Has anyone windsurfed out at Rottnest Island WA? What is the best beach in a SW? I'm considering heading out there Saturday Sunday for a sail.
Cheers!
Dave

www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=58058

after reading sounds like one of the previous old runs turned pearshape and there was a whole pile of windsurfers using flares to get rescues

I am looking at taking my gear over on a mates boat and sailing while on the Island. More interested in what the good beaches are for sailing. There must be some good wave sailing as well as flat water on the island?

sorry misunderstood!!!

No worries buddy. Keen to here from someone who has sailed on Rottnest Island.
Cheers!
D

Most crew looking for sideshore waves, tke a boat out to the Rocky bay entrance channel where there is a break called 'tinnies' to your right as you enter that is pretty consisent if swell is around 2 m but gets flat when swell is small. The wind is cross to cross off in a seabreeze and is very shallow in parts on low tide and you could lose a fin.

'Stark bay' lies just East of the channel and needs a big [3.5M+] swell to break properly. The seabreeze is side off and surfers may be out in seabreeze. It is 100m+ ride when truly working and really jacks into a huge grinding barrel on the inside. i have only surfed it [nad scared the s--t out of myself on a few] but I recall some footage of Blair Simpson, Scottie and crew ripping it up more than 10 years ago on a big swell. You can still ride the inside ledge when its small but its pretty short and very sucky [hence popular with bodyboards]

Ideally both these breaks need a boat as they are on the offshore side of narrow neck. I have seen guys do it from land but is something breaks your paddling your gear back into the wind

I used to work at the boatshed and keep my gear on top of the coolroom. From there would sail my Mistral Takeoff up and down Thompsons jumping boat wakes. Good fun, at least you're never too far from the Pub.

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niall barrett said...

Most crew looking for sideshore waves, tke a boat out to the Rocky bay entrance channel where there is a break called 'tinnies' to your right as you enter that is pretty consisent if swell is around 2 m but gets flat when swell is small. The wind is cross to cross off in a seabreeze and is very shallow in parts on low tide and you could lose a fin.

'Stark bay' lies just East of the channel and needs a big [3.5M+] swell to break properly. The seabreeze is side off and surfers may be out in seabreeze. It is 100m+ ride when truly working and really jacks into a huge grinding barrel on the inside. i have only surfed it [nad scared the s--t out of myself on a few] but I recall some footage of Blair Simpson, Scottie and crew ripping it up more than 10 years ago on a big swell. You can still ride the inside ledge when its small but its pretty short and very sucky [hence popular with bodyboards]

Ideally both these breaks need a boat as they are on the offshore side of narrow neck. I have seen guys do it from land but is something breaks your paddling your gear back into the wind

Sailed Stark Bay last summer. Breeze was only 18-20ish and the swell wasn't that big. I reckon it would go off with a good swell.

I broke my boom and had to be rescued by a mate. I wouldn't sail out there without a support boat! It's pretty hard self-rescuing into the breeze and you might end up having to ditch your rig to paddle in.

Southern side of the island might be the go if you're launching from land (it will be onshore, but at least you won't get lost at sea if you break anything).

As Pointman mentioned,

I also had the same intention as you but have been advised that as you will already be 20kms from the mainland, a gear breakage could be be fatal if you dont get back to the island, minimum precautions would be take a couple of flares and a mobile phone, support boat would be awsome but I would still take flares incase you were not being watched the whole time, when your in the water you will be near invisible so the flare will be handy.

Having said all that I would still love to sail over there, maybe Thompsons bay for the lesser experienced lime myself, I did see a guy 2 years ago blasting from the main jetty towards the north for about 500 meters gybe and return, I am sure he would have been blown back into the island at his further most northern reach, may be check it on google earth.

Cheers GT

A SW'er is basically straight off shore at Thompsons bay. i was there for a week two weeks ago. i didn't take my sailing kit only my SUP.

I SUP'ed huge transits in a 20knt SW and it was bloody hard paddling back to the shore, good waves though. i wouldnt suggest saling there.