM THERE EVERY YEAR. THE OPEN BEACH & THE EAST POINT AREA IS MUCH MORE APPEALING TO ME.

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SeaSkip said..
I recently sent a sail i'd sold up to Darwin. So someones having a go.

Yeah, That was me.

There are couple of us who go out of the sailing club when the wind is good. However there doesn't seem like a whole lot of windsurfing action going on.

Thank you for the coments! I am moving there in January for a 6 month contract................... maybe longer if I like it. Do you use wetties? what is the water temp?

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felixdcat said..
Thank you for the coments! I am moving there in January for a 6 month contract................... maybe longer if I like it. Do you use wetties? what is the water temp?

What is a wettie. Boardies all year round and stinger suits after october

Cool I like warm water! What is a stinger suit?