The 30th Anniversary of the Lancelin Ocean Classic beckons…

A lot has changed since the event started in 1986, there’s now a Jet Sport West Race Round and a few more kite surfers than before.

A lot has stayed the same though and there’s still the world renowned, Ledge to Lancelin Ocean Marathon one-day event. There’s still the best community of kite surfers in the world participating and we are still Australia’s largest and longest running windsurf competition.


2015 marks our 30th Anniversary and the event will be the biggest in the events illustrious history, we are even throwing a massive festival to celebrate. Don’t miss out on our “Party in the Park” and make sure you don’t miss registration for the event at

secure.onreg.com/onreg2/front/step1.php?id=2430


We also recommend that competitors registered to participate in the event should join the Official Facebook Group:

Lancelin Ocean Classic Competitors,
at: www.facebook.com/groups/739275969481720/

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Mistral said..
The 30th Anniversary of the Lancelin Ocean Classic beckons?
Theres still the best community of kite surfers in the world participating

Looks like something changed

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hardpole said..

Mistral said..
The 30th Anniversary of the Lancelin Ocean Classic beckons?
Theres still the best community of kite surfers in the world participating

Looks like something changed

Inviting the kites to join the LOC is definitely a plus for the overall event, However the Ledge to Lancelin Ocean Classic always has and always will be foremost a Windsurfing Spectacular - We just need the Freestyle Windsurfers involved and also the SUP Downwinder crew involved and it will be a complete Ocean Classic. Dare I say even a groms surf comp round at Back Beach..

Not so sure about the Jetski comp as I'd rather see the organisers make room for more surf origin'd sports - spreading the event over two consecutive weekends in the future may be a must and perhaps all the wind/surf sports can be grouped into one weekend and Jetski can be grouped with say a freestyle motocross event and a race circuit around and thru the dunes. Not to forget the dune buggies..

I'm not 100% in favour of burning heaps of petrol but its a bit bogging for mountain bikes!

And naturally ramp up the Music Festival element, too. Get some known acts involved! I vote for Tame Impala to headline

Ummm 2015 will be the 30th time you've held the race but the 30th anniversary won't be until 2016 if the inaugural race was 1986. None the less what an incredible milestone and congrats. Hope to make it one day.

MOB - I'll definitely come if Tame Impala are playing.

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sausage said..
Ummm 2015 will be the 30th time you've held the race but the 30th anniversary won't be until 2016 if the inaugural race was 1986. None the less what an incredible milestone and congrats. Hope to make it one day.

MOB - I'll definitely come if Tame Impala are playing.

Sausage, I believe you are absolutely correct.

This is the 29th anniversary of the first race with the 1st anniversary being in 1987.

I query if Tourism WA is responsible for this error, the organisers or perhaps Perth's "best community of kite surfers in the world participating" or the windsurfers ?

It is highly possible given the billing of the event above that the windsurfers didn't make the mistake. Who knows and frankly I do not care.

While the publicity is misleading and incorrect it is truly a great achievement to make this the 30th race... but sticking to the facts would be best. It would naturally bring into question how much the publicity is costing the event financially and ethically.. this is really not ethical advertising or at least perhaps an innocent error. I wonder which is it and I would invite Mistral to comment. Perhaps the advertising could be corrected.. that itself would be great publicity... indeed you could even explain the kite surfers got a little over excited but their brothers and sisters in Australia's "best community of windsurfers.." realised the error and brought it to our, the organisers attention.

I suggest we need to be on guard against at all times "any entrenched controlling interests who have [or may] turn... our once great individualistic sport into a mushy, soggy cartoon." [Miklos Sandor Dora]

While Miklos was not entirely ethical..he was a likeable and cool rogue... we probably should do the opposite of what he would do and correct the error- that is the right thing. What do you think Mistral ?

If I am mistaken or have missed something in the publicity then so be it. In any event I will be entering.

Cheers...

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Mistral said..
We also recommend that competitors registered to participate in the event should join the Official Facebook Group:

Lancelin Ocean Classic Competitors,
at: www.facebook.com/groups/739275969481720/

To celebrate the 30th Anniversary of The Lancelin Ocean Classic,
Australia’s longest running windsurfing event.


We are moving to a new event Facebook page!!!
www.facebook.com/pages/Lancelin-Ocean-Classic/327391717451978

Am i the only one who doesnt have facebook!

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clarkee said..
Am i the only one who doesnt have facebook!

Nope

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Mistral said..


To celebrate the 30th Anniversary of The Lancelin Ocean Classic,
Australia?s longest running windsurfing event.

Mistral,
Since you're not quite understanding how birthdays and anniversaries are counted maybe you should make it about the 200th year anniversary (dog years that is). Much bigger number and more impressive

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Stuthepirate said..

clarkee said..
Am i the only one who doesnt have facebook!

Nope

No facebook here

Not complaining,but the event does need to move forward a few hours minimum-----for the benefit of the sailors.



The seabreeze is rarely ever strong at the time of the event,just too early.

A 3pm start time should be the earliest. It doesn't get dark till 7.30 pm at this time of year.

A 12 or 1 o'clock start time pretty much means the event will be a light wind event----short of a freaky strong and early seabreeze.

Few years back at Rockingham the marathon was run in 8-12 knots at around 1pm.

When I eventually grovelled to the finish line an hour later the seabreeze had just started to pick up.

I then sailed back upwind to the carpark in around 15 knots,never once coming off the plane.

yep, its lost the plot, starting the event before the wind kicks in...might as well call it a long board race or formula event now.
The attraction 'used to be' it was freakin windy with big swells and really was quite a hard challenge, and you could do it on a wave board even.

Now it means most likely you will need a giant board/sail combo...hardly attractive for those wanting to fly interstate, or from overseas.

starting too early does allow plenty of 'nibbles and drinks' time for the organisers at sunset though!

Last time I did it a couple of years ago they hadn't even bothered to organise a bus to get competitors back to ledge, too busy munching on nibbles and downing corona's I had to organise it myself!!!(thanks Lancelin Lodge!)

Now the event is in the hands of 'professionals' (it certainly runs smoothly no question about that) it has lost a lot of its authenticity for me.

Simple fix would be to wait until its windy for the start, especially with the late natural twilight in WA, if it doesn't blow, then so be it.. but then you would have the Sunday to try again, effectively doubling your chances of a windy event! The sport and the event is supposed to be WINDsurfing after all...not breezeplodding.

Yes a bit later would be nice but you can't start after 3pm absolute latest. 3pm start= last off water and all accounted for at about 5pm maybe
Then if anyone is missing you are starting a sea search with 2hrs of light left
It can take hours and hours to find somebody.

You can't see anything into a low sun, so you already have lost 25% visibility (ie can see a guy in the water to your north south or east but not west of you)
A couple of years a go a mate was swimming in from south passage with busted gear, we knew he was there and with 3 people looking we did not see him until he was within 30m of us. That is just in the bay chop, not out the back with proper swell. The low sun at 4pm ensured we could not see a bloke we knew was there, only looking in a 200m x 300m sort of area.


Now imagine if 3 or 4 sailors were missing and you only discovered that fact at 6pm. Doesn't bear thinking about.

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Mark _australia said..
Yes a bit later would be nice but you can't start after 3pm absolute latest. 3pm start= last off water and all accounted for at about 5pm maybe
Then if anyone is missing you are starting a sea search with 2hrs of light left
It can take hours and hours to find somebody.

You can't see anything into a low sun, so you already have lost 25% visibility (ie can see a guy in the water to your north south or east but not west of you)
A couple of years a go a mate was swimming in from south passage with busted gear, we knew he was there and with 3 people looking we did not see him until he was within 30m of us. That is just in the bay chop, not out the back with proper swell. The low sun at 4pm ensured we could not see a bloke we knew was there, only looking in a 200m x 300m sort of area.


Now imagine if 3 or 4 sailors were missing and you only discovered that fact at 6pm. Doesn't bear thinking about.

While that is a possibility, since the event has been running a while, maybe we could base our assumptions on some real science...

Remember that almost all of us all sail until dark anyway, and we are carrying two flares and a decent vest (none of us do this)... when was that last time you heard of a lost sailor?