Hi guys,

I am after a bit of info about Sandy Point. We are looking at coming down there for a sail this winter - promise to stay out of the way.

We will be using a couple of slalom boards 94 litres etc and are wondering if we will be able to get away with sails in the 5mtr + range. (mainly freeride/slalom sails) We are obviously not out to set any records but it looks like a great place to sail. Could you please advise what sort of wind range you are generally sailing in there?

Could you also advise of any close accomodation that you would recommend. We are planning on doing a midweek trip - weather permitting and dont intend to sail near the speed run but it appears that it is still a lot flatter than where we would normally be sailing.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Cheers,
Ello

Ello,any style boards are welcome at the Pit any time and please sail the speed run. We only get grumpy when people jybe, tack or do "Flicky Stuff" in front of you with out looking behind first The wind could be anything from 0 to 40+ knots, its very frontal dependent,but when its Sw its very very smooth. 7.0 to 5.0 would cover you for most of the time. Sandy point caravan park a a good cheap place to stay and its close to the surf. Bring warm clothing and a good wetty, it will be COLD A better time to come down is the "Al,s not here speedfortnight" gathering.

Don't sweat it. It would be sacrilege to come to sandy Point and not partake of the speed bank.
Winds range the whole gamut from whatever low number you can sail in to the occasional Nuclear storm! 12m to 2.5m should cover it!
But you will have a lot of fun even if you smallest sail is a good 5m on all but the biggest days. If it was stronger than that you would probably feel more comfortable on a smaller board anyhow.
Winter is not the best time for sailing here. The days are short so the tides can be wrong all day. It is also pretty cold, especially the wind chill factor on a good day. Also, winter is not a great time for wind. Mostly it is very unfavorable Nor' Westerlies which are a real pain at best.
I would recommend delaying you trip until the Sandy Point Speed Fortnight event from Sat 26th Sept - Sun 11th Oct. This is when the wind patterns change to more favorable conditions (More Sou' Westerlies) and the days are longer. And plenty of guys around to chinwag and sail with.

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kato said...

Ello,any style boards are welcome at the Pit any time and please sail the speed run. We only get grumpy when people jybe, tack or do "Flicky Stuff" in front of you with out looking behind first The wind could be anything from 0 to 40+ knots, its very frontal dependent,but when its Sw its very very smooth. 7.0 to 5.0 would cover you for most of the time. Sandy point caravan park a a good cheap place to stay and its close to the surf. Bring warm clothing and a good wetty, it will be COLD A better time to come down is the "Al,s not here speedfortnight" gathering.

They also get grumpy if you leave 2 feet between yourself and the beach. Some of them even sail between you and the sand!

The Fish Creek pub/motel looks pretty ordinary, but it's cheap accommodation and has pretty good food from what I found. It's not that close to Sandy Point though and is a 10 to 20 minute drive I think. For being able to drink in the bar and then walk back to the motel with a decent feed, it definitely wins points with me though.

Ello, ello. (sorry, couldn't resist)I have found www.promaccom.com.au quite useful for house rentals at Sandy Point. Heaps of details about the places so you can find what suits you best. Eg some have hot outdoor showers! Great if you've just wandered back from having a surf. The estuary is not walking distance though. The houses on promaccom are not as cheap as the campground though. The cafe does have some pretty basic rooms for rent also.

Sorry, missed the accom question. Pedro got it pretty well spot on though...

Thanks for all the info guys.

Will defintely look to get down for speed week, we were also looking at coming down sooner for a couple of days as we dont get any decent wind here for the next few months, only some dirty gusty sou westers, which we will no doubt sail in anyway.

Thanks for all the info, much appreciated. Might do a run down prior to speed week just to get an idea of the place.

Thanks again,
Ello