call me a nerd but i have measured all of the fetch distances for the spots we sail when in SEQ.

obviously all of the best spots have the longest fetch for a given wind direction and are clearly at the top of the lists.

SE wind

neil st - open
caloundra bar open
currumbin - open (cross off point break)

beachmere - 50.57km
suttons - 39.5
caloundra bar - 36.4km
woorim - 23.4km
wello - 23.2km
Vicki - 9.0km
manly 5.1km
train - 1.9km (potentially better)
shearwater - 1.4km

SSE wind

neil st - open

caloundra bar - 76.4km
bongaree - 48.2km
woorim - 47.8km
suttons - 14.83km
vicki - 5km
shearwater - 3.5km

S wind

woorim (lookout) - 44.1km
bongaree - 28.9km
suttons beach - 12.9km
pelican park - 9.2km
caloundra bar - 8.9km
golden pond - 4km (potentially better)
shearwater - 3.4km
Vicki - 2.73km
boreen point - 2.6km

SW wind.

bongaree - 17.5km fetch
pelican park - 4.5km
boreen point - 2.7km
wello - 2.5km fetch
Vicki - 1.2km

W wind

red beach - 10.5km
scarborough - 4.87km
wello - 4.7km
bongaree - 2.45km

NW wind

wello - 45.4km
bellara - 8.5km
scarborough - 7.9km
ohalloran - 4.0km
moolooaba - 3.7km
north kirra - 3.1km
currumbin - 1.4km

N wind

mooloolaba - open
neil street - open
woorim - open
north kirra - open
ohalloran - open
currumbin - open

manly - 39.7km
noosa - 18km
queens north - 12.7km
boreen point - 3.3km
bribie secret spot - 3.0km
train - 2.16km


NE wind

mooloolaba - open
woorim - open
queens north - open
neil st - open

wello - 45km
ohalloran - 11.8km
boreen point - 7km
manly - 4.8km
train 1.6km

ENE wind

wello - open
manly - open
woorim - open
neil street - open

queens north - 26.4km
ohalloran - 10.8km
Vicki - 10.6km

E wind

caloundra bar - open

beachmere - 28.8km
suttons - 25.5km
manly - 23.6km
wello - 17.6km
woorim - 15.8km
vicki - 4.5km
boreen point - 4.1km
train - 1km

Well, better a long fetch than a long felch by the looks.

Shearwater seems to do OK on a SE despite it's tiny fetch. Clearly other factors at play there.

Similarly, I spent some time looking at Google maps last night to see just how some places are really oriented. Most of the beaches have a significant north orientation, more than I expected.
It's easy to see why Currumbin struggles in a southerly.
My dreams of Kirra in a SW were smashed too. Oh well !!

agree ken,

it doesn't take into account tide influences and topography of land outside of fetch or the fact that the wind swings around.

but i think what it does give is a good indication of where the best wind is. usually the longer the fetch the more stable the wind. most of the places with a short fetch that we all sail are prone to being gusty but are sailable.

from my knowledge of locations versus wind the above table is spot on for where i believe to be the best spots.

the wello manly debate is answered well above.

NE - Wello
N - Manly
NW- Wello

those of us that have stood at wello in a northerly only to see no wind and the manly crew blasting know it well. o.

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Gestalt said...
the wello manly debate is answered well above.

Yeah, but Wello is cold, dirty and has way, way, way too many roundabouts.

Actually it is pretty nice if you sail way out. I'd love to sail out to the islands one time, but chicken out when heading out by self. Anyone else keen? I know some of you go waa-aaaaay out.

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evlPanda said...

Gestalt said...
the wello manly debate is answered well above.

Yeah, but Wello is cold, dirty and has way, way, way too many roundabouts.

Actually it is pretty nice if you sail way out. I'd love to sail out to the islands one time, but chicken out when heading out by self. Anyone else keen? I know some of you go waa-aaaaay out.

cold, dirty and fantastic fun in a NE, NW, W wind

NE lets you head nose into the swell out the back with dead flat water on the inside, i haven't sailed anywhere else as nice.

in summer ne seabreezes from my experience manly is windier then wello... and wynnum is windier still.

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swoosh said...

in summer ne seabreezes from my experience manly is windier then wello... and wynnum is windier still.

i don't subscribe to that theory.

Select to expand quote

Gestalt said...

evlPanda said...

Gestalt said...
the wello manly debate is answered well above.

Yeah, but Wello is cold, dirty and has way, way, way too many roundabouts.

Actually it is pretty nice if you sail way out. I'd love to sail out to the islands one time, but chicken out when heading out by self. Anyone else keen? I know some of you go waa-aaaaay out.

cold, dirty and fantastic fun in a NE, NW, W wind

NE lets you head nose into the swell out the back with dead flat water on the inside, i haven't sailed anywhere else as nice.

I thought you hated Wello?

i don't like the eastern side. too many rocks, reefs and a boat ramp to access the water. so go elsewhere in a SE wind

the western side i rate. i've had some very fun sessions there.

No, you definately hate it.

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evlPanda said...

No, you definately hate it.

(Are you RSS'ing this or something)

But seriously, if I am going to go sailing out to the islands what do I need to be aware of? Things breaking of course, but anything else? Thinking I'll take a spare uni, spare line ...well that's about all I can carry. Thinking I won't do it on an outgoing tide.

Alternately I was thinking of just sailing out into the Pacific one day when the wind looks like it's going to be consistent.

Thing I'm most worried about are the things I haven't considered. Narwhales for instance.

i haven't sailed out to the islands myself.

vando doest it regularly when he does distance gps runs and i heard that some of the slalom guys do it on wednesdays with the sailing fleet from manly.

i would say the only thing to be aware of is it's a bit sharky around the islands but i guess everywhere is.

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swoosh said...

in summer ne seabreezes from my experience manly is windier then wello... and wynnum is windier still.

Im with you swoosh in a northerly there is always more wind at wynnum, then manly and less at wello . Could be due to green blocking the wind.

Re south westers , a couple of us where sailing from King to Green on sunday , clear water, nice swell (just need to keep an eye out on your mates)

Ditto to Swoosh and BC on Northerly winds with Wynnum > Manly > Wello, 3-7 knots difference some days.

- J

yeah agree that northerly winds are stronger at manly but not NE seabreeezes.

are you guys just talking Northerly winds or NE seabreezes? and if you are talking seabreezes what is it based on?

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Gestalt said...

call me a nerd but i have measured all of the fetch distances for the spots we sail when in SEQ.

obviously all of the best spots have the longest fetch for a given wind direction and are clearly at the top of the lists.

SE wind

neil st - open
caloundra bar open
currumbin - open (cross off point break)

beachmere - 50.57km
suttons - 39.5
caloundra bar - 36.4km
woorim - 23.4km
wello - 23.2km
Vicki - 9.0km
manly 5.1km
train - 1.9km (potentially better)
shearwater - 1.4km

SSE wind

neil st - open

caloundra bar - 76.4km
bongaree - 48.2km
woorim - 47.8km
suttons - 14.83km
vicki - 5km
shearwater - 3.5km

S wind

woorim (lookout) - 44.1km
bongaree - 28.9km
suttons beach - 12.9km
pelican park - 9.2km
caloundra bar - 8.9km
golden pond - 4km (potentially better)
shearwater - 3.4km
Vicki - 2.73km
boreen point - 2.6km

SW wind.

bongaree - 17.5km fetch
pelican park - 4.5km
boreen point - 2.7km
wello - 2.5km fetch
Vicki - 1.2km

W wind

red beach - 10.5km
scarborough - 4.87km
wello - 4.7km
bongaree - 2.45km

NW wind

wello - 45.4km
bellara - 8.5km
scarborough - 7.9km
ohalloran - 4.0km
moolooaba - 3.7km
north kirra - 3.1km
currumbin - 1.4km

N wind

mooloolaba - open
neil street - open
woorim - open
north kirra - open
ohalloran - open
currumbin - open

manly - 39.7km
noosa - 18km
queens north - 12.7km
boreen point - 3.3km
bribie secret spot - 3.0km
train - 2.16km


NE wind

mooloolaba - open
woorim - open
queens north - open
neil st - open

wello - 45km
ohalloran - 11.8km
boreen point - 7km
manly - 4.8km
train 1.6km

ENE wind

wello - open
manly - open
woorim - open
neil street - open

queens north - 26.4km
ohalloran - 10.8km
Vicki - 10.6km

E wind

caloundra bar - open

beachmere - 28.8km
suttons - 25.5km
manly - 23.6km
wello - 17.6km
woorim - 15.8km
vicki - 4.5km
boreen point - 4.1km
train - 1km

nerd

^it's true i am a nerd.

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Gestalt said...

yeah agree that northerly winds are stronger at manly but not NE seabreeezes.

are you guys just talking Northerly winds or NE seabreezes? and if you are talking seabreezes what is it based on?

Generally NNE or NE are Better at Manly/Wynnum sometimes it just takes longer to get to wello. ENE very little difference if any.
Northerly's I don't think there's alot in it either sometime Ive had it stronger at wello.

hmm...

well i'd be keen to find out why, becasue there are islands to the NE of manly that would dissrupt the wind and a ridge running right down the coast. At wello it is wide open with low lying land to the W

in a northerly i've been to wello plenty of times where the wind has vanished. i always put that down to the king island dissrupting things.

must be something else going on?

what is it based on?? peoples comments on how windy it was or real data?

Well NE you can sail from wello to manly without to much prob.
quite often you can dredge from wello to the beacons off king and then plane all the way to manly. other days same dir and you can plane all way the across. stuffs me y maybe just a very slight change in dir. also storms have a huge impact on whats going to happen, it can either suck the wind in or kill it all together arrrgh to many variables

ok, i'll go out on a limb.

could it be tide related? ie. wind against tide.

not much tide at the wello bank and lightish winds = no planing
4 knot tide in the channel against lightish winds = joy!