^^ Yeah Sue, 3.3 the other day.
bspot68 you might want to consider a smaller size as well that board is big for u in Gero.

But like others said, bring everything as you can get skunked for a couple of weeks anywhere anytime

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sboardcrazy said..

FormulaNova said..
Are people really using such small sails for bump and jump here? I may need to work on my technique, but for flat water stuff I would be using much bigger sails than those mentioned.

I think their wind is much gutsier and more consistent than what we get on the east coast..

I have a foot in both camps. I have been coming to WA regularly in the windy season since about 2005 or so. Some years have been incredibly windy and other years incredibly light. Some years we could sail every day and other years involved a lot of sitting around checking the forecast.

We drove down to Albany one year after seeing that Perth had nothing and Albany had a decent amount of wind. I would argue its denser down there as its colder!

Some of the best days I have had sailing have been on the lighter days where you had flatter water, and I think it would be a long time now since I have been able to use the really small sails over here.

I have been in WA this year in the lead up to Christmas, and am back there now, and I don't actually know as I have gone to the dark side, but the times I have been able to use a 9m kite are not that many, compared to 11m or 14m kites.
In comparison, I think the 14m kite would get me going when it was too light for my 8.5m cambered sail.

If I were to invest a bit of money and time in bringing my family to WA for a tour around the windy spots, I would see what I could fit in to cover the strong days and the light days. I would stick to weed fins only as well.

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Mark _australia said..
^^ Yeah Sue, 3.3 the other day.
bspot68 you might want to consider a smaller size as well that board is big for u in Gero.

But like others said, bring everything as you can get skunked for a couple of weeks anywhere anytime

ya may have to rent something, i rode it in maui last year but did also ride a 94 as well, is there anywhere to rent boards in Gero ??

Only if you have lived in WA then move East will you understand how different WA is!
It would be like a snow boarder living in a where it almost never snows! Life is different over west also, I'd say better:)
WA Summer is insane, (even a bad one leaves East coast for dead) just take this week as a direct East V West example, both central coast! :)

Generally its "either windy or its not', no need need to bring big gear at all, you will need rest days!
Geraldton basically 1 x wave board 2 Wave sails all summer.
North of Perth is much windier , can be SFA in Perth and 30knts in Gero...its a BIG place, massive distances and travel.
The no wind periods do happen for a few days at a time , (typically seems to be standard for the LOC!) and it gets bloody hot!
But its not too long before sea breezes return, and unlike here the wind blows until after dark and you don't get storms come and suck it all away....i could bang on for ages about how good it is there! Autumn is the only time i ever found long no wind periods.

Esperance not much chop for windsurfing? ....these pics might suggest otherwise....pretty sure if it wasn't any good they wouldn't have held a PWA wave comp there....

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JonesySail said..
Only if you have lived in WA then move East will you understand how different WA is!
It would be like a snow boarder living in a where it almost never snows! Life is different over west also, I'd say better:)
WA Summer is insane, (even a bad one leaves East coast for dead) just take this week as a direct East V West example, both central coast! :)

Generally its "either windy or its not', no need need to bring big gear at all, you will need rest days!
Geraldton basically 1 x wave board 2 Wave sails all summer.
North of Perth is much windier , can be SFA in Perth and 30knts in Gero...its a BIG place, massive distances and travel.
The no wind periods do happen for a few days at a time , (typically seems to be standard for the LOC!) and it gets bloody hot!
But its not too long before sea breezes return, and unlike here the wind blows until after dark and you don't get storms come and suck it all away....i could bang on for ages about how good it is there! Autumn is the only time i ever found long no wind periods.

Esperance not much chop for windsurfing? ....these pics might suggest otherwise....pretty sure if it wasn't any good they wouldn't have held a PWA wave comp there....

If you foil (biggest sail 5.9m ) in Perth...

November - 23 sessions (Nov 17-30, 14 consecutive days)
December - 20 sessions
January so far 11 sessions

And it's been a comparitively poor summer

My sailing last week in Gero... I'm low 80 kgs.

Tues 7th - arrived mid arvo 5.7 + 103 lt
Wed 4.7 + 93 lt
Thurs 4.2 (turned inside out almost) + 83 lt - I was cooked by 11am
Fri 4.7 early then 4.2 + 83 lt
Sat no wind to speak of
Sun 5.3 then 4.7 + 103 lt then 93 lt
Mon 5.3 + 93 lt in the morning then 4.7 + 83 lt in the arvo. The arvo session was cut short by "old knee syndrome"

Fun times.....

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patsken said..
My sailing last week in Gero... I'm low 80 kgs.

Tues 7th - arrived mid arvo 5.7 + 103 lt
Wed 4.7 + 93 lt
Thurs 4.2 (turned inside out almost) + 83 lt - I was cooked by 11am
Fri 4.7 early then 4.2 + 83 lt
Sat no wind to speak of
Sun 5.3 then 4.7 + 103 lt then 93 lt
Mon 5.3 + 93 lt in the morning then 4.7 + 83 lt in the arvo. The arvo session was cut short by "old knee syndrome"

Fun times.....

Nice going Kenny

I get it's mecca over west. why i really really need to go.

but are people saying that 30 knots in corros is stronger than 30 knots on the gold coast?

^^ I dunno, but possibly as its cooler

I am 100kg, 105kg with boardies n wettie n harness etc.

in 30kn at Corro I am on 112L Quad and 5.0, but seriously thinking about going 4.5 and my 98L quad.
If it was perfect DTL waves I've be going my 92L quad and 4.5. Hope that helps as we're simialr weights....

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kato said..

Gestalt said..
I'm starting to think I need to include esperance if I can swing it.

It'll double my driving but it looks stunning.

Any thoughts on the south. Whats the wind like from day to day?

Any worthwhile spots. Bearing in mind I'm not going to be taking up space with the pros.

Windsurfing wise I didn't think much of Esperance. But for walks , swimming and stuff in the NP excellent. Spend more time up north as Coral Bay , Shark Bay and Exmouth are excellent for windsurfing

Recent shark fatality at one of the town beaches in Esperance is a concern and there have been a number in recent years so not for the faint hearted! Also have not been lucky with the wind nearly every time I've visited the place (from Albany) to windsurf as it was often hovering around the 10 knot mark. Imo better for consistent sailable wind late summer and into autumn (Feb-Mar) when there's high 30-40+ deg temps on the west coast as that's when the south coast easterlies are at there best.

"Recent shark fatality at one of the town beaches in Esperance is a concern"

A bit of misinformation here... it wasn't at a town beach!

"who was fatally attacked by a shark seven kilometres off the Esperance coast on Sunday."

Sad event but get your facts right

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patsken said..
"Recent shark fatality at one of the town beaches in Esperance is a concern"

A bit of misinformation here... it wasn't at a town beach!

"who was fatally attacked by a shark seven kilometres off the Esperance coast on Sunday."

Sad event but get your facts right

Sorry my mistake, but this is what was mentioned in ABC report and I wasn't aware how far Cull Island is from West Beach:
"Police believe the man was diving from a boat in the area off West Beach when he was attacked."

www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-05/shark-attack-reported-near-esperance-off-wa-south-east-coast/11842420

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Gestalt said..
I'm starting to think I need to include esperance if I can swing it.

It'll double my driving but it looks stunning.

Any thoughts on the south. Whats the wind like from day to day?

Any worthwhile spots. Bearing in mind I'm not going to be taking up space with the pros.

The second spot in the video is approx 4 - 4.5 hrs drive from Margaret River:
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Windsurfing/General/South-Coast-Video/

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Mark _australia said..
^^ I dunno, but possibly as its cooler

I am 100kg, 105kg with boardies n wettie n harness etc.

in 30kn at Corro I am on 112L Quad and 5.0, but seriously thinking about going 4.5 and my 98L quad.
If it was perfect DTL waves I've be going my 92L quad and 4.5. Hope that helps as we're simialr weights....

ok that's pretty much inline. only reason I use the 125L over a 112L as my big board is our main wind here is 12-20 knots and not 15-25.
my high wind board is 95LT quad.

looking forward to finding some smaller waves with flat water in-between. most spots here are beachbreaks so i only really go in the surf when it's light wind and then im on bigger boards and sups. I'm not a great wavesailor really.

was hoping to steer the thread towards hire vehicles.

what's the usual setup that gets used in Wa?

Im having trouble finding hire cars/4wd with racks.
camper van is an option as it allows gear to be stowed inside but is expensive when park sites are included.

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Gestalt said..
was hoping to steer the thread towards hire vehicles.

what's the usual setup that gets used in Wa?

Im having trouble finding hire cars/4wd with racks.
camper van is an option as it allows gear to be stowed inside but is expensive when park sites are included.

What are you looking to transport? How much, and how many people?

For metro windsurfing trips I have always hired LWB Hiaces. You can fit lots in them but only two people.
I have also hired iLoads, which are nicer to drive, smaller inside, but again only for two people.

So far I don't think I have seen any with racks on them.

transporting 2 windsurfers and 2-3 non windsurfers for 2-3 weeks with everything needed including clothes, food etc. we will bring windsurfing gear on the plane.

i'll do up a spreadsheet to compare costs.

so far.

I found a 7 seater suv which I think has racks but I need to figure out accommodation costs.

or maybe a 5 person camper with site fees.. (expensive option at face value)
dual cab ute is another option but clothes and stuff might get wet if it rains.

thrifty rentals have roof racks on their website as additional extra. $11 a day however I've not confirmed on the phone.

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Gestalt said..
transporting 2 windsurfers and 2-3 non windsurfers for 2-3 weeks with everything needed including clothes, food etc. we will bring windsurfing gear on the plane.

i'll do up a spreadsheet to compare costs.

so far.

I found a 7 seater suv which I think has racks but I need to figure out accommodation costs.

or maybe a 5 person camper with site fees.. (expensive option at face value)
dual cab ute is another option but clothes and stuff might get wet if it rains.

thrifty rentals have roof racks on their website as additional extra. $11 a day however I've not confirmed on the phone.

What accomodation would you look to use if you rented the SUV with racks? Some options on AirBNB can be pretty cheap in WA. Advantages being 4WD but not sure that is essential.

There's plenty of people getting around in campervans over here! The coastal towns are pretty well set up for them. Bunbury has limited free (or cheap permit) parking at the town beaches. Great views and really close to the city.

Other spots are small wavesailing at Binningup Beach & flatwater on the estuary launching BP's at Australind. Both have good accom either AirBNB or caravan parks. LOVE Cervantes!!!

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Fieldie said..

Gestalt said..
transporting 2 windsurfers and 2-3 non windsurfers for 2-3 weeks with everything needed including clothes, food etc. we will bring windsurfing gear on the plane.

i'll do up a spreadsheet to compare costs.

so far.

I found a 7 seater suv which I think has racks but I need to figure out accommodation costs.

or maybe a 5 person camper with site fees.. (expensive option at face value)
dual cab ute is another option but clothes and stuff might get wet if it rains.

thrifty rentals have roof racks on their website as additional extra. $11 a day however I've not confirmed on the phone.

What accomodation would you look to use if you rented the SUV with racks? Some options on AirBNB can be pretty cheap in WA. Advantages being 4WD but not sure that is essential.

There's plenty of people getting around in campervans over here! The coastal towns are pretty well set up for them. Bunbury has limited free (or cheap permit) parking at the town beaches. Great views and really close to the city.

Other spots are small wavesailing at Binningup Beach & flatwater on the estuary launching BP's at Australind. Both have good accom either AirBNB or caravan parks. LOVE Cervantes!!!

I'm currently looking into camper with bushcamping versus car with rack and airbnb

How busy is corros likely to be over new years? Do you loose your spot if you leave for a day trek?

You're assuming you can get in, in the first place! It's not only windsurfers now, it's a grey nomads and fisher people's low cost camping as well.
It was very busy last time we were there, but that's several years ago now, things may have changed.

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decrepit said..
You're assuming you can get in, in the first place! It's not only windsurfers now, it's a grey nomads and fisher people's low cost camping as well.
It was very busy last time we were there, but that's several years ago now, things may have changed.

there are some overflow spots close by for camping. Just wondwring whether it's always full and what the setup is for sites if you do day trips.

From QLD, you have about 6000km each way, the LT event, plus some days at each spot.... you are going to need at least 6 weeks.

How much time are you planning ? ... because WA is a big place with lots to see and do.

Planning for 3 weeks. Flying to perth and back.

Another overlooked spot is Port Gregory. Half an hour from Kalbarri which no good for windsurfing but pretty for the family and has a good fishpub. Big lagoon without weed, facing the same Gero winds. Flat blasting without all the Lancelin kites getting in the way. Oh, and a pink lake for Instagram, although it's nearly dried up at the mo

I Just got back from a month holiday, First thing to put on the list is your own shade and plenty of sunscreen.

I had to sit out 2 days of sailing because it was too windy to sail at Corro's, i'm currently my heaviest at 105 and could not sheet in my 4.5, the first day I lasted till about 3pm but the arvo got too windy, the next day I last 3 runs, pretty much got blown off the water and I was on my 93 wave board, and the wind blows until after dark.

The wind was really weird this year and was really gusty most of the days, but the ocean was a lot warmer than usual which may have contributed to this.

Bring something for the light wind days in Geraldton and to sail in Perth, like a 7.5 and a freeride board, then all of your sails for up the coast.

I used everything from a 5.6m to 4.5m, and a 101 and 93 Nuevo twinnies, but could have used a 3.7m or 4m and my 84 twinnie that I left at home, and I also borrowed a 7.5m and 105 freeride in Perth and had a blast on the river.

Next time I head back over i'm taking a van and a lot more gear to keep me covered.

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P.C_simpson said..
I Just got back from a month holiday, First thing to put on the list is your own shade and plenty of sunscreen.

I had to sit out 2 days of sailing because it was too windy to sail at Corro's, i'm currently my heaviest at 105 and could not sheet in my 4.5, the first day I lasted till about 3pm but the arvo got too windy, the next day I last 3 runs, pretty much got blown off the water and I was on my 93 wave board, and the wind blows until after dark.

The wind was really weird this year and was really gusty most of the days, but the ocean was a lot warmer than usual which may have contributed to this.

Bring something for the light wind days in Geraldton and to sail in Perth, like a 7.5 and a freeride board, then all of your sails for up the coast.

I used everything from a 5.6m to 4.5m, and a 101 and 93 Nuevo twinnies, but could have used a 3.7m or 4m and my 84 twinnie that I left at home, and I also borrowed a 7.5m and 105 freeride in Perth and had a blast on the river.

Next time I head back over i'm taking a van and a lot more gear to keep me covered.

Awesome post. wise words. Thx.

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Kernowboy said..
Another overlooked spot is Port Gregory. Half an hour from Kalbarri which no good for windsurfing but pretty for the family and has a good fishpub. Big lagoon without weed, facing the same Gero winds. Flat blasting without all the Lancelin kites getting in the way. Oh, and a pink lake for Instagram, although it's nearly dried up at the mo

Thanks for heads up. I'll have a look when we get there. The pink lake is on the sightseeing list.

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Kernowboy said..
Another overlooked spot is Port Gregory. Half an hour from Kalbarri which no good for windsurfing but pretty for the family and has a good fishpub. Big lagoon without weed, facing the same Gero winds. Flat blasting without all the Lancelin kites getting in the way. Oh, and a pink lake for Instagram, although it's nearly dried up at the mo

Thanks very much for that! Sailing is inside the reef in lagoon?

Is lucky bay near kalbarri any good for windsurfing?