Finally ticked LG off the bucket list and had to record a few videos of the conditions on my first trip.
Check out the videos below.

what do mean, ticked off the bucket list?
You can't remove LG from the BL it just keeps coming back.

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decrepit said..
what do mean, ticked off the bucket list?
You can't remove LG from the BL it just keeps coming back.

He will be back

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decrepit said..
what do mean, ticked off the bucket list?
You can't remove LG from the BL it just keeps coming back.

^ YEP!

It becomes an addiction.

What are max speeds on lake George compared to other fast spots like Sandy Point or Luderitz ? What is the fastest 2 sec or 500 m on lakeGeorge ? Is Australia far behind other windsurf speed spots .?

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Imax1 said..
What are max speeds on lake George compared to other fast spots like Sandy Point or Luderitz ? What is the fastest 2 sec or 500 m on lakeGeorge ? Is Australia far behind other windsurf speed spots .?

Byron set a new 2 second spot record at Lake George with 48 knots this year. It was around 47.5 knots before. There are very few spots that see faster speeds on a somewhat regular basis - La Franqui is one, and probably a couple of the Dutch spots. West Kirby in the UK has seen 50 knots, but it is a rare occurrence.

I'd guess that Lake George is a bit slower than some spots because (a) winds strong enough for speeds > 48 knots are rare, and (b) very few top speedsurfers who have done 48+ knots sail there (which is very different from La Franqui!). One of those few is Spotty, who posted a 47.3 from LG last year as his #4 top speed - 10 years after his other top 5 entries.

But where LG really shines is the hour, since you can do 2-3 km runs and go downwind 2-3 km during the hour, all on very small chop at worst - quite a bit on glass, and with very flat regions at the end of each run for jibes. That's why so many top-20 entries in the GPSTC ranking for the hour were done at LG, as opposed to the top speed entries which are from Luderitz. The other thing is that LG is very "user friendly" - you don't have to be an expert, comfortable with 40 knot offshore wind, to have a great and fast session. If you can stay dry jibing a race sail, LG is a great place to improve. It should be on every speedsurfers bucket list - although once you've been there, you'll realize you cannot cross it off the list .

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boardsurfr said..

Imax1 said..
What are max speeds on lake George compared to other fast spots like Sandy Point or Luderitz ? What is the fastest 2 sec or 500 m on lakeGeorge ? Is Australia far behind other windsurf speed spots .?

Byron set a new 2 second spot record at Lake George with 48 knots this year. It was around 47.5 knots before. There are very few spots that see faster speeds on a somewhat regular basis - La Franqui is one, and probably a couple of the Dutch spots. West Kirby in the UK has seen 50 knots, but it is a rare occurrence.

I'd guess that Lake George is a bit slower than some spots because (a) winds strong enough for speeds > 48 knots are rare, and (b) very few top speedsurfers who have done 48+ knots sail there (which is very different from La Franqui!). One of those few is Spotty, who posted a 47.3 from LG last year as his #4 top speed - 10 years after his other top 5 entries.

But where LG really shines is the hour, since you can do 2-3 km runs and go downwind 2-3 km during the hour, all on very small chop at worst - quite a bit on glass, and with very flat regions at the end of each run for jibes. That's why so many top-20 entries in the GPSTC ranking for the hour were done at LG, as opposed to the top speed entries which are from Luderitz. The other thing is that LG is very "user friendly" - you don't have to be an expert, comfortable with 40 knot offshore wind, to have a great and fast session. If you can stay dry jibing a race sail, LG is a great place to improve. It should be on every speedsurfers bucket list - although once you've been there, you'll realize you cannot cross it off the list .

Sold !
I can just do 30 in chop in a terrifying way , I think I could do 35 on flat water , ( hoping ).
I just have to do the 24 hour drive .
Wife is in . She doesn't sail , but loves a road trip .

Boardsurfr is spot on.

Because it can have such flat water in every possible wind direction, it has huge potential in every speed category, not to mention it is the World GPS Record venue for the 1 hr and 24hr distance!! And I think the first place in the world that a 41.5kt NM was achieved. (Tony Wynhoven in 2013)

The best speeds at LG are approaching the best speeds at Sandy Point. Chris Lockwood and Spotty have done 50 knots peaks Sandy Pt and Tony Wynhoven did 49+. But Sandy Point is definitely past its best now due to the sand dunes building up. Between the 80's and around 2013-14, it was right up there with the very best speed spots in the world, and probably not going too far to say it was the very fastest until Luderitz came along!! My own best top speeds at Sandy Point were only fractions of a knot lower than the speeds I achieved at Luderitz, (although I think we were a bit dudded on the conditions there year we went there). A month after I came back from Luderitz in 2013, I did an almost identical top speed at Sandy Point!!

The conditions most people like best at LG are the consistent, moderately strong, steady South East winds that usually dominate in the summer months between Christmas and late March. But Byrons 48.3kt 2 sec was done in a WSW squall. Quite a few other sailors got BIG jumps in the PB top speeds on those same two days in those squalls. I have got a 45 on such a day there in May a few years ago, and this is very good for this little old man! The potential to get 35-40+ knots squalls in SW'ers is quite high, but sailing there in those conditions is possibly harder than in the heyday of Sandy Point. The advantage at SP was that you could wait at the top of the course when you saw a squall coming and only take of when it was at full blast. My experience is that it's harder to spot and time it at LG as you have to be out on the water sailing when it arrives and it is very easy to be in completely the wrong place when it hits. At LG it is not so practical to just prop somewhere and wait for it to arrive, as you can get bogged down in the weed, (and can get cold in winter). Also, you have to sail back upwind at LG, whereas we could walk back into the teeth of a howling gale at Sandy Point, and believe me, that is a LOT easier than trying to sail upwind in 40 knots of sandstorm and washing machine chop. Even on really flat water, unwind is 'difficult' in big winds! The day I got onto the good squall at LG, I was really struggling to get upwind to the top of the speed run. I was getting backslammed every few hundred meters, and that's not fun believe me!! But I think if people get dedicated enough to hunt those squally WSW days (Autumn and winter - COOOOLD!) and learn to read and strategise it better, it has definitely got 50 knot potential. It's just not going to be easy and will require serious commitment and dedication.

This years sailing season at LG had been extremely fun, but it has been an unusual February, with not so many of the classic 25+ knots SE days. nevertheless, there has been almost non stop sailing for those who have been there right through, as sailing on 15+ knots in many different wind directions is arguably even more interesting. (see the above excellent videos! ) In those conditions, large areas of the lake ar Glassy smooth, or very small ripple chop. That in itself is pretty unique, and mid blowing when you first experience it.

Yes, don't think twice about it. Just do it. . before you know it, 30kts will be a doodle, 35 will become everyday normal and you will be looking for 40's. Gybing at top speed in 20 knots of wind on glassy water is to die for, and if you are keen, blasting along at around 30 knots for an hour is unbelievable fun! And then, in the campground or the pub in the evening, you get to BS, trade stories and relive it with a crowd of other like minded crazies all over again.

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Imax1 said..

boardsurfr said..

Imax1 said..
What are max speeds on lake George compared to other fast spots like Sandy Point or Luderitz ? What is the fastest 2 sec or 500 m on lakeGeorge ? Is Australia far behind other windsurf speed spots .?

Byron set a new 2 second spot record at Lake George with 48 knots this year. It was around 47.5 knots before. There are very few spots that see faster speeds on a somewhat regular basis - La Franqui is one, and probably a couple of the Dutch spots. West Kirby in the UK has seen 50 knots, but it is a rare occurrence.

I'd guess that Lake George is a bit slower than some spots because (a) winds strong enough for speeds > 48 knots are rare, and (b) very few top speedsurfers who have done 48+ knots sail there (which is very different from La Franqui!). One of those few is Spotty, who posted a 47.3 from LG last year as his #4 top speed - 10 years after his other top 5 entries.

But where LG really shines is the hour, since you can do 2-3 km runs and go downwind 2-3 km during the hour, all on very small chop at worst - quite a bit on glass, and with very flat regions at the end of each run for jibes. That's why so many top-20 entries in the GPSTC ranking for the hour were done at LG, as opposed to the top speed entries which are from Luderitz. The other thing is that LG is very "user friendly" - you don't have to be an expert, comfortable with 40 knot offshore wind, to have a great and fast session. If you can stay dry jibing a race sail, LG is a great place to improve. It should be on every speedsurfers bucket list - although once you've been there, you'll realize you cannot cross it off the list .

Sold !
I can just do 30 in chop in a terrifying way , I think I could do 35 on flat water , ( hoping ).
I just have to do the 24 hour drive .
Wife is in . She doesn't sail , but loves a road trip .

If you can do 30 in chop you'll pee in 35's on the flat.
As Master Quick said, some of my best days were in light wind with mates gliding on glass.

You forgot to add no "tides" Daffy

How do you all find going back to to your regular spots after being at lake george? Is it kinda a let down? I'm 2 years back to sailing after some 20+ years and getting close to 35 at our choppy lake. I'd like to go to LG sometime to see 40 but would hate for it to take away from sailing the local spot!

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boardsurfr said...
If you can stay dry jibing a race sail, LG is a great place to improve.

I rarely stay dry and have done over 35 with camless sails at LG. I'm sure plenty of better sailors than me have pushed them much faster than that. The flatwater makes it a great place for anyone to improve on any gear, providing you can deal with the kangaroo eating weed and mud Any windsurfer can have mountains of fun at LG with or without a GPS. The only essential is shallow water weed fins.

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cald said..
How do you all find going back to to your regular spots after being at lake george? Is it kinda a let down? I'm 2 years back to sailing after some 20+ years and getting close to 35 at our choppy lake. I'd like to go to LG sometime to see 40 but would hate for it to take away from sailing the local spot!

First sail back home is always a bit of a come down, but there's always next years trip to the golden lake to look forward to

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cald said..
How do you all find going back to to your regular spots after being at lake george? Is it kinda a let down? I'm 2 years back to sailing after some 20+ years and getting close to 35 at our choppy lake. I'd like to go to LG sometime to see 40 but would hate for it to take away from sailing the local spot!

First time I came back to Lake Macquarie I rigged the same kit in similar wind. Small 80ltre and 5m sail..got out in the middle and the wind died and I had a long swim back in.
Lake George makes you think you're a fantastic sailor..Lake Macquarie's patchy, gusty wind and messy chop soon bring me back to beginnersville.
You need a lot more fitness to sail home conditions too although the easier conditions ( not the nuclear days) at Lake George have you doing bigger sessions.

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cald said..
How do you all find going back to to your regular spots after being at lake george?

Depends on the spot and what you like. Some people like the challenges of choppy water. Some can translate going faster in ideal conditions to more speed in choppy conditions. A few people I know have given up windsurfing in choppy conditions and even waves, but that's mostly because they like winging better.

One of the things that's easy to learn at LG is to handle more power. I'm quite curious to what extend that translates to windsurfing in choppier conditions. After our first LG trip (with great days in the equally flat waters of Albany and Mandurah), we probably ended up using one sail size bigger in mild to moderate chop. It will be interesting to see if this trip has a similar effect.

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cald said..
How do you all find going back to to your regular spots after being at lake george? Is it kinda a let down? I'm 2 years back to sailing after some 20+ years and getting close to 35 at our choppy lake. I'd like to go to LG sometime to see 40 but would hate for it to take away from sailing the local spot!

No issue really. LG is a heap of fun and most of my PBS are there ( Not speed) but home has such a variety of fun not just flat water.

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cald said..
How do you all find going back to to your regular spots after being at lake george? Is it kinda a let down? I'm 2 years back to sailing after some 20+ years and getting close to 35 at our choppy lake. I'd like to go to LG sometime to see 40 but would hate for it to take away from sailing the local spot!

As Mr Keen said, the first session back is always a shock to the system, but you adjust.

Why would you deny yourself the opportunity to sail in the best GPS sailing spot in the world because you think it might spoil your fun at home. My experience is that LG improves your technique and hence your sailing at home.

I've just had 19 sailing sessions in 22 days at Lake George, sailing over 1400 kms in a variety of wind strengths, directions and conditions. Where else in the world can you do this?

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John340 said..

cald said..
How do you all find going back to to your regular spots after being at lake george? Is it kinda a let down? I'm 2 years back to sailing after some 20+ years and getting close to 35 at our choppy lake. I'd like to go to LG sometime to see 40 but would hate for it to take away from sailing the local spot!

As Mr Keen said, the first session back is always a shock to the system, but you adjust.

Why would you deny yourself the opportunity to sail in the best GPS sailing spot in the world because you think it might spoil your fun at home. My experience is that LG improves your technique and hence your sailing at home.

I've just had 19 sailing sessions in 22 days at Lake George, sailing over 1400 kms in a variety of wind strengths, directions and conditions. Where else in the world can you do this?

Thanks for the replies everyone, I was just curious as to how people find it coming back to 'normal' sailing. I'll have to save some cash for a good wettie and some shallow water fins before getting down there. Bit of a mission with the 24hrs of driving and scheduling it with businesses and kids etc!

What is the real season window - Jan to March?

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cald said..

John340 said..

cald said..
How do you all find going back to to your regular spots after being at lake george? Is it kinda a let down? I'm 2 years back to sailing after some 20+ years and getting close to 35 at our choppy lake. I'd like to go to LG sometime to see 40 but would hate for it to take away from sailing the local spot!

As Mr Keen said, the first session back is always a shock to the system, but you adjust.

Why would you deny yourself the opportunity to sail in the best GPS sailing spot in the world because you think it might spoil your fun at home. My experience is that LG improves your technique and hence your sailing at home.

I've just had 19 sailing sessions in 22 days at Lake George, sailing over 1400 kms in a variety of wind strengths, directions and conditions. Where else in the world can you do this?

Thanks for the replies everyone, I was just curious as to how people find it coming back to 'normal' sailing. I'll have to save some cash for a good wettie and some shallow water fins before getting down there. Bit of a mission with the 24hrs of driving and scheduling it with businesses and kids etc!

What is the real season window - Jan to March?

Yes, but accommodation because cheaper and easier to get after the school holidays and lake levels can get low in March.

What is a good combination of gear to cover the conditions - board size/sail size?

Those videos of Phil's are super tempting.

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MalJ said..
What is a good combination of gear to cover the conditions - board size/sail size?

Bring the big gear (in addition to the medium and small)! The largest I had (@95 kg) was 95 l / 7.0, which got me on the water about every 3rd day in February. Guys who had 7.8/115 combos (and more patience waiting for wind, and perhaps a few kg less) got 18 out of 19 days on the water. Light wind on LG is very special: much more glass, just very small ripples in the "choppy" parts, and speeds in the mid-30s. I think someone did high 30s on a 9.0 a couple of weeks ago.
You'll also use the medium gear, and the smaller gear on the windiest days,

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MalJ said..
What is a good combination of gear to cover the conditions - board size/sail size?

Those videos of Phil's are super tempting.

I'm 87kg give or take, 6.6 & 5.8 sails, one 87L slalom board and one 18cm delta fin, been to LG a few times and that works well for me
Don't just go for PB's, they're nice but not the be all.

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Philnott said..
Finally ticked LG off the bucket list and had to record a few videos of the conditions on my first trip.
Check out the videos below.

Love LG Awesome place!!! Great vids mate!!! Thanks

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Imax1 said..

Sold !
I can just do 30 in chop in a terrifying way , I think I could do 35 on flat water , ( hoping ).
I just have to do the 24 hour drive .
Wife is in . She doesn't sail , but loves a road trip .

If wife doesn't mind driving, there's a few wineries in the SE. Plus the cave systems to explore (Naracoorte, SA). If she doesn't like any of that, then she can drive down to Mac Park in Mt Gambier and watch the motorcycle racing

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firiebob said..

I'm 87kg give or take, 6.6 & 5.8 sails, one 87L slalom board and one 18cm delta fin, been to LG a few times and that works well for me
Don't just go for PB's, they're nice but not the be all.

yes, for me 2 boards and 3 sails cover all but the lightest wind and 90% of the conditions:
70l
95 l
5.2; 5.7; 6.6
I am a records keeping freak and you can see all my 85 sessions at lg in the last 10 years since I started going:
martignoni.id.au/summary_location.php?location=George%20Lake%20-%20SA&sort=date

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firiebob said..

MalJ said..
What is a good combination of gear to cover the conditions - board size/sail size?

Those videos of Phil's are super tempting.

I'm 87kg give or take, 6.6 & 5.8 sails, one 87L slalom board and one 18cm delta fin, been to LG a few times and that works well for me
Don't just go for PB's, they're nice but not the be all.

And a bloody warm wetsuit hey Bob!?!

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red said..

firiebob said..

MalJ said..
What is a good combination of gear to cover the conditions - board size/sail size?

Those videos of Phil's are super tempting.

I'm 87kg give or take, 6.6 & 5.8 sails, one 87L slalom board and one 18cm delta fin, been to LG a few times and that works well for me
Don't just go for PB's, they're nice but not the be all.

And a bloody warm wetsuit hey Bob!?!

Too true Red, that's why I don't last past Feb, I'm still traumatised having to wear your rubber 2014

Can you camp at LG or somewhere close by?
Pete

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choco said..
You forgot to add no "tides" Daffy

You've still got to factor in the way strong wind blows water from one side to the other.
I didn't think that the depth of the 5 mile side could drop so much. I was very aware of the shallows on Cockies side but wasn't worrying enough about the area near the speed run.
I had a bad stack going in too far in the murky water.

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peterowensbabs said..
Can you camp at LG or somewhere close by?
Pete

Yes you can camp at the lake via the National Parks or camp at the Caravan parks with their hot showers

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kato said..

peterowensbabs said..
Can you camp at LG or somewhere close by?
Pete

Yes you can camp at the lake via the National Parks or camp at the Caravan parks with their hot showers

Access to a good hot shower at the end of the day is essential.